August 27 (September 8), St. Petersburg) - Russian architect, representative of the Empire style. Creator of the Admiralty building complex in St. Petersburg.
Biography
Born on August 8, 1761 in the family of a minor employee of the Admiralty College. At an early age, his father sent him to the art school at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he studied until 1782. His teachers were A.F. Kokorinov, I.E. Starov and Yu.M. Felten. In 1778, Andreyan Zakharov received a silver medal for the design of a country house, and in 1780, a Large Silver Medal for “an architectural composition representing the house of princes.” Upon graduation, he received a large gold medal and the right to a pensioner's trip abroad to continue his education. He continued to study in Paris from 1782 to 1786 with J. F. Chalgrin.
In 1786 he returned to St. Petersburg and began working as a teacher at the Academy of Arts, while simultaneously starting to engage in design. After some time, Zakharov was appointed architect of all unfinished buildings of the Academy of Arts.
After that, he worked in St. Petersburg and reached the rank of chief architect of the Maritime Department.
1803-1804. Architectural plan of the Nizhny Novgorod fair
Zakharov prepared a draft architectural plan for the Nizhny Novgorod fair, according to which the architect A. A. Betancourt built it a few years later.
1805-1811 Work on the Admiralty building
The initial construction of the Admiralty was carried out by the architect I.K. Korobov in 1738; this building is the greatest monument of Russian Empire style architecture. At the same time, it is a city-forming building and the architectural center of St. Petersburg.
Zakharov carried out the work in 1806-1811. When creating a new, grandiose building with a main façade of 407 m, he retained the configuration of the plan of the existing one. Having given the Admiralty a majestic architectural appearance, he managed to emphasize its central position in the city (the main highways converge towards it in three rays). The center of the building is a monumental tower with a spire, on which is located a boat, which has become a symbol of the city. This boat carries the old spire of the Admiralty, created by the architect I.K. Korobov. In the two wings of the facade, symmetrically located on the sides of the tower, simple and clear volumes alternate with a complex rhythmic pattern, such as smooth walls, strongly protruding porticoes, and deep loggias.
The strong point of the design is the sculpture. Decorative reliefs of the building complement the large architectural volumes; grandiosely unfolded facades are set off by wall sculptural groups.
Inside the building, such interiors of the Admiralty as the lobby with the main staircase, the meeting hall, and the library have been preserved. The abundance of light and exceptional elegance of decoration are set off by the clear severity of monumental architectural forms.
Other works in St. Petersburg and its suburbs
During the period of work on the Admiralty, Zakharov also worked on other tasks:
In particular, Zakharov developed around 1805 a project for the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Yekaterinoslav. The cathedral was built after the death of the architect, in 1830-1835. under the name of Preobrazhensky and has survived to this day.
A.D. Zakharov was buried at the Smolensk Orthodox Cemetery. In 1936, the ashes and tombstone of A.D. Zakharov and his parents were moved to the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Write a review of the article "Zakharov, Andreyan Dmitrievich"
Notes
Literature
- Grimm G. G. Architect Andreyan Zakharov. Life and creativity / G. G. Grimm. - M.: State. Archit. Publishing house Acad. Archit. USSR, 1940. - 68 p. + 106 ill. - (Masters of architecture of Russian classicism).
- Arkin D. Zakharov and Voronikhin. - M.: State Publishing House for Construction and Architecture, 1953. - 78 p., ill. (Lecture series “Masters of Russian Architecture”).
- Pilyavsky V. I. Architect Zakharov / V. I. Pilyavsky, N. Ya. Leiboshits. - L.: Knowledge, 1963. - 60 p., ill.
- Shuisky V.K. Andreyan Zakharov / V.K. Shuisky. - St. Petersburg: Stroyizdat, 1995. - 220 s.
- Mikhalova M. B. Unknown autograph A. D. Zakharova// Architectural heritage. - No. 49 / Ed. I. A. Bondarenko. - M.: URSS, 2008. - ISBN 978-5-484-01055-4 - P.219-222.
- Rodionova T. F. Gatchina: Pages of history. - 2nd ed., rev. and additional - Gatchina: Publishing house. SCDB, 2006. - 240 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-943-31111-4.
Excerpt characterizing Zakharov, Andreyan Dmitrievich
- I! I!.. - the prince said, as if awakening unpleasantly, without taking his eyes off the construction plan.- It is quite possible that the theater of war will come so close to us...
- Ha ha ha! Theater of War! - said the prince. “I said and say that the theater of war is Poland, and the enemy will never penetrate further than the Neman.
Desalles looked with surprise at the prince, who was talking about the Neman, when the enemy was already at the Dnieper; but Princess Marya, who had forgotten the geographical position of the Neman, thought that what her father said was true.
- When the snow melts, they will drown in the swamps of Poland. “They just can’t see,” said the prince, apparently thinking about the campaign of 1807, which seemed so recent. - Bennigsen should have entered Prussia earlier, things would have taken a different turn...
“But, prince,” Desalles said timidly, “the letter talks about Vitebsk...
“Ah, in the letter, yes...” the prince said dissatisfied, “yes... yes...” His face suddenly took on a gloomy expression. He paused. - Yes, he writes, the French are defeated, which river is this?
Desalles lowered his eyes.
“The prince doesn’t write anything about this,” he said quietly.
- Doesn’t he write? Well, I didn’t make it up myself. - Everyone was silent for a long time.
“Yes... yes... Well, Mikhaila Ivanovich,” he suddenly said, raising his head and pointing to the construction plan, “tell me how you want to remake it...”
Mikhail Ivanovich approached the plan, and the prince, after talking with him about the plan for the new building, looked angrily at Princess Marya and Desalles, and went home.
