Catherine Palace halls and rooms. Catherine Palace

To our great joy, photography and videography are allowed in the Grand Catherine Palace; perhaps, photography will soon be prohibited here, as has already happened in the palace, but, taking the opportunity, we took several photographs of this stunning palace with its interiors. We will try to convey the whole atmosphere that reigns in the chambers and bedchambers of Russian rulers.

Grand Catherine Palace, a little history

The Great Catherine Palace, unfortunately, was almost completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, but now, thanks to the excellent work of restorers, 32 of the 58 halls have been restored. Most of them are still closed to the public, so this article contains photos of only those rooms The Great Catherine Palace, which they showed us. I don’t want to write bare historical facts in this article, let’s go over the main ones so that you have a general impression of the Great Catherine Palace.

The Great Catherine Palace is almost 300 years old; it was founded in 1717. But the original palace was a small two-story building, and a little later, in 1751, it was rebuilt, and in its place a luxurious palace with a large number of service buildings and a palace church was erected. A lot of gold was used in the design, both outside and inside, and the figures of Atlanteans on the front façade of the palace were initially also covered with gold, but during the restoration they decided not to waste money on gilding.

The Catherine Palace is huge, its stunning appearance is in no way inferior to the beautifully decorated halls inside, which we now invite you to take a look at.

Let's walk through the halls of the palace

Entering the Catherine Palace, you don’t immediately realize all the greatness: perhaps because there were a lot of visitors during our visit to the palace, perhaps because you are quickly, quickly equipped with an earpiece and shoe covers, and within a minute a new group of tourists has been formed and is already heading to excursion tour of the Great Catherine Palace. The feeling of a conveyor belt approach spoiled the first impression a little, but after a couple of minutes we forgot about it. Now I will explain why.

After the group was formed, we were led through the halls, while being told the history of the Grand Catherine Palace. And the acquaintance with the palace began from the main staircase, along which everyone climbed to the halls of the palace. Due to the thick burgundy curtains and almost completely absent lighting, the room on the main staircase has a certain intimacy.

Apparently for greater effect, the first hall of the Catherine Palace, to which we were led and which did not leave a single visitor indifferent, was the Great Hall of the palace. It is also called the Light Gallery, and, indeed, there is plenty of light in this room, and the abundance of gilding and luxury simply never ceases to amaze.

The Great Hall of the Catherine Palace is the largest room in it, with an area of ​​more than 800 square meters, and was once used for balls and all sorts of celebrations and receptions. Huge seven-meter ceilings, which make you feel like a very small person, as well as large two-tier windows that fill the Great Hall with light, create the feeling as if the room has no end.

Now let's walk through the rest of the halls of the Catherine Palace. From the Great Hall we head to the Cavalier Dining Room with a beautifully set table. The multi-tiered tiled stove immediately catches your eye - these will be found in almost all the halls of the palace. Next is the White State Dining Room. Starting from this room we are already approaching the empress’s chambers. Here “evening meals” were held in a very narrow circle of close associates.

Then, one after the other, come Crimson and Green Pillar. The rooms are called pillar rooms because the walls have very beautiful glass inserts, with the appropriate shade, in the form of pillars.

Having skipped the Amber Room, which we will discuss in more detail later, we head to the Picture Hall, which at one time served as the formal dining room. The walls of the hall are decorated with paintings by Western European masters. How royal is it to use paintings that have their own artistic value solely for decorative purposes, because, as we learned from the guide, the architect, when placing the paintings, first of all took into account their sizes.

Adjacent to the Picture Hall is the Small White Dining Room, from which the Empress’s private chambers began. There are various gilded armchairs here, as well as an antique wooden bureau. Next comes the Chinese living room of Alexander I, which seemed to me one of the most beautiful in the entire palace. The walls of this room are decorated with silk upholstery and painted with watercolors in the Chinese style.

There are still a few more halls left for us to visit in the Grand Catherine Palace, and the Green Dining Room is one of them. From this dining room begins the personal chambers of the Empress with soft green walls, which are covered with very interesting stucco ornaments based on various antique motifs.

We finish our walk through the halls of the Grand Catherine Palace in the Waitress room. It is designed in a simple style and is decorated with card tables and mahogany chairs, and on the walls there are paintings of mountain landscapes and ruins.

