There is a legend that this ancient castle was painted on the orders of Emperor Paul the First in the color of ladies' gloves, belonging to his beautiful favorite. According to another legend, it is a mystical castle, and allegedly he predicted the tragic death of his master. Employees of the castle today say that to this day there is a lot of mysticism. Further in the article we will tell you which legends surround Mikhailovsky Castle. The monument to Peter I, which stands in front of him, is also of great interest.
History
This castle, which is also called the Engineering, was called the Palace of St. Michael according to 18th-century documents. There is evidence that the first sketches of the Engineering Castle were made by the hand of Emperor Paul I himself, however, he did not yet occupy the throne, but was only a prince. For 12 years, he came up with as many as 13 options for his future residence, which later became known as Mikhailovsky Castle. The monument to Peter in St. Petersburg was erected by him, however, his idea belonged to the great-grandfather of Paul - the first emperor of the All-Russian.
Why was the castle named Mikhailovsky?
According to legend, once on the site of the palace there was a guard, and one night at one of the soldiers who were on duty here, the archangel Michael appeared. After the castle was erected, a statue of a little soldier was placed in a niche next to the bridge. They also say that he began to be called Mikhailovsky due to the fact that the temple of the Archangel Michael is located on its territory. And he, as you know, was considered the patron saint of the Romanov dynasty. But his middle name, that is, the Engineering Castle, he received in the 20s of the 19th century, when the Main Engineering School was located in it. As for the choice of construction site, there is another legend. Once upon a time in this very place stood the summer palace of the daughter of Peter the Great Elizabeth. It was in him that Paul the First was born. Therefore, he wanted his new home to be built on the same spot where he was born.
Start of construction
As soon as Paul ascended the imperial throne, he ordered the construction of the palace of his dreams to begin. This happened in 1797. It was then that the emperor himself laid not only gold coins in the foundation of the building, as was customary in those days, but also whole bricks made of jasper. Since then, a grandiose construction began, as a result of which the Mikhailovsky Castle was erected. The monument to Peter I was erected before the end of the construction of the residence. Over the construction of the castle worked more than 6 thousand construction workers. They worked day and night, so after 4 years the building was already completely built. Then there was a superbly organized housewarming party. The emperor was happy that he was able to carry out his plan, and will continue to live in the castle, which he always dreamed of. However, he was not destined to rejoice at the comfort of his new home: exactly 40 days after the housewarming, Pavel the First was killed in his bedroom. After this tragic event, the imperial family did not want to stay in Mikhailovsky and moved to live in the Winter Palace.
Characteristics
Mikhailovsky Castle (a monument to Peter I, coupled with it) is one of the most original architectural monuments in St. Petersburg. He had no analogues. It differs in many respects from all other palaces in the Northern capital. After all, it was not the architect who planned it, but the emperor Paul himself, who also bore the title of Maltese master. Paul's dream was to have his castle become the residence for the Maltese knights. That's why it looks more like a medieval fairytale palace. According to the idea of Paul, the territory of the palace had natural borders - the waters of the Moika and Fontanka, as well as the Church and Ascension channels. It turned out that this palace was, as it were, on an island that can be reached from land by means of bridges.
The sad fate of the castle after the death of the owner
After Paul was killed, this chic castle came to complete desolation. Later, when his successor, Alexander I, needed raw materials to create a luxurious silver dinner service, he ordered the melted gates that belonged to the palace church to be melted of incredible beauty. And during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, the castle became a kind of storehouse for the extraction of marble for the palace architects who built the New Hermitage. As you know, in the middle of the 19th century he was given to the Main Military School. But during the Second World War, a military hospital was organized here. And only in 1994 the Mikhailovsky Castle, the monument to Peter I and the temple on the palace grounds were transferred under the auspices of the Russian Museum, due to which large-scale construction and restoration work began, which ended on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Northern capital. Finally, he regained his former gloss. At the moment, Mikhailovsky Castle is one of the branches of the museum.
Monument to Peter 1 in front of Mikhailovsky Castle
A year before the completion of the construction of the castle of Paul the First, that is, in 1800, a monument was erected in front of the palace square to the first Russian emperor - the Great Peter I. The inscription flaunted on it: "Great-grandfather from the great-grandson." The idea of sculpture belonged to Peter himself. And its author was the great Rastrelli. By the way, the monument to Peter the Great at the Mikhailovsky Castle is the first equestrian monument throughout Russia. Before being erected in the square, he lay in the “basements” of the Winter Palace for about 50 years.
History of the monument
In the most fruitful period of his reign, Peter the Great, casting a glance at the path traveled and realizing what great things he had done for his country, decided to perpetuate his memory. After the victory in the battle of Poltava, he decided to erect a stone pyramid at this place with a personal image in full height and on a horse, which will be cast from yellow copper. However, that period was rather difficult for the state, and he had to postpone the implementation of his ideas for an indefinite period. In 1716, the great sculptor and architect Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli arrived in Petersburg. He was invited to create the monument to Peter the Great. For about two years he worked on the manufacture of a clay model of a horse for a monument. But to recreate an exact copy of the emperor's face, Rastrelli removed a plaster mask from his face, similar to the famous Venetian ones. By the way, with her (mask) help, a wax bust of Peter was also made. According to the plan of the great emperor, the monument should have an inscription. Her composition was undertaken by a whole team consisting of staff and students of the Royal Academy of Paris. The text was supposed to be in Latin. Today he adorns the Monument to Peter in front of Mikhailovsky Castle.
Valuable guidance
The great emperor was very encouraged that he would soon be able to perpetuate himself by erecting the first equestrian monument in Russia. Once he visited the workshop where Rastrelli worked, and gave him some very valuable and practical advice. It was in 1719, the Northern War was coming to an end, and the Russian Empire was to become the winner in it. And this meant that the new monument was to contain the triumph of both the whole of Russia and its emperor. After 5 years, a new wax model of the monument was ready. Many critics believed that this monument was overloaded with various details. However, one should not forget that it belongs to the Baroque era, the hallmark of which was a tendency to excessiveness and luxury.
Description
Initially, the Monument to Peter the Great at the Mikhailovsky Castle had the following form. The mighty horse on which the mighty emperor sits. At the feet of the horse lies a snake - a symbol of envy. Later it was transferred to the Bronze Horseman. The monument also consisted of six allegorical figures - virtues, the Neva statue, cupids, the earthly sphere. During the life of Peter, another place was chosen for the monument - the old Senate Square on Vasilyevsky Island. Peter really liked the design of Rastrelli. However, the statue was not yet in a hurry to cast from bronze.
