How the Mikhailovsky castle is connected with the summer garden. Criminal fortress. The mystical history of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Forty days of housekeeping in the castle

Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg often also called the “Engineering Castle” - this rather young excursion object, opened to the general public in 2003, is considered a very mystical place in the city, inextricably linked with the tragic fate of the Russian Emperor Paul the First. Mikhailovsky Castle is fanned by the spirit of Freemasonry and romance; a great many urban legends have developed around it, attracting numerous tourists here on excursions. And the fact that strange and anomalous things are happening inside this structure is known to every Petersburger. And even the construction of the castle was with a mystical background. Let's find out more about this sight of St. Petersburg.

The choice of a place for the founding of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the most striking representative of the architecture of the era of Emperor Paul the First, is inextricably linked with the mysterious miraculous appearance here of the Holy Archangel Michael to the guard soldier. Previously, the Summer Palace was located on the site of this castle, which was erected by the famous architect Rastrelli on the orders of the Russian Empress Elizabeth II. Within the walls of that palace, on September 20, 1754, the heir to the Russian throne, the future Emperor Pavel Petrovich, was born. Empress Elizabeth, after some time, gave preference to Tsarskoye Selo for living, and the building of the Summer Palace began to deteriorate and was given into temporary possession of the favorite Grigory Orlov, and later the next favorite Grigory Potemkin. In 1796, the Summer Palace was decided to be demolished. As for the legend why new castle called "Mikhailovsky": one day, a soldier standing on guard at the Summer Palace saw a man appear out of nowhere and surrounded by a piercing radiance, who said that the emperor should, at the direction of the Archangel Michael, instead of the old palace, build a temple in his honor. The sentry told the emperor about the incident, he replied that he would fulfill the will of the saint and ordered the construction of a new palace, which was to be called "Mikhailovsky Castle" and the Church of the Archangel Michael. He specified that the castle should be impregnable and intended for permanent residence of the imperial family. By the way, in memory of the miraculous phenomenon, there is a mini-soldier in a niche in that place.

Tourists visiting the Mikhailovsky Castle understand that everything there is connected with an interesting and mysterious person - Paul the First - the Emperor of Russia, whose very short life is full of various mystical events, situations and mysteries. In addition, she tragically broke off in this castle. The emperor was an extraordinary person. Pavel was born by Empress Catherine the Great from her unloved husband, Emperor Peter the Third, to whose murder she gave a direct order to usurp his throne. For this, Emperor Paul was never able to forgive his mother. He received an excellent education and was well versed in various arts and sciences: military affairs, public administration, adored music, theater, architecture. The mother removed her son from all state affairs due to the fact that their views on the future of the Russian state were diametrically opposed. Paul lived the dream that his mother would die and he would take her throne. This happened on November 6, 1796, and the coronation took place on April 5, 1797. At the time of his accession to the throne, Emperor Paul was forty-two years old. His reign lasted: four years, four months, four days.

The construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle was entrusted by Pavel Vincenzo Brenn and the architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov. The emperor personally made sketches of his future palace and much attention was paid to the issue of security and impregnability of the structure. They say that Paul had the gift of foresight and was happy to communicate with various magicians, fortune-tellers. One of these clairvoyants predicted to the emperor the future of himself and the entire Romanov family. Having learned about the upheavals that await his family in the future, Paul the First sought to protect his descendants by creating a castle-fortress, guarded not only by soldiers and guns, but also under the auspices of higher powers. Looking ahead, it is worth saying that the entire interior and exterior of the castle is dotted with magical symbols associated with Freemasonry. As for physical protection, visitors could enter the territory of the Mikhailovsky Castle only through one of the three drawbridges under heavy guard. And also, in order to confuse possible killers and conspirators, many secret rooms and underground passages were created in the building.

The Mikhailovsky Castle was solemnly founded at the beginning of 1797. The foundation stone with an inscription about the date of laying the palace and that it happened in the presence of the imperial couple Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna, coins for good luck and jasper bricks, the emperor himself laid. Construction took place in an emergency mode and around the clock. Pavel, as they say, who knew about his tragic fate, hurried the masters very much. By the end of the same year, the draft castle was already ready, but its solemn consecration, together with the Church of St. Michael, took place in November 1800.

The construction turned out to be truly magnificent: the castle strongly resembled the palaces of Europe during the Renaissance, but it was surrounded by moats, through which drawbridges were thrown. All facades were different and they were decorated with graceful marble statues. The only feature that united the facades was an unusual color for the palace - reddish-orange, as they say, it was the color of the glove of the future mistress of Emperor Paul - Anna Gagarina, who was the Empress's maid of honor, and as if accidentally dropped it at the ball to attract Paul's attention. But, according to another version, it was the color of the Order of Malta, the Grand Master of which was the Russian emperor.