The Amber Room in the Grand Catherine Palace is the only one in which photography and video shooting are prohibited, so in order to capture even a particle of this unique work of art, it was necessary to take photographs from the neighboring rooms. There is a lot of information on the Internet about the mysterious disappearance and amazing discovery of the Amber Room during the war, but the fact that now this masterpiece has been restored and everyone can see it is worth a lot. It is difficult to convey in words the sensations and feelings that appear when you are in the Amber Room.

Many people call the Amber Room one of the wonders of the world, and I would like to agree with this.

You can get to the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo as follows:

From Vitebsky railway station in St. Petersburg:

Electric train to the Tsarskoe Selo station (Pushkin) and then bus No. 371, 382 or minibus No. 371, 377, 382 to the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve.

From the Moskovskaya metro station in St. Petersburg:

Minibus No. 342, 545 to the State Museum-Reserve “Tsarskoe Selo”;
or bus No. 187 or minibus No. 286, 287, 347 to the Pushkin railway station and then bus No. 371, 382 or minibus No. 371, 377, 382 to the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve.

From the metro stations “Zvezdnaya” or “Kupchino” in St. Petersburg:

By minibuses K-545a, K-286, K-287, and K-347a.

With an excursion to Tsarskoe Selo from St. Petersburg:

By ordering excursions to Tsarskoe Selo from St. Petersburg, you not only save time on organizing your trip, but also get the opportunity to learn interesting, historical details about attractions and memorable places. Prices for excursions start from 600 rubles. You can find out more about excursion offers by clicking on the photo below.

Visiting information

Catherine Palace - opening hours:

From 10:00 to 18:00; ticket office and visitors entry until 16:45.
Mondays: from 10:00 to 21:00; ticket office and visitors entry until 19:45.
Closed: Tuesday and last Monday of the month.

Catherine Palace - ticket prices:

Adults – 400 rub.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 200 rubles.
Students – 200 rub.
Visitors under 18 years old – free of charge (from 01/01/2015)

Accommodation in Tsarkoye Selo - where to stay for the night

Usually they go to Tsarskoe Selo for one day, as part of a trip to St. Petersburg. But, if you plan to see all the sights of Tsarskoye Selo in more detail, we recommend renting a hotel or apartment there. Here are some proven options. Inexpensive hotel Aksinya, starting from $9 and guest house Granda, costing from $30.

The Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace is a Baroque masterpiece created by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli for Elizabeth Petrovna. During the Great Patriotic War, the palace was destroyed; to date, 32 of the 58 halls have been restored, including the Amber Room. Perhaps this is the most impressive Russian “remake”.

// Part 27

1. The central part of the palace is based on two-story “stone chambers” built in 1717-1724 by the architect Braunstein for Catherine I.

2. The modern palace was erected in 1748-1756 by the chief architect of the imperial court, F.-B. Rastrelli.

3. Now on the side of the building there is a monument to the famous architect.

4. The facade of the palace is presented in the form of a wide azure ribbon with snow-white columns and gilded ornaments, giving the building a special chic.

5. In the north-eastern part of the building is the Palace Church of the Resurrection.

6. Nearby there is a building connected to the palace by an arch.

7. The front courtyard of the residence is limited by two circumferences and contains a parade ground. At the edges there are two yellow service (kitchen) buildings.

8. To get inside the palace in the summer, you need to stand in a forty-minute line in the heat.

9. While waiting, look at the details of the building.

10. The last large-scale restoration of the building was more than ten years ago, now the facades need cosmetic repairs.

11. The blue and gold paints have faded.

12. The columns of the palace support sculptures of Atlanteans; their faces can only be seen if you come close to the building.

13. First of all, we get to Grand staircase, decorated with the sculpture “Waking Cupid” from 1860.

14. The staircase was created under Catherine II by Charles Cameron on the site of the Chinese Hall. In memory of this, the interior is decorated with vases and dishes made of Chinese porcelain.

15. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with paintings “Aeneas and Venus”, “Jupiter and Callisto” and “The Judgment of Paris”. They replaced canvases that were destroyed by collapsed ceilings during the war.

