Historic building in St. Petersburg, Russia
Mariinsky Palace
(Russian:
Мариинский дворец
,
romanized
:
Mariinskij dvorec
), also known as
Marie Palace
, was the last
neoclassical
Imperial
residence to be constructed in
Saint Petersburg
. It was built between 1839 and 1844, designed by the court architect
Andrei Stackenschneider
. It houses
the city's Legislative Assembly
.
Location
[
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]
The palace stands on the south side of
Saint Isaac's Square
, just across the
Blue Bridge
from
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
. The site had been previously owned by
Zakhar Chernyshev
, and contained his home designed by
Jean-Baptiste Vallin
, which was built between 1762 and 1768. Chernyshev occasionally lent his home to foreign dignitaries visiting the capital, such as
Louis Henri, Prince of Conde
.
From 1825 to 1839, the Chernyshev Palace, as it was then known, was the site of the
Nicholas Cavalry College
[
ru
]
, where
Mikhail Lermontov
was known to have studied for two years. The palace was demolished in 1839, and materials were reused in the construction of the Mariinsky Palace.
Conception and style
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]
The palace was conceived by
Nicholas I
as a present to his eldest daughter,
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna
, on the occasion of her marriage to
Maximilian de Beauharnais
,
Empress Josephine
's grandson.
Although the reddish-brown facade is elaborately
rusticated
and features
corinthian columns
arranged in a traditional Neoclassical mode, the whole design was inspired by the 17th-century French Baroque
messuages
. Other eclectic influences are visible in the
Renaissance
details of exterior ornamentation, and the interior decoration, with each room designed in a different historic style. The palace is now painted white.
State Council
[
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]
The Mariinsky Palace returned to Imperial ownership in 1884, where it remained until 1917. During that period, the palace housed the
State Council
,
Imperial Chancellery
, and
Committee of Ministers
, which after 1905 became the
Council of Ministers
. The grand hall for the sessions of the State Council was designed by
Leon Benois
.
On April 15, 1902,
Socialist Revolutionary Party
member
Stepan Balmashov
assassinated the
Minister of Internal Affairs
,
Dmitry Sipyagin
, while the minister was between meetings at the palace.
In 1904, painter
Ilya Repin
completed
Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901
. The painting was commissioned as a commemoration of the State Council's centenary. The canvas is 4 by 8.77 metres (13.1 ft × 28.8 ft), and features 81 historical figures, including
Nicholas II
. Repin recorded in his journal the painting was on display at the
Winter Palace
for some time before its installation at Mariinsky Palace.
Government use
[
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]
The
Russian Provisional Government
took full possession of the palace in March 1917, and gave it over to the
Provisional Council
soon after. Following the
October Revolution
, the palace housed various Soviet ministries and academies. During the
war with Germany
, the palace was converted to a hospital, and was subject to intense bombing.
After the war, the palace became the residence of the
Petrograd Soviet
. During the
1991 coup attempt
, the
Emergency Committee
used the palace as a base of operations. Barricades and heavy fortifications were constructed along the palace's perimeter, which remained for some time after the coup was suppressed.
The palace has been the site of the
Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg
since 1994.
References
[
edit
]
- Belyakova Z.I. Mariinsky dvorets. SPb, 1996.
- Petrov G.F. Dvorets u Sinego mosta: Mariinsky dvorets v Sankt-Petersburge. SPb, 2001.
Russian imperial palaces and residences
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Imperial residences
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Grand ducal residences
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Outside the Russian Federation
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In Crimea
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Historical
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