According to the plan, Mikhailovsky Castle was quadrangular, and included three courtyards: - the main one - octagonal; - facing the Fontanka River - pentagonal; - to the Field of Mars - triangular. Only representatives of the imperial family, as well as envoys, could pass or pass through the main courtyard and the Resurrection Gate. The interiors and exteriors of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg were covered with various Masonic symbols. By the way, if you pay attention to the main facade, you will see a couple of empty niches, during the reign of Emperor Paul, there were statues of "Day" and "Night" - symbols of Freemasonry. The most outstanding master painters - Scotty, Vigi, Mettenleiter, Akimov, Ivanov - participated in the design of the palace; sculptors - Albani, Prokofiev, Sokolov. Mikhailovsky Castle was the main residence imperial family, and, at the same time, a museum for outstanding works of art art belonging to Emperor Paul. Today, tourists who come on an excursion to the Mikhailovsky Castle will be able to admire them in the main galleries: the Antique Hall, the Raphael Gallery, the Laocoön Gallery, the Arabesque Gallery. A number of decorations and furniture for castle interiors were created according to sketches by Brenna and his student Rossi. In general, if you define the style of the building, then it is rather Russian classicism.

Mikhailovsky or Engineering Castle of St. Petersburg, stood on an island, which, from the eastern and northern sides, was limited by the Moika and Fontanka rivers, and from the west and south by the Resurrection and Church Canals. The castle and the Connetable Square in front of it were surrounded by a number of fortification structures: canals, semi-bastions, drawbridges, cannons. The center of the Connetable Square was decorated with a monument to Peter the Great, which Paul the First erected to pay tribute to his outstanding great-grandfather.

The Church of St. Michael is one of the main buildings of the Mikhailovsky Castle. It is located under the castle spire from Sadovaya Street. The building is small, built for family services. On the ceiling of this church, you can still see the all-seeing eye - a Masonic symbol.

The cornice of the main building was decorated with the inscription: "Thy house is fit for the holiness of the Lord in the length of days." It is these words that are associated with the legend of the death of Emperor Paul: the monk Abel predicted to him that at the time of death he would be as old as the letters in this inscription - there were forty-seven of them. Emperor Pavel even ordered to build a secret staircase next to his bedroom in order to leave it and save himself if necessary. True, now it is not possible to see her, because the doorway was sealed up after the tragic events.

No physical defenses of the Mikhailovsky Castle could save the emperor from the sad fate that was in store for him. Many changes in the life of Russian society, introduced by Paul I, caused displeasure in many of its layers, especially in the nobility. Paul became a tyrant for them, and this gave rise to a conspiracy against the Russian anointed of God. His murder took place on the night of the eleventh to the twelfth of March in the imperial bedroom of the Mikhailovsky Castle. It happened just as Paul wanted: he was born here, he lived here last years and died. Only now the emperor did not want to die at such a young age - at forty-seven years old. And in the Mikhailovsky Castle he lived only forty days. In the morning, after the tragedy, the orphaned Romanov family left the palace, and the people of the city of St. Petersburg began fun and festivities, rejoicing at the liberation from the tyrant, despite the official mourning. The people were informed official version the reasons for the death of Emperor Paul the First are apoplexy, but in fact it was a real murder due to a conspiracy of high-ranking Russian aristocrats. A shadow of suspicion fell even on the son of Paul - the future Emperor Alexander the First, who, as they said, knew that the murder of his father was being prepared, but did not prevent this and did not warn him.

They say that a few days before his death, Paul had a vision: his great-grandfather, Emperor Peter the Great, was trying to warn his descendant about the impending danger. And right on the day of his death, Pavel, looking in the mirror, saw a reflection where he was dead and with a broken neck. But, nevertheless, on his last day of life, he was in a good mood, having had dinner, he said: What will be, that cannot be avoided! ”, - and went to bed. They say that the killers got into the emperor's room precisely through the secret passage that was created for the possible salvation of Paul. This passage had a length of three and a half kilometers, it went straight to the Vorontsov Palace.

It should be noted how mystical and fatal the number “four” became for Paul: the term of the reign of this Russian emperor, and the number of days of residence in the Mikhailovsky Castle, and even the number of years until the completion of construction are associated with it.

Emperor Paul the First died. The Mikhailovsky castle was empty, but only in order to settle here ... the ghost of the murdered owner. Something mysterious and inexplicable began to happen here: passersby at night often saw the light of a single candle hovering in the dark windows of an empty castle, heard groans, steps or the sounds of music made by the flageolet musical instrument, he was very fond of the late Emperor Paul. People began to whisper that the owner did not leave his beloved Mikhailovsky Castle even after his death, living there like a ghost. To moderate the conversations, on the orders of the emperor, a secret passage was boarded up, through which the killers got into the imperial bedroom, all things and furniture were taken out of there. But the notoriety of the Mikhailovsky Castle, as a dead and cursed place, has already spread around the city and people deliberately avoided entering here. So he stood for eighteen years.