16. The stucco decoration of the walls and the caryatids framing the doorways were restored based on the discovered details and pre-war images.

17. The large clock was also recreated.

18. Green dining room- part of the personal chambers of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and his first wife Natalya Alekseevna, built under Catherine II on the site of an open terrace - a “hanging” garden.

19. Interior Waitress decorated with mahogany chairs, a Swedish chest of drawers from the second half of the 18th century and a sculpture by M.-A. Collot "Head of a Girl" from 1769.

20. Small White dining room in the personal chambers of Elizabeth, Catherine II and Alexander I. Its interior was formed after the fire of 1820.

21. In the ceiling lamp there is a copy of the painting “The Bathing of Venus” by K. Vanloo.

22. Located next door Chinese living room of Alexander I.

23. Its interior is distinguished by silk upholstery of the walls painted with watercolors in the Chinese style.

24. On the walls are portraits, including those of Emperor Peter II, painted by I.-P. Ludena.

25. Next - Pantry, which until 1761 formed part of the Dressing Room on Elizabeth Petrovna’s half.

26. For the lampshade, a painting by the 17th century Italian artist P. da Cortona “Fishing Corals”, donated from the Hermitage collections, was used.

27. Cavalier's dining room- a small hall, visually enlarged by mirrors and false mirror windows.

28. On the tables are items of the famous “Order” services, decorated with signs and ribbons of Russian orders.

29. The picturesque ceiling in the center of the ceiling is decorated with a painting by an unknown Russian master of the mid-18th century based on the ancient myth of the sun god Helios and the goddess of the dawn Eos, obtained from the funds of the Russian Museum.

30. White formal dining room intended for ceremonial dinners and “evening dishes” of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in a narrow circle of those close to her.

31. Green Pillar under Catherine II, it served as a pantry, in which silverware and porcelain were stored. Here is one of the multi-tiered tiled stoves with cobalt painting, columns and niches. Similar stoves, created according to Rastrelli’s sketches, were an integral part of all the halls of the palace’s front suite.

32.

33. B Portrait Hall ceremonial images of royalty were displayed. Nowadays, in addition to portraits, you can see one of the empress’s dresses.

34. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with a picturesque lampshade “Mercury and Glory” transferred from us.

35. The first in a series of the most impressive halls of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace - Picture hall with an area of ​​180 m².

36. Paintings are placed in it according to the principle of trellis hanging. When placing works on the wall, Rastrelli took into account, first of all, their size and color scheme: separated from each other by a narrow gilded baguette, the paintings merge into a single colorful “carpet”.

37. The “Olympus” lampshade, a copy of the lampshade of the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace, is in harmony with the overall color of the walls.

38. Big hall, or the Light Gallery - the most significant ceremonial room of the palace, created according to the design of the architect F.-B. Rastrelli in 1752-1756.

39. Its area is more than 800 m².

40. Alternating large windows with mirrors visually expands the boundaries of the room.

41. The sculptural and ornamental carvings, covering the planes of the walls with a continuous pattern, were made according to the sketches of Rastrelli and the models of the sculptor-decorator Dunker by 130 Russian carvers.

42. The original pictorial ceiling was painted in 1752-1754 according to a sketch by the Venetian artist D. Valeriani. It consisted of three independent compositions depicting the “Allegory of Russia”, “Allegory of the World” and “Allegory of Victory”.

43. In the 1790s, due to the deformation of the ceilings, Valeriani’s ceiling was removed to the palace storerooms, and in 1856-1858, artists F. Wunderlich and E. Franciuoli created a new composition “Allegorical image of Science, Art and Diligence.” This lamp was destroyed during the war.

44. In the 1950s, during restoration, the side parts of the old lampshade, “Allegory of Peace” and “Allegory of Victory,” which were considered lost, were discovered. It was decided to recreate Valeriani’s ceiling, returning the surviving compositions to Tsarskoe Selo. The central part was restored according to sketches and descriptions made by Valeriani himself, as well as according to a drawing by Stackenschneider from 1857.