Princess Marya saw Desalles' embarrassed and surprised gaze fixed on her father, noticed his silence and was amazed that the father had forgotten his son's letter on the table in the living room; but she was afraid not only to speak and ask Desalles about the reason for his embarrassment and silence, but she was afraid to even think about it.
In the evening, Mikhail Ivanovich, sent from the prince, came to Princess Marya for a letter from Prince Andrei, which was forgotten in the living room. Princess Marya submitted the letter. Although it was unpleasant for her, she allowed herself to ask Mikhail Ivanovich what her father was doing.
“They’re all busy,” said Mikhail Ivanovich with a respectfully mocking smile that made Princess Marya turn pale. – They are very worried about the new building. “We read a little, and now,” said Mikhail Ivanovich, lowering his voice, “the bureau must have started working on the will.” (Recently, one of the prince’s favorite pastimes was working on the papers that were to remain after his death and which he called his will.)
- Is Alpatych being sent to Smolensk? - asked Princess Marya.
- Why, he’s been waiting for a long time.
When Mikhail Ivanovich returned with the letter to the office, the prince, wearing glasses, with a lampshade over his eyes and a candle, was sitting at the open bureau, with papers in his far-off hand, and in a somewhat solemn pose, he was reading his papers (remarks, as he called them), which were to be delivered to the sovereign after his death.
When Mikhail Ivanovich entered, there were tears in his eyes, memories of the time when he wrote what he was now reading. He took the letter from Mikhail Ivanovich’s hands, put it in his pocket, put away the papers and called Alpatych, who had been waiting for a long time.
On a piece of paper he wrote down what was needed in Smolensk, and he, walking around the room past Alpatych, who was waiting at the door, began to give orders.
- First, postal paper, do you hear, eight hundred, according to the sample; gold-edged... a sample, so that it will certainly be according to it; varnish, sealing wax - according to a note from Mikhail Ivanovich.
He walked around the room and looked at the memo.
“Then personally give the governor a letter about the recording.
Then they needed bolts for the doors of the new building, certainly of the style that the prince himself had invented. Then a binding box had to be ordered for storing the will.
Giving orders to Alpatych lasted more than two hours. The prince still did not let him go. He sat down, thought and, closing his eyes, dozed off. Alpatych stirred.
- Well, go, go; If you need anything, I will send it.
Alpatych left. The prince went back to the bureau, looked into it, touched his papers with his hand, locked it again and sat down at the table to write a letter to the governor.
It was already late when he stood up, sealing the letter. He wanted to sleep, but he knew that he would not fall asleep and that his worst thoughts came to him in bed. He called Tikhon and went with him through the rooms to tell him where to make his bed that night. He walked around, trying on every corner.
Everywhere he felt bad, but the worst thing was the familiar sofa in the office. This sofa was scary to him, probably because of the heavy thoughts that he changed his mind while lying on it. Nowhere was good, but the best place of all was the corner in the sofa behind the piano: he had never slept here before.
Tikhon brought the bed with the waiter and began to set it up.
- Not like that, not like that! - the prince shouted and moved it a quarter away from the corner, and then again closer.
“Well, I’ve finally done everything over, now I’ll rest,” the prince thought and allowed Tikhon to undress himself.
Frowning in annoyance from the efforts that had to be made to take off his caftan and trousers, the prince undressed, sank heavily onto the bed and seemed to be lost in thought, looking contemptuously at his yellow, withered legs. He didn’t think, but he hesitated in front of the difficulty ahead of him to lift those legs and move on the bed. “Oh, how hard it is! Oh, if only this work would end quickly, quickly, and you would let me go! - he thought. He pursed his lips and made this effort for the twentieth time and lay down. But as soon as he lay down, suddenly the whole bed moved evenly under him back and forth, as if breathing heavily and pushing. This happened to him almost every night. He opened his eyes that had closed.
- No peace, damned ones! - he growled with anger at someone. “Yes, yes, there was something else important, I saved something very important for myself in bed at night. Valves? No, that's what he said. No, there was something in the living room. Princess Marya was lying about something. Desalle—that fool—was saying something. There’s something in my pocket, I don’t remember.”
- Quiet! What did they talk about at dinner?
- About Prince Mikhail...
- Shut up, shut up. “The prince slammed his hand on the table. - Yes! I know, a letter from Prince Andrei. Princess Marya was reading. Desalles said something about Vitebsk. Now I'll read it.
He ordered the letter to be taken out of his pocket and a table with lemonade and a whitish candle to be moved to the bed, and, putting on his glasses, he began to read. It was only here in the silence of the night, in the faint light from under the green cap, that he, having read the letter, for the first time, for a moment, understood its meaning.
“The French are in Vitebsk, after four crossings they can be at Smolensk; maybe they’re already there.”
- Quiet! - Tikhon jumped up. - No, no, no, no! - he shouted.
He hid the letter under the candlestick and closed his eyes. And he imagined the Danube, a bright afternoon, reeds, a Russian camp, and he enters, he, a young general, without one wrinkle on his face, cheerful, cheerful, ruddy, into Potemkin’s painted tent, and a burning feeling of envy for his favorite, just as strong, as then, worries him. And he remembers all the words that were said then at his first Meeting with Potemkin. And he imagines a short, fat woman with yellowness in her fat face - Mother Empress, her smiles, words when she greeted him for the first time, and he remembers her own face on the hearse and that clash with Zubov, which was then with her coffin for the right to approach her hand.
“Oh, quickly, quickly return to that time, and so that everything now ends as quickly as possible, as quickly as possible, so that they leave me alone!”