45. Amber room rightly called one of the wonders of the world. Initially, this interior was created for the Prussian queen Miria-Charlotte, but in 1716 it was presented to Peter the Great by Frederick William I, but only under Elizabeth did it find a place in the old Winter Palace. With her, the precious panels were carried in her arms (!) to Tsarskoe Selo. Rastrelli installed them in the middle tier of the walls, separating them with pilasters and mirrors, and decorated the room with gilded carvings. Where there was not enough amber, fragments of the walls were covered with canvas and painted “to look like amber” by the artist Belsky. After the capture of Pushkin by German troops, the panels were taken away by the Kunstkomission team and until 1944 were exhibited at Königsberg Castle. When the Germans retreated, the panels were again dismantled, packed into boxes and taken to an unknown destination.

46. ​​Restoration of the room began in 1979. In 2000, a Russian typesetting chest of drawers from the late 18th century and a Florentine mosaic “Touch and Smell,” which were part of the room’s original decoration, were returned to the museum, discovered in Germany. By 2003, the decoration of the hall was completely restored.

47. In an inconspicuous corridor of the palace hangs a painting depicting the palace in a terrible state in 1944. It reminds us of the enormous damage war can do to history and culture.

Message quote Cultural heritage of the Russian Federation: Masterpiece of Russian Baroque - Grand Catherine Palace

The Great Catherine Palace (also known as the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace, Catherine Palace) is a former imperial palace; one of the largest in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Located in the modern city of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoe Selo), 25 kilometers south of St. Petersburg.

South facade

Side

Portrait of Catherine I (1684-1727), Jean-Marc Nattier

The building was founded in 1717 by order of the Russian Empress Catherine I; represents an example of late Baroque. During Soviet times, a museum was opened in the palace. During the Great Patriotic War, the palace was heavily damaged. Its restoration took many years and is continued by the Leningrad School of Restorers on a strictly scientific basis. It's still a long way from completion.

The history and architecture of the palace reflect both the architectural trends of each of the eras that the palace experienced, as well as the personal preferences of the Russian rulers of that time. The palace itself was founded in 1717 under the leadership of the German architect Johann Friedrich Braunstein as the summer residence of Empress Catherine I.

In 1743, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who had just ascended the throne, commissioned Russian architects Mikhail Zemtsov and Andrei Vasilyevich Kvasov to expand and improve the palace. It was under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna that the palace acquired its current appearance and style.

Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli
In May 1752, she commissioned the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli to rebuild the palace again, as she considered it too old-fashioned and small. After dismantling, a grandiose reconstruction and construction work that lasted four years, a modern palace appeared, made in the Russian Baroque style. On July 30, 1756, a presentation of the 325-meter palace took place to shocked Russian nobles and foreign guests.

Rastrelli rebuilt the Great (Catherine) Palace (1752-1756) in Tsarskoe Selo as follows. The longitudinal axis of the building became the main spatial coordinate in its plan; the enormous length of two parallel enfilades of the main rooms, the scale of which increases towards the center - the Great Hall and the Picture Gallery, is emphasized by the removal of the main staircase to the south-western end of the building.

The rhythmic variety of the order system of the façade, the large protrusions of the colonnades with the entablatures above them, the deep cavities of the windows creating a rich play of chiaroscuro, the abundance of stucco molding and decorative sculpture, the multicolored facades (blue and golden colors) give the building an emotional, rich, festive and very solemn appearance ( TSB).

The huge volume of the Grand Palace is immediately noticeable. In addition, the symmetrical axial system of overhead porticoes of the palace facade corresponds to the main spatial coordinates of the park plan.

During the German occupation, the ensemble was badly damaged, the palaces were looted, and many exhibits were burned. Now the ensemble has been completely restored by restorers - N.V. Baranov, A.A. Kedrinsky, N.E. Tumanova and others.

the Amber Room

The Amber Cabinet or Amber Room is one of the most famous rooms of the Grand Catherine Palace. The main decoration of the Amber Room was made at the beginning of the 18th century in Prussia, and was donated by King Frederick William I to Peter I in 1716; in 1746 it was supplemented and mounted in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, in 1755 it was moved to Tsarskoye Selo.

Restored amber room

During the Great Patriotic War, the decoration of the Amber Room was taken by the German occupiers to Königsberg. The further fate of the room was unknown.

Since 1979, work has been carried out in St. Petersburg to recreate the Amber Room; for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, it was restored in full by the hands of domestic restorers, including funds from German companies.

There are still legends and myths about the fate of the original exhibits in the room.

On May 23, 2010, the general director of the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve, Olga Taratynova, told reporters that several restored halls and pavilions would open for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoe Selo:
We will reopen the restored Throne Hall in the Catherine Palace. We will also open a hall completely unfamiliar to our guests from the half of the palace in which Catherine lived - the Arabesque Hall. Now work is already underway on furniture and selection of curtains.

Palace interiors

Raspberry pillar

Ballroom (Great Hall)

Golden stucco

Arabesque Hall, opened in 2010

Blue salon

Palace Church

Agate room

Alexander's office 1

Alexander 1's front office

Main staircase

Sleeping Cupid

Wall decor

Barometer

Catherine Palace, exhibition of Meissen porcelain




Green dining room

Project for finishing the Green Dining Room in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoe Selo. Paper, pen, brush, ink, watercolor, 49x65.5 cm. State Hermitage, received from the heirs of Charles Cameron in London, as part of his archive, 1822.

Kavaleo dining room

Picture hall

Battle of Poltava, Pierre-Denis Martin (1663-1742)

White formal dining room









Portrait Hall














Tiled stoves and fireplaces

Palace interiors

Last minute tours in Russia

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The history of Tsarskoe Selo begins from the moment Emperor Peter I gave the Saar manor to his wife Catherine in 1710. 7 years later, construction of the house begins under the leadership of the architect Braunstein, and after 7 years it ends, and the Empress awards it the name “Stone Chambers” "

The palace acquired its now famous appearance during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The facade of the building was painted azure, which wonderfully harmonized with the gilded decorative elements. The palace becomes three-story - the northern side is now crowned with the golden domes of the church, and a magnificent front porch adjoins the southern side. The monogram of its owner, Elizaveta Petrovna, appears on many elements of the jewelry. Changes also affected the interior. For the first time, a new layout was used here - the rooms moved from one to another along the entire length of the palace, forming the so-called Front Enfilade. The author of these changes was the famous architect Rastrelli, who also worked on the creation of the architectural complex of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

Beginning in 1770, during the era of Catherine II, the famous architect Charles Cameron worked in the palace. Under his leadership, the decoration of the residence acquired the features of ancient architecture. Under Alexander I, the architect V.P. Stasov was already in charge of decorating the rooms; during this period, the main theme of the interiors became the brilliant victory over Napoleon.

Halls and rooms of the palace

The main hall of the palace, the largest in all the palaces of St. Petersburg, is the Great Hall, or the Throne Hall. The ceilings reach about 47 m in height, and its width is approximately 18 m. Attention is immediately drawn to the magnificent parquet flooring and the majestic lampshade that covers the entire ceiling. The images on the ceiling symbolize Abundance, Science and Art, War and Victory.

Walking through the famous Front Enfilade with huge wall-length windows, you can see the Silver and Blue offices, the Lyon and Arabesque living rooms, the domed dining room and the Chinese room, the waiter's room, the bedchamber, and the front office. The famous Amber Room deserves special mention. In 1716, King Frederick William I of Prussia presented Peter I with amber panels. Since the cabinet area was slightly larger than the panels, we had to order the missing elements, which required approximately 450 kg of stone. Today every schoolchild knows the fate of this room; fortunately, after it was lost during World War II, it was restored.

Practical information

Address: Pushkin, st. Sadovaya, 7. Website.

Tsarskoye Selo is located just 25 km from St. Petersburg. The journey by car along the Pulkovskoye and Petersburgskoye highways will take from 30 minutes to an hour. By train: from Vitebsky railway station to the Tsarskoe Selo station, then from the Pushkin bus station by bus or minibus No. 382 to the Tsarskoe Selo Museum-Reserve stop. The total travel time is about an hour. In addition, buses and minibuses run from the Moskovskaya, Kupchino and Zvezdnaya metro stations to the museum.

Opening hours: from 10:00 to 18:00 (ticket sales until 16:45). Closed: Tuesday and last Monday of the month.