Bald Mountains, the estate of Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky, was located sixty versts from Smolensk, behind it, and three versts from the Moscow road.
On the same evening, as the prince gave orders to Alpatych, Desalles, having demanded a meeting with Princess Marya, informed her that since the prince was not entirely healthy and was not taking any measures for his safety, and from Prince Andrei’s letter it was clear that he was staying in Bald Mountains If it is unsafe, he respectfully advises her to write a letter with Alpatych to the head of the province in Smolensk with a request to notify her about the state of affairs and the extent of the danger to which Bald Mountains are exposed. Desalle wrote a letter to the governor for Princess Marya, which she signed, and this letter was given to Alpatych with the order to submit it to the governor and, in case of danger, to return as soon as possible.
Having received all the orders, Alpatych, accompanied by his family, in a white feather hat (a princely gift), with a stick, just like the prince, went out to sit in a leather tent, packed with three well-fed Savras.
The bell was tied up and the bells were covered with pieces of paper. The prince did not allow anyone to ride in Bald Mountains with a bell. But Alpatych loved bells and bells on a long journey. Alpatych's courtiers, a zemstvo, a clerk, a cook - black, white, two old women, a Cossack boy, coachmen and various servants saw him off.
The daughter placed chintz down pillows behind him and under him. The old lady's sister-in-law secretly slipped the bundle. One of the coachmen gave him a hand.
- Well, well, women's training! Women, women! - Alpatych said puffingly, patteringly exactly as the prince spoke, and sat down in the tent. Having given the last orders about the work to the zemstvo, and in this way not imitating the prince, Alpatych took off his hat from his bald head and crossed himself three times.
- If anything... you will come back, Yakov Alpatych; For Christ’s sake, have pity on us,” his wife shouted to him, hinting at rumors about war and the enemy.
“Women, women, women’s gatherings,” Alpatych said to himself and drove off, looking around at the fields, some with yellowed rye, some with thick, still green oats, some still black, which were just beginning to double. Alpatych rode along, admiring the rare spring harvest this year, looking closely at the strips of rye crops on which people were beginning to reap in some places, and made his economic considerations about sowing and harvesting and whether any princely order had been forgotten.
Having fed him twice on the way, by the evening of August 4th Alpatych arrived in the city.
On the way, Alpatych met and overtook convoys and troops. Approaching Smolensk, he heard distant shots, but these sounds did not strike him. What struck him most was that, approaching Smolensk, he saw a beautiful field of oats, which some soldiers were mowing, apparently for food, and in which they were camping; This circumstance struck Alpatych, but he soon forgot it, thinking about his business.
All the interests of Alpatych’s life for more than thirty years were limited by the will of the prince alone, and he never left this circle. Everything that did not concern the execution of the prince’s orders not only did not interest him, but did not exist for Alpatych.
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, who devoted years of his life to shaping the appearance of St. Petersburg, is known throughout the world as the author. Its importance for Russian architecture can hardly be overestimated; he determined the direction of development of Russian architecture for a long period.
Pedagogical activity
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, whose biography is inextricably linked with St. Petersburg, immediately upon returning to his homeland comes to his native Academy in search of work. In 1787 he was appointed to the position of associate professor, in 1792 he defended the project and became a professor at the Academy. Zakharov did not give up his teaching activity until the end of his life. He turned out to be a talented teacher, over the years of work he was able to make a good career, as well as graduate many worthy students. In particular, A.N. worked under his leadership. Voronikhin, his student was the outstanding Russian architect A.I. Melnikov.
Architect of Gatchina
In 1799, Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, whose works and projects were noticed by the highest leadership of the country. Pavel the First appoints him the chief architect of Gatchina, while retaining the position of professor at the Academy. Here he creates designs for several buildings and structures. At first he began to work on the monastery project, but Paul's death did not allow this project to be realized. In it, Zakharov wanted to embody the Novgorod-Pskov traditions of temple architecture. Under his leadership, a Lutheran church was built in Gatchina, but it has not survived to this day. He also designs two bridges: Gorbaty and Lion, and manages to complete two pavilions: “Poultry House” and “Farm”. The first was built, but the construction of the second was stopped by the death of Paul.
At the same time, Zakharov took part in the creation of the scientific work “Russian Architecture,” which gave him the opportunity to examine in detail the features of national traditions and travel around the country. During this time, he deeply penetrated the foundations of Russian architecture, realized the specificity and power of the Russian landscape and was ready to create large projects.
Work on the appearance of Vasilyevsky Island
A.D. Zakharov developed in his skill; he harmoniously combined a talented architect and an excellent practical builder. He is invited as an expert to all major projects carried out in St. Petersburg. Thus, he makes a significant contribution to the creation of the Exchange project. In 1804, the architect created a project for the development of the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island with the reconstruction of the building of the Academy of Arts. In it, the architect wanted to embody the best traditions of French architecture with arches and colonnades. The project received very high praise from experts and colleagues, but the plan was not implemented; the documents and diagrams were not preserved. At the same time, Andreyan Dmitrievich was working on a development plan for the Nizhny Novgorod Fair and creating a project for a Foundry Workshop for the Academy of Arts.
Life's work - Admiralty
A.D. Zakharov, a Russian architect who went down in history as the creator of one of the most important buildings in St. Petersburg - the Admiralty. In 1805, he was appointed chief architect of the Admiralty Department, which in those days was huge and required many buildings. Zakharov created many projects, not all of them were implemented, some structures did not survive, but the scale of the work was impressive. He designed for many cities in Russia: Kronstadt, St. Petersburg, Kherson, Revel, Arkhangelsk, there was a lot of work. Zakharov was very sensitive to each project and did not leave a single building without modification, sometimes very significant, from small service buildings to the main buildings of the Admiralty in Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan. These projects showed Zakharov’s talent as an urban planner; he determined the appearance of the embankments of many Russian cities. The most significant works were the buildings of the Black Sea Hospital in Kherson, the Cadet Corps in Nikolaev, and the Rope Factory project in Arkhangelsk.