Under 16 years of age, admission is free, tickets for students, schoolchildren and pensioners of the Russian Federation - 350 RUB, adult tickets - 700 RUB. You can also buy an audio guide, it costs 200 RUB. Visa, MasterCard, UnionPlay and Maestro cards are accepted at the box office. Photography is prohibited in the Amber Room. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Original taken from bolivar_s to the Great Catherine Palace, the city of Pushkin.

Great Catherine Palace, Pushkin city.The exhibition of the Catherine Palace (until 1910 - the Great Tsarskoye Selo) Palace Museum covers the almost 300-year history of the outstanding monument and introduces the work of the architects who participated in its construction and decoration in the 18th-19th centuries, as well as the achievements of the restorers who revived the palace after the Great Patriotic War. Of the 58 halls of the palace destroyed during the war, 32 have been recreated.

In 1717, when St. Petersburg was created on the banks of the Neva, in Tsarskoe Selo under the leadership of the architect I.-F. Braunstein began the construction of the first stone royal house, which went down in history under the name “stone chambers” of Catherine I. In August 1724, to signify the completion of construction, a festival was held in the palace, during which “13 cannons were fired three times.” The Tsar and major statesmen were present at the celebration. At that time, the palace was a small two-story building typical of Russian architecture of the early 18th century.

Adolsky I-B.G. "Portrait of Catherine I with a Little Arab". 1725 or 1726. The portrait was repeated and copied several times. A similar version, attributed to the master, is kept in the collection of the Catherine Palace.

During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, at the end of 1742 - beginning of 1743, it was decided to expand the building according to the design of M. G. Zemtsov (1688-1743), but the death of the architect prevented the implementation of the plan. After Zemtsov, work in Tsarskoye Selo was carried out by A. V. Kvasov (1720 - after 1770) and his assistant G. Trezzini (1697-1768), but already in May 1745 Trezzini was replaced by the famous architect S. I. Chevakinsky (1713-1780) , who supervised construction in Tsarskoye Selo until the early 1750s.

From the end of 1748 to 1756, the construction of the Tsarskoye Selo residence was headed by the chief architect of the imperial court, F.-B. Rastrelli (1700-1761). On May 10, 1752, Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree on a major reconstruction of the old building, and already on July 30, 1756, Rastrelli demonstrated his new creation to the crowned customer and foreign ambassadors.

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth from Tsarskoye Selo in the Historical Museum

Friedrich Hartmann Barisien. Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna 1760-1761

The palace, built in the Baroque style, delighted with its size, powerful spatial dynamics and “picturesque” decor. The wide azure ribbon of the facade with snow-white columns and gilded ornaments looked festive.

Rastrelli decorated the palace facades with figures of Atlanteans, caryatids, lion masks and other stucco decorations made according to models by the sculptor I.-F. Duncker (1718-1795). The five gilded domes of the Palace Church rose above the northern building, and above the southern one, where the front porch was located, a dome with a multi-pointed star on the spire.

About 100 kilograms of red gold were spent on gilding the external and internal decorations. At the same time, the parade ground was finally decorated, fenced with palace wings and single-story service buildings located in a semicircle - circumferences. Rastrelli decorated the palace apartments just as luxuriously. The Front Enfilade he created, decorated with gilded carvings, was called “golden”. The enfilade arrangement of halls, unknown in Russia until the mid-18th century, was introduced by Rastrelli in other palaces, but only in Tsarskoye Selo the length of the front rooms was equal to the length of the entire building - from the Main Staircase to the Palace Church.

Rotary - Portrait of the Architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli

The next stage in the design of the front and residential halls of the palace dates back to the 1770s. The new owner of the residence, Empress Catherine II, who was passionate about ancient art, wanted to decorate her apartments in accordance with fashionable tastes and entrusted their decoration to the Scottish architect, an expert on ancient architecture, Charles Cameron (1743-1812).

The interiors he created - the Arabesque and Lyon living rooms, the Chinese Hall, the Domed Dining Room, the Silver Cabinet, the Blue Study (Snuffbox) and the Bedchamber - were distinguished by their refined beauty, severity of decorative design and special elegance of decoration. Unfortunately, these halls were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and have not yet been restored.

The rooms intended for Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (the future Emperor Paul I) and his wife Maria Feodorovna, decorated by Charles Cameron in the same years, have now been recreated: the Green Dining Room, the Waiter's Room, the State Blue Living Room, the Chinese Blue Living Room and the Bedchamber allow you to get acquainted with the unique interiors , created by a Scottish architect, whose work was so loved by Catherine II.

Edward Gau. Catherine Palace. Blue office (Snuffbox) (Zubovsky wing)

In 1817, by order of Emperor Alexander I, the architect V. P. Stasov (1769-1848) created the State Office and several adjacent rooms, decorated in the same style - all of these rooms were dedicated to the glorification of the brilliant victories won by the Russian army in the Patriotic War 1812. The Asian room became the embodiment of the theme of the art of the Middle East in the transcription of the era of historicism. The Asian, or Turkish, room of the Zubovsky building of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace was remodeled in “oriental taste” in 1851 -1853 from the Raspberry Room according to the design of the architect I.A. Monighetti with the participation of Professor of St. Petersburg University Sheikh Muhamsla Ayad Tantawi and artist I.G. Meyer.
In this, one of the most interesting exotic interiors of Monighetti, the decoration of the room was built with the expectation of displaying the collection of royal weapons. But it was here, in the room created for Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, the future Emperor Alexander II, that the architect managed to rise above the narrowly applied task and create one of the brightest and most complete artistic interiors.

Gau, Eduard Petrovich - Turkish room in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoe Selo

The final chord in the palace enfilade was the Grand Staircase, created in 1860-1863 by I. A. Monighetti (1819-1878) in the “second Rococo” style.

Bust of F.-B. Rastrelli

Golden Gate

Grille of the Front Courtyard.

Main staircase.

The main staircase occupies the entire height and width of the palace and is illuminated from the east and west by windows located in three tiers. White marble steps rise on both sides to the middle platform, from which four flights lead to the second floor, to the state rooms. On the walls of the interior, decorated with stucco ornaments, there are decorative vases and dishes of Chinese and Japanese porcelain of the 18th-19th centuries - in memory of the Chinese Hall located here in the mid-18th century.

Exhibition rooms.

Two rooms of the Catherine Palace, which can be entered by climbing the Grand Staircase, are now used as exhibition rooms.

Big hall.

The Great Hall, or the Bright Gallery, as it was called in the 18th century, is the largest ceremonial room of the palace, designed by the architect F.-B. Rastrelli in 1752-1756. This elegant hall with an area of ​​more than 800 square meters was intended for official receptions and celebrations, formal dinners, balls and masquerades.

Anti-cameras.

Guests who came to Tsarskoe Selo in the 18th century first of all found themselves in the anticameras (Italian anticamera - front, hallway), located near the Grand Staircase in the southern wing of the building. These rooms got their name because they were located in front of the Great Hall and were intended to await receptions and the appearance of the Empress. As a result of reconstruction at the end of the 18th century, when the Arabesque and Lyon halls appeared in place of two anti-chambers, only three remained.

"First Anti-Camera"

“First Anti-Chamber”. Plafond “Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne”

First Anti-Chamber of the Catherine Palace 1940

"Second Anti-Chamber"

"Third Anti-Chamber"

Arabesque Hall.

The Arabesque Hall is one of the most spectacular state halls created by Charles Cameron in the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace for Empress Catherine II.

Arabesque Hall in the Catherine Palace. Around 1850. E. Gau.

Cavalier's dining room.

Next to the Great Hall is the Cavalier Dining Room, also designed by F.-B. Rastrelli. Its dimensions are small, so the architect placed mirrors and false mirror windows on the walls, which made the room more spacious and brighter. The interior design is typical of the Baroque style: it is dominated by gilded carved ornaments of stylized flowers and shells; magnificent gilded compositions above the doors - desudeportes.

White State Dining Room.

Having passed the Main Staircase, we find ourselves in the White Main Dining Room, which was once intended for ceremonial dinners and “evening meals” of the Empress in a narrow circle of those close to her.

Raspberry and Green Pillar.