And yet, the main work of Zakharov’s life was the project of the main building of the St. Petersburg Admiralty. He created a spectacular, large-scale structure, the length of its facade is 400 meters. The rhythm and symmetry of the facade decorated with sculptures looks majestic and formal. And the tower with a spire and a golden boat sets the vertical, which has become the dominant feature of the urban landscape. The building became the pinnacle of Zakharov’s creativity; everything in this building is perfect: from thoughtful functionality to a majestic and harmonious appearance.
Architect's works
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, whose photos of buildings today adorn all textbooks on Russian architecture, created many projects of various scales in many cities of the country. The most notable works were:
- St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt;
- development plan for the “Provision Island” in the Admiralty of St. Petersburg;
- Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Yekaterinoslav;
- Marine hospital on the Vyborg side of St. Petersburg;
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Izhevsk;
- redevelopment of the Main Rowing Port in St. Petersburg.
Many of Zakharov’s buildings have not survived to this day, but his legacy is appreciated by his descendants.
Private life
Architect Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov devoted his entire life to his favorite work. He taught a lot, worked on projects, and did not have time to achieve personal happiness. He devoted his free time to studying books on mechanics, art, technology, and was interested in carpentry. Zakharov suffered from heart attacks, but did not attach any importance to this. In the summer of 1811 he became very ill and died on September 8. The Academy of Arts expressed its deepest sorrow over his untimely death. Unfortunately, the great architect never saw any of his major projects completed; many of his works were ahead of their time and were not implemented.
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov (1761-1811)
Architect Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, the famous architect of Russian classicism-empire, immortalized himself with the construction of the unique Admiralty building in Leningrad. A.D. Zakharov entered Russian architecture as one of its most gifted representatives, as a talented urban planner who boldly solved the most difficult architectural problems of his time. He paid great attention to the organization of construction, issues of planning individual villages, reconstruction of previously built structures, architecturally complete solutions for small, utilitarian buildings, etc. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of A.D. Zakharov for Russian architecture at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. With the Admiralty he created, he summed up a significant stage in the development of Russian architecture and urban planning and determined their further development for decades.
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov was born on August 19, 1761 in the family of a minor employee of the Admiralty Collegium, ensign Dmitry Ivanovich Zakharov. For six years he was sent to school at the Academy of Arts. Thus, his future path to art and architecture was, as it were, predetermined. After graduating from college, he moved to the “architectural classes” of the Academy, where he continued his education. Awards for successful course projects, testifying to his great talent, follow one after another.
In 1778, for the project "Country House" he received a second silver medal, and two years later, in 1780, for the project "House of Princes" - the first silver medal. The following fall, he graduated from the Academy with a large gold medal. He received it for his diploma work depicting the "Pleasure House" (Foxal). This difference gave A.D. Zakharov the right to retire abroad.
Following the established tradition, in the fall of the same year A.D. Zakharov went to France along with other students of the Academy who distinguished themselves in the final exams.
Arriving in Paris, A.D. Zakharov tried to get into the workshop of the famous French architect de Vally, who once taught Bazhenov. “I was introduced to him,” Zakharov wrote to the Academy, “but he could not take me as his student, ... he did not have a place, but allowed me to bring my work, which he never refused to anyone...”
A.D. Zakharov had to look for another leader who could complete his education with his advice and instructions. After working for six months with the little-known architect Belicar, A.D. Zakharov, not satisfied with him, moved to Chalgrin, under whose leadership he worked until the end of his retirement.
A.D. Zakharov regularly reported to the Academy about his studies: “I continue to go to the Royal Academy for lectures,” he wrote, “I take the program when asked at the Academy, and from time to time I copy from the master’s works” (report dated December 27, 1783) . In July of the following year, 1784, he reported sending one of his projects to St. Petersburg: “I compiled and drew the program that was given by Mr. Chalgrin... under whose supervision I worked on it.”
Despite complete satisfaction with his leader and his advice, A.D. Zakharov, however, sought to go to Italy, this promised land of all people of art of the 18th century. A visit to the famous monuments of Rome and northern Italy, their study and sketching, as it were, completed the completed course of study. On April 20, 1785, he officially informed the Academy of his “intolerant and cruel” desire to visit Italy with its artistic and architectural treasures. “No matter how glorious the masters in the architectural school in France are,” Zakharov wrote, “however, the assistance that an artist can have is always very superior to those that Italy will give him, where art was raised to a high degree of perfection.” The Academy of Arts did not object to A.D. Zakharov’s trip to Italy, but did not allocate money for it. The young architect did not have his own funds, and his ardent desire remained unfulfilled. In May 1786, A.D. Zakharov returned to his homeland.
In the same year, on December 1, A.D. Zakharov was recognized as “appointed” to compete for the title of academician. He was given a topic: "House for public entertainment." As can be seen, public buildings increasingly won a place in the competitive tests of the Academy of Arts. A.D. Zakharov completed the project on the proposed topic only eight years later - in 1794, when he was awarded the title of academician. Such a long delay in the execution of the project was caused by a lot of teaching work, to which the young architect was invited. He began this work at the Academy of Arts already in 1787 and did not interrupt it until his death. He led it both during the years of the most intensive work on the project and during the construction of the Admiralty, when this colossal building absorbed all his attention and energy.
The first work known to us by A. D. Zakharov should be considered the design of the ceremonial decoration in connection with the conclusion of peace with Turkey in Iasi in December 1791. This early architectural work of A. D. Zakharov was made in the typical manner of the 18th century, with its passion for allegories. An “explanation of the drawing” by the author himself has been preserved, which figuratively reveals to us the thoughts that formed the basis of this project: “The temple of Russian prosperity is depicted in solemn decoration. In the middle of the temple there is an altar with a flame lit on it... Along the entrance to the temple there are land and sea trophies signifying the victories of the last war... Two obelisks were erected at the ends of the entrance, on which are the coats of arms of the Russian provinces. To one the Geniuses add a medallion with the inscription: Ochakov and along the Dniester... The temple and monuments are based on a stone mountain. The mountain signifies firmness and steadfastness ".
In this architectural decoration, much has not yet found a final solution, there is an excessive abundance of all kinds of architectural forms, not to mention some inconsistency in the scales of individual parts of the composition. But even in this early project of A.D. Zakharov we find those techniques and that monumentalism that would later be developed by the master in his subsequent works.
The practical activity of A.D. Zakharov as an architect began only in the last years of the 18th century. In 1800 he was appointed architect of the city of Gatchina. Here he carries out work on the palace, draws up, according to the extravagant thoughts of Emperor Paul, a design for the Kharlampy monastery, which was supposed to be built not far from the palace, and builds a number of park pavilions. Of these works, the most interesting is the building of the "poultry house" or "pheasant house". The building, like the palace, is made of local, natural stone. The central part is especially attractive. Its columns and pilasters, covered with longitudinal flutes, stand out especially favorably against the background of the shaded walls of the loggia (a type of indentation in the mass of the building). The central part is topped with a balustrade made of heavy cabinets with balls and beautiful figured balusters. The windows of the second floor under the loggia and the side wings end with arches. This technique, like the hewn seams between the stones, enhances the meaning of the material - the stone from which the building is made. The round towers on the side facades are no less monumental than the central part.
In this early building of A.D. Zakharov one can already discern those characteristic features of the master’s architecture that would later become the leitmotifs of his works. Strict simplicity and monumentality of forms are what attracts A.D. Zakharov, what he strives for and what he achieves with such perfection.
After Pavel's death, work in Gatchina was interrupted. A.D. Zakharov went to a number of provincial cities, where he had to choose places for the construction of military school buildings. At the same time, he drew up a design for the church at the Alexander Manufactory, which was built in 1804. Despite the fact that the architectural traditions of the 18th century. here are still quite clearly visible, yet individual parts of the building, such as the columned portico, the treatment of the walls of the temple, etc., allow us to see in this work the features of a new architecture, which later received the name of the Empire style. The construction of this temple, as well as the drawing up of designs for standard buildings of government institutions for provincial and district cities, was, as it were, a preparation for that enormous work that was supposed to absorb all the forces of the architect.
On May 25, 1805, A.D. Zakharov was appointed “Chief Admiralty Architect.” This date is significant in the life of the architect. He embarks on a path of intensive architectural activity, the result of which is the construction of a new Admiralty building, which brought him world fame.
Even during the time of Peter, the architect Korobov, on his order, built the wooden building of the first Admiralty. It served not only as a place where the administration of the Russian fleet was located, but was mainly intended for the repair and construction of Russian warships. Long, low buildings, surrounded in case of military danger by ditches and earthen bastions, formed a figure in plan that resembled a large, somewhat elongated letter P. Only in the center of these buildings stood a hundred-meter tower, topped with a spire with a boat at the top, this symbol of the Admiralty. Initially, this building had almost nothing to do with the architectural landscape of the new capital, especially since the central part of the city, with all the palaces and government buildings, was supposed to be located on Vasilyevsky Island. The rest of the city was supposed to be located on the opposite, right, bank of the Neva. Only the tall tower with a spire seemed to echo the slender bell tower of the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress, crowned with the same spire - a needle.
But over time, the position of the Admiralty in the city changed greatly. From a building that stood on the edge of the city, it turned into almost its main structure. In any case, by the time of A.D. Zakharov, it played, even in its unassuming form, a prominent role in the city. Through the efforts of Russian architects - Zakharov, Eropkin and Obukhov - in the middle of the 18th century. The layout of St. Petersburg was streamlined. Three avenues, which were the main streets of the capital, decorated with wonderful palaces, private houses, temples and government buildings, converged at the base of the Admiralty Tower. Contrary to the original plan, the city began to be built on the left bank of the Neva, on the so-called Admiralty side. The best and most important buildings of the city were concentrated here. Thanks to this, the Admiralty occupied a very special place in the city and its architecture. From a practical, industrial structure, it turned into a building that played a huge architectural and organizational role in the city.
But by the beginning of the 19th century, when St. Petersburg was adorned with buildings of exceptional craftsmanship and beauty, the old Korobov Admiralty could no longer fulfill the role that it was now endowed with through the efforts of many 18th-century architects. Naturally, the building had to be radically rebuilt according to the new position it occupied in the city. This difficult but honorable task fell to the lot of A.D. Zakharov.
A.D. Zakharov approached its resolution primarily as an architect and urban planner. He realized that he had to build not a separate beautiful building, but the main building of the capital of Russia. And he built this building. The great plans of Bazhenov, who dreamed of rebuilding the center of Moscow in the form of one grandiose structure, came to life again in the projects of A.D. Zakharov in St. Petersburg.
One of the great merits of A.D. Zakharov was that he preserved the tower with the Korobov spire, dressing it only in a new outfit that suited it. Thus, continuity was maintained with the building that was once built by order of Peter. But A.D. Zakharov attached much more importance to his building than it had before. His Admiralty became a monument to the great act of founding St. Petersburg as a capital, as a port, as a “window to Europe.” The Admiralty became the symbol of the city.