Decorating the halls of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace, F.-B. Rastrelli strove for the maximum variety of architectural and decorative solutions for his interiors. In the decoration of the two Raspberry and Green Pillars located one after the other, the architect used materials that were original for that time: he decorated the walls covered with white damask with transparent glass pilasters - “pillars”, with crimson and green foil placed under the glass, which gave the name to the rooms.

Raspberry canteen

Green dining room

Portrait Hall.

In the Portrait Hall of the Catherine Palace, decorated according to Rastrelli's design and preserving its original decoration for two centuries, ceremonial images of royal persons have long been displayed. Completely destroyed during the war, the interior was recreated from photographs and surviving fragments of decoration.

The Amber Room.

From the Portrait Hall you can go to the Amber Room - the pearl of the Catherine Palace, quite rightly called one of the wonders of the world.

Picture hall.

The main part of the Tsarskoye Selo collection of paintings presented in the hall was acquired by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1745-1746 in Prague and Hamburg by the artist G.-H. Groot.

Small white dining room.

Adjacent to the Picture Hall is the Small White Dining Room, from which the personal chambers of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and later Catherine II, began, who in turn passed them on to her beloved grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, the future Emperor Alexander I.

Chinese living room of Alexander I.

Created according to the design of the architect F.-B. Rastrelli in 1752-1756 The Chinese living room of Alexander I belonged to the personal imperial chambers. Its interior stood out among the rooms of the Golden Enfilade of the palace with its silk upholstery walls painted with watercolors in the Chinese style. The rest of the decoration followed the general style of the state rooms: a picturesque ceiling, carved gilded desudéportes based on the models of the sculptor I.-F. Dunkers, mirrors between the windows, stoves made of “Hamburg” tiles and inlaid parquet.

Pantry.

The pantry belonged to the personal chambers of the Empress and until 1761 formed part of the Dressing Room on the half of Elizabeth Petrovna. In the middle of the 19th century, the room was divided by a white damask partition, behind which a service buffet was set up for serving tables during receptions.

The front office of Alexander I.

From the Vaulted Entrance Hall you can go to the Emperor’s Front (Marble) Office, created according to the design of V.P. Stasov in 1817 and intended for important official audiences.

Green dining room.

The Green Dining Room begins the private chambers in the northern part of the palace, created in the 1770s by decree of Catherine II for Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (the future Emperor Paul I) and his first wife Natalya Alekseevna.

Waitress.

The waiter's room is one of the service rooms of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace of the 18th century.

Stately blue living room.

The largest and most elegant room in the apartments created by Charles Cameron in 1779-1783 is the State Blue Living Room. Its ceremonial purpose is emphasized by the rich and varied decor: the walls are covered in silk with blue flowers on a white background and completed with a gilded frieze of alternating vases and oval pictorial medallions; paired fireplaces made of Carrara marble are decorated with bas-reliefs and caryatids; on the western wall between the windows there are large mirrors in carved gilded frames, completed with medallions, and gilded consoles. The door panels are painted with motifs from antique grotesques. In the workshop of G. Stahlmeer, inlaid parquet was made from valuable wood species with a predominance of rosewood and rosewood.

Chinese blue living room.

From the State Blue Living Room you can go to the Chinese Blue Living Room, the name of which is due to the fact that its walls were covered with blue Chinese silk, decorated with landscapes and genre scenes, for a century and a half.

Prehorn.

The Prechoir Room, the last room of the Front Enfilade of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace, got its name due to its proximity to the choir of the Palace Church.

Palace Church.

The court Resurrection Church of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace was founded on August 8, 1745 in the presence of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the Catherine Palace

Kamer-Jungferskaya.

Another passage room leads to the Chamber of Jungfers, in which you can examine porcelain products from the famous English manufactory D. Wedgwood and English painted engravings of the second half of the 18th century from the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve.

Against the background of the green-painted walls of the Jungfer Chamber - a room with one window overlooking Catherine Park, which was originally intended for palace maids - a stucco gilded frieze and door leaves with colorful ornamental paintings stand out.

Bedchamber.

Decorated in the early 1770s by V. I. Neelov, the room with two windows, two doorways and an alcove niche served as the bedchamber of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna.

Zubovsky outbuilding.

The outbuilding, named Zubovsky after one of the favorites of Empress Catherine II, was added to the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace in 1779-1785.