A.D. Zakharov retained the diagram of the previous plan in the form of the letter P. The tower, as before, was the node of the entire architectural composition. The architect put all his talent into it. The tower became the personification of the strength of the Russian fleet. The bottom of the tower is a mighty cube in the form of a single mass. In its thickness there are arched gates leading to the courtyard of the Admiralty. The rows of keystones above the double arch indicate its load. Trumpets of “glory” on its sides, a bas-relief “for the establishment of a fleet in Russia” and graces carrying the earthly sphere complement the decoration of this part of the tower. At the same time, these sculptures, with their composition and their main lines, echoed the architectural lines, thereby creating a deep unity connecting sculpture with architecture. In addition, the theme of the sculptures revealed the meaning of Peter’s greatest deeds.
Above this heavy, mighty base rises a light tower, framed like a wreath by a colonnade and decorated with numerous sculptures. A golden spire with a golden boat at the top easily and swiftly rises into the sky, completing the dome of this majestic structure. Considering the usually cloudy sky over the capital, A.D. Zakharov used not only gold (the spire), but also painted the entire building yellow and white. Therefore, even on the darkest days of bad weather, the Admiralty always seems joyful, light, bright, shining, as if bathed in the rays of the bright sun.
It was much more difficult to solve the buildings that stretched out on both sides of the tower. In total, they form a façade that is up to 400 meters long. Such a length of the facade threatened that the building could visually easily fall apart into separate parts that were almost unrelated to each other or look boring, “official.” But A.D. Zakharov overcame this difficulty. By skillfully arranging columned porticos or individual projections of the building, alternating them with the laconically processed walls of the main buildings and skillfully subordinating them to the tower, he avoided possible shortcomings. The Admiralty building does not fall apart into its individual parts; on the contrary, it looks like a single, mighty mass, occupying a huge block of the city. The overall unity and grandiose scale secured for it the role and significance in the architecture of the city that the architect gave it.
The side buildings on the Neva side are no less brilliantly completed. Both of them end in paired pavilions. In the center of these pavilions are arches that once blocked the canal leading to the courtyard of the Admiralty. Small ships entered this channel for repairs in the Admiralty workshops. On the sides of the arches, crossed anchors are fixed on pedestals - these are symbols of the fleet. The pavilions are topped with low cylinders on which flagpoles are mounted in the intertwined tails of dolphin sculptures. On both sides of the central parts of the pavilions with their arches there are columned porticos, architecturally connecting these parts of the building with the rest of the Admiralty building.
The Admiralty, like no other building of that era, is richly decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs made by the best Russian sculptors of that time. Decorative stucco molding, figured bas-reliefs, pediments, and individual sculptures adorn the work of A.D. Zakharov in exceptional abundance. Thanks to this, despite the severity of architectural forms and lines, the building as a whole looks extremely plastic, devoid of dryness and monotony.
Despite the fact that the Admiralty was completed after the death of its author, despite the fact that it has undergone a number, sometimes even significant, changes, it still makes a strong impression on the viewer. The Admiralty personifies the city, and it is not for nothing that its image is embossed on the medal dedicated to the great defense of the city from the fascist hordes that dreamed of capturing it in 1941-1942. It stands among the greatest architectural works of the world. One can be amazed at how the architect could, within six years, not only design this colossal structure, but also complete all its main details. Despite this enormous work, A.D. Zakharov also performed a number of other works related to his position as an architect of the Naval Department. So, simultaneously with the implementation of the first version of the Admiralty, he designs and builds a cathedral in Kronstadt, many of the details and parts of which are very close to the corresponding parts of the Admiralty.
Among these works, the project “Marine Provision Stores” stands out, where the style of the master, which so attracted us to the Admiralty, seemed to be reflected even more fully. The building of enormous length is designed in calm, laconic and monumental forms. Not a single column, so beloved by Empire architects, adorns the “shop” building. Nevertheless, it attracts us with the grace and nobility of its forms, the measured rhythm of windows and entrances. Only here and there sculptural bas-reliefs modestly decorate this monumental structure.
In addition to this project, A.D. Zakharov created a project for a hospital built in Kherson, the Gatchina educational settlement, etc. But all these works, no matter how interesting they are, cannot compare with the Admiralty, which is a true unsurpassed jewel of the architecture of Russian classicism -empire
The Academy of Arts noted this sudden and so difficult loss. In the report for 1811 we read: “This year the Academy lost its fellow member, professor of architecture, state councilor Zakharov, which loss, based on his information and talents, is very sensitive for the Academy. One can sufficiently imagine the experience of his talents and correct taste in buildings The Admiralty building now under construction, distinguished by its splendor and beauty."
About A. D. Zakharov: Grabar I., History of Russian Art, vol. III; Historical exhibition of architecture 1911, St. Petersburg, 1912; Lansere N., Zakharov and his Admiralty, "Old Years", St. Petersburg, 1912; His, the Main Admiralty and the history of its creation, "Marine Collection", L., 1926, No. 8-9; Grimm G. G., Architect Andreyan Zakharov. Life and creativity, M., 1940.
Andreyan Zakharov was born into the family of a minor official of the Admiralty Collegium, studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1767-1782), a student of A.F. Kokorinova, I.E. Starova, Yu.M. Felten, graduated from the academy with a gold medal, which gave him the right to travel abroad, and continued his education (1782-1886) in Paris with the classicist architect J. Chalgrin, who had a great influence on him. Since 1787, Zakharov taught at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, since 1794 he was its member, and five years later he became a professor. Among his students was the architect A. I. Melnikov. From the beginning of the 19th century, Zakharov was the architect of Gatchina, where he built the “Lion Bridge”, “Farm”, and “Poultry House”. At the same time, he developed a project for the development of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg with the reconstruction of the building of the Academy of Sciences (1803-1804), which formed the basis of the existing layout. The unity of the ensemble was achieved due to the general rhythm of the arrangement of buildings and the same architectural details, which is characteristic of the French urban planning school.
In 1805 A.D. Zakharov was appointed chief architect of the Admiralty in St. Petersburg. The Admiralty shipyard, founded in 1704 according to the drawings of Peter I, was rebuilt in stone in 1727-1738 by the architect I.K. Korobov. In his project, Zakharov retained the general U-shaped composition of the building with a central tower, which plays the most important city-forming role for the center of St. Petersburg.
Zakharov's Admiralty and its central tower are a unique example of high classicism. The 72 m high tower is topped with a gilded spire with a silhouette image of a sailing ship and decorated with symbolic figures by famous sculptors (V.I. Demut-Malinovsky, F.F. Shchedrin, S.S. Pimenov, etc.). Above the entrance there is a grandiose bas-relief (22x2.4 m) on the theme “Establishment of the Russian fleet by Peter I” (sculptor I. I. Terebenev). The composition of the two wings of the facade, symmetrically located on the sides of the tower, is built on a complex rhythmic alternation of simple and clear volumes - smooth walls, strongly protruding porticoes, deep loggias. The harsh severity of the interiors is softened by an abundance of light and elegant decoration (the lobby with the main staircase, meeting room, and library have been preserved). The long main facade (407 m) is divided by symmetrically located Doric porticoes. The grandiose scale of the building secured its leading role not only in the architecture of St. Petersburg, but also in the history of all Russian architecture.
HELL. Zakharov also created projects for the development of the Naval Barracks and the Naval Hospital (1790s), Proviantsky Island near the mouth of the Moika River (1806-1808), Galerny Port (1806-1809), a number of projects for Kronstadt, including the project of St. Andrew's Cathedral (1807 -1817, not preserved). In 1804-1806, for the Petrozavodsk merchant Mizhuev, he built a four-story apartment building (Fontanka River embankment, 26). In the treatment of the main facade, along with the traditional six-column portico bearing a triangular pediment, motifs of symmetrical tripartite windows in the upper floors and a rounded corner were used. For the provincial and district cities of Russia, the architect designed emphatically monumental government buildings and churches. HELL. Zakharov was buried at the Smolensk cemetery; later the ashes were transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in the necropolis of the 18th century.
Andreyan (Adrian) Dmitrievich Zakharov (8 (19) August 1761 - 27 August (8 September) 1811, St. Petersburg) - Russian architect, representative of the Empire style. Creator of the Admiralty building complex in St. Petersburg.
Born on August 8, 1761 in the family of a minor employee of the Admiralty College. At an early age (he was not yet six years old) his father sent him to the art school at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he studied until 1782. His teachers were A.F. Kokorinov, I.E. Starov and Yu.M. Felten. In 1778, Andreyan Zakharov received a silver medal for the design of a country house, and in 1780, a Large Silver Medal for “an architectural composition representing the house of princes.” . Upon graduation, he received a large gold medal and the right to a pensioner's trip abroad to continue his education. He continued to study in Paris from 1782 to 1786 with J. F. Chalgrin. In 1786 he returned to St. Petersburg and began working as a teacher at the Academy of Arts, while simultaneously starting to engage in design. After some time, Zakharov was appointed architect of all unfinished buildings of the Academy of Arts. At the end of 1799, by decree of Paul I, Zakharov was appointed chief architect of Gatchina, where he worked for almost two years. After that, he worked in St. Petersburg, reaching the rank of chief architect of the Naval Department. From 1787 years Zakharov taught at the Academy of Arts, among his students was the architect A.I. Melnikov. Since 1794, Zakharov became an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
Admiralty in St. Petersburg
The work carried out by A.D. Zakharov during this period was increasing in complexity of tasks and revealing the talent of the architect. He worked with increasingly complex problems.
1799-1800 Gatchina. Lutheran Church of St. PeterMain article: Lutheran Church of St. Peter (Gatchina). Construction of the church was started by an unknown architect in 1789, but was not completed. Zakharov began work in 1799, under his leadership the building was significantly rebuilt, the interior decoration was completed, and an iconostasis and a pulpit with a canopy were created according to his design. The most noticeable of the expressive details of the new building was the gilded rooster and ball, made for the spitz, completing the bell tower, made of thick brass (destroyed in World War II, not restored).
1800 Gatchina. Humpback Bridge
Humpbacked Bridge in Gatchina. The Humpbacked Bridge in the Palace Park of Gatchina was built by A.D. Zakharov according to his own design, the first documentary evidence dates back to November 1800. The bridge has two wide bank abutments, designed in the form of terraces - observation platforms. The terraces and the bridge span are surrounded by a balustrade; in the middle part of the bridge there are stone benches for relaxation. Since the architecture of the bridge is designed to be perceived from a great distance, its elements create a play of light and shadow that is clearly visible from afar.
Gatchina. “Lion Bridge” Built according to the design of A.D. Zakharov in 1799-1801. The bridge received its second name because of the stone lion masks that adorn the keystones of its three arches. In addition to these stone masks, according to the architect’s plan, sculptural groups and allegories of “Abundance of Rivers” were to be installed on the low pedestals of the bridge. After the tragic death of Emperor Paul I, this project was not implemented. But even without sculpture, Lions Bridge belongs to the best works of palace and park architecture. The Lions Bridge, destroyed during the war, was restored at the end of the last century.
1803-1804. Development project for Vasilievsky Island The reconstruction of Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg according to Zakharov’s design was supposed to be carried out in the traditions of the French urban planning school: the unity of the ensemble was to be achieved by the general rhythm of the arrangement of buildings and the same architectural details. The implementation of the project was supposed to lead to the reconstruction of the Academy of Sciences building.
1803-1804. Architectural plan for the Nizhny Novgorod fair. Zakharov prepared a draft architectural plan for the Nizhny Novgorod fair, according to which the architect A. A. Betancourt built it a few years later.
Alexander Garden and Admiralty
In 1805, Zakharov was appointed chief architect of the Naval Department, replacing Charles Cameron in this post. This position focused on construction management and design of civil and industrial buildings and structures. The architect's first project in his new position was the reconstruction of the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg. The initial construction of the Admiralty was carried out by the architect I.K. Korobov in 1738; this building is the greatest monument of Russian Empire style architecture. At the same time, it is a city-forming building and the architectural center of St. Petersburg. Zakharov carried out the work in 1806-1811. When creating a new, grandiose building with a main façade of 407 m, he retained the configuration of the plan of the existing one. Having given the Admiralty a majestic architectural appearance, he managed to emphasize its central position in the city (the main highways converge towards it in three rays). The center of the building is a monumental tower with a spire, on which is located a boat, which has become a symbol of the city. This boat carries the old spire of the Admiralty, created by the architect I.K. Korobov. In the two wings of the facade, symmetrically located on the sides of the tower, simple and clear volumes alternate with a complex rhythmic pattern, such as smooth walls, strongly protruding porticoes, and deep loggias. The strength of the design is sculpture. Decorative reliefs of the building complement the large architectural volumes, the grandiosely unfolded facades are set off by wall sculptural groups. Inside the building, such interiors of the Admiralty as the lobby with the main staircase, the meeting hall, and the library have been preserved. The abundance of light and exceptional elegance of decoration are set off by the clear severity of monumental architectural forms.
Mizhuev House (Fontanka, 26)
During the period of work on the Admiralty, Zakharov also worked on other tasks:
In 1806-1808, Zakharov created a project for the development of Proviantsky Island
In 1806-1809 he created a project for the Galerny port ensemble
In addition, Zakharov fruitfully worked on the urban planning tasks of Kronstadt. In 1806-1817, the architect worked on one of the most significant buildings of Kronstadt - St. Andrew's Cathedral (not preserved). In addition, Zakharov prepared projects for government buildings and churches for provincial and district cities of Russia. Experts note their emphatically monumental character. In particular, around 1805, Zakharov developed a design for the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). The cathedral was built after the death of the architect, in 1830-1835. under the name of Preobrazhensky and has survived to this day.
Matvey Kazakov was born in 1738 in Moscow, in the family of a minor official. From 1751 to 1760 he studied at the architectural school of D. V. Ukhtomsky. From 1768 he worked under the leadership of V.I. Bazhenov in the Kremlin Construction Expedition, in particular from 1768 to 1773 he participated in the creation of the Grand Kremlin Palace, and in 1775 - in the design of festive entertainment pavilions on Khodynskoye Field. In 1775 Kazakov was confirmed as an architect.
Kazakov’s legacy includes many graphic works - architectural drawings, engravings and drawings, including “Pleasure buildings on Khodynskoye Field in Moscow” (ink and pen, 1774-1775; GNIMA), “Construction of the Peter’s Palace” (ink and pen, 1778; GNIMA).
Kazakov also proved himself as a teacher, organizing an architectural school during the Kremlin Building Expedition; his students were such architects as I. V. Egotov, A. N. Bokarev, O. I. Bove and I. G. Tamansky. In 1805 the school was transformed into the School of Architecture.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, relatives took Matvey Fedorovich from Moscow to Ryazan. There the architect learned about the fire in Moscow - this news accelerated the death of the master. Kazakov died on October 26 (November 7), 1812 in Ryazan and was buried in the cemetery (now no longer preserved) of the Ryazan Trinity Monastery.
The former Gorokhovskaya Street in Moscow was named after him in 1939. The former Dvoryanskaya Street in Kolomna is also named after him.
[edit]Works
Many monuments of Cossack Moscow were severely damaged during the fire of 1812 and were restored with deviations from the original plan of the architect. Kazakov’s authorship of many Palladian buildings, especially those built according to standard designs outside of Moscow, is speculative and extremely controversial (despite statements contained in local history publications).
Monument to Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov (in the foreground) in Tsaritsyn by Leonid Baranov
Senate building in the Moscow Kremlin (1776-1787); University buildings on Mokhovaya (1786-1793, after the fire of 1812 rebuilt by Domenico Gilardi); Noble Assembly (1775); House of Archbishop Plato, later the Small Nicholas Palace (1775) Church of Metropolitan Philip (1777-1788); Traveling Palace (Tver); Kozitsky House on Tverskaya (1780-1788); Church of Cosmas and Damian on Maroseyka (1791-1803); Demidov House-Estate in Gorokhovsky Lane (1779-1791); House-Estate Gubina on Petrovka (1790s); Golitsyn hospital (1796-1801); Pavlovsk hospital (1802-1807); Baryshnikov’s estate house (1797-1802); General plan of Kolomna 1778; Church of the Savior in the village of Raisemenovskoye, completed in 1774 -1783Petrovsky Access Palace (1776-1780); General Governor's House (1782); Mausoleum in Nikolo-Pogorely (Smolensk region, 1784-1802).