In order to remove the memory of the tragedy and energetically cleanse the room where Paul died, his descendant, Emperor Alexander II, gave the order to remake a church from that ill-fated bedroom. But even in this step there was something mystical: from the windows of this room, through the Mikhailovsky Garden, the point where Tsar Alexander II ended his life is perfectly visible - these are the domes of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Murders Russian emperors- grandfather and grandson, separated by eight decades, but equally insidious and ruthless.

The fact that the room of the murdered man became a church did not in the least moderate the activity of the ghost of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the guides say that many museum employees see it to this day, one has only to linger here until dark. The watchmen say that at night you can hear the slamming of locked windows and doors, steps, the creak of the parquet, and if you look at the portrait of Emperor Paul that hangs in one of the halls for a while, he will wink at you from it. You can understand that the restless spirit of the murdered emperor is walking around his possessions by seeing the flickering light of a candle, which seems to float along the corridors on its own. According to local legend, every year, on the anniversary of his death, the spirit of the emperor spends at the window, counting passers-by, and when he sees the forty-seventh in a row, he can take the soul of the unfortunate, unless he, looking at the window and meekly lowering his head, does not wish him "Good night", only then the ghost disappears.

They say that even the brave military men encountered the spirit of Paul: one night the soldiers of the St. Petersburg garrison were transporting weapons, but it began to rain heavily, and they decided to wait out the bad weather in the walls of the empty Mikhailovsky Castle, spending the night there. Curious soldiers went to see what the chambers of the deceased emperor looked like, but ran out of there pale and perspiring, they crossed themselves and told their commander about the ghost of Paul with a candle in his hands, who met them there.

The royal family, dissatisfied with rumors about a restless soul who had taken a fancy to the former imperial residence, decided to give the building to the Main Engineering School, renaming the Mikhailovsky Castle into the Engineering Castle. But even this could not affect the paranormality of this place. One day, the guard corporal Lyamin, after changing sentries, went out into the courtyard and saw a dim light pouring from a window on the third floor. But, interestingly, he saw a candle hanging in the air, as if supported by an invisible hand. When he went into the hall to check if everything was in order, and the thieves did not climb in, the light of the candle disappeared before his eyes and a pitch-black shadow set in, where he could clearly feel someone's presence.

For two centuries, the walls of the Mikhailovsky Castle housed various military educational institutions, then - departmental institutions, in Soviet time- residential apartments. At that time, constant redevelopment of the castle ensemble, its buildings and historical interiors was carried out here. Of course, all the art treasures of the castle were previously taken to museums.

Already after the Great Patriotic War the city authorities learned that there is a local legend that a casket is hidden in the mysterious dungeons of the Mikhailovsky Castle, where there are Christian relics and great wealth that once belonged to the Order of Malta, including the chalice of Christ - the Grail, with its help it was possible to make movements in past and future time. But no one knew exactly where they were, because master Brenne, who built the Mikhailovsky Castle, destroyed the plan for the secret dungeons of this structure, leaving the country a year after the assassination of Paul the First. Surprisingly, in an atheistic country, such as the Soviet Union was in those years, serious people created a whole commission on anomalous phenomena, which tried to establish contact with the ghost of the emperor and find out where the treasures were stored. Officially, a group of scientists recorded seventeen anomalous phenomena that took place here, and all materials, for the time being, were strictly classified. The rebellious spirit of Paul did not allow these enthusiasts to find treasures.

In 1991, part of the castle was given over to the Russian Museum, and in 1995 - completely. Reconstruction and restoration work was carried out here: historical interiors were revived, the famous inscription of forty-seven letters on the facade was restored, marble statues were again installed. The grand opening of the revived Mikhailovsky Castle of Paul the First took place at the end of 2003.

Today, the Mikhailovsky or Engineering Castle of St. Petersburg is a popular city museum, the doors of which are open to visitors. In the castle halls there are permanent exhibitions:

- "Antique plots of Russian art";

- "Creativity of Russian artists in the Renaissance";

- "History of the Mikhailovsky Castle and its inhabitants";

- Open Sculpture Fund.

In the halls you can admire a rich collection of paintings, as well as visit interesting temporary exhibitions.

The pavilions of Inzhenernaya Street, also under the jurisdiction of the Russian Museum, also belong to the castle ensemble: - “Vostochny” is “ Russian center museum pedagogy and children's creativity”; - "Western" - this is the "Multimedia Center", with the exposition "Romantic Emperor", here is the Coordination Center "Russian Museum: Virtual Branch".

Address of the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle of St. Petersburg: Sadovaya street, house 2. This is in the city center.

How to get to the Mikhailovsky Castle?
- By metro, getting off at the Gostiny Dvor station, walking seven hundred meters along Sadovaya Street.

The price of a ticket to the Mikhailovsky Castle: acquaintance with the castle on your own - four hundred and fifty rubles, for tourists who book an excursion conducted by the employees of the Mikhailovsky Castle - six hundred rubles. But tourist excursion groups collect only travel agencies.

It is difficult to recommend: visit the castlebecause it is a matter of taste. According to the reviews of tourists, even if you come here on your own, you can learn a lot by moving from hall to hall, reading explanatory information plates that are in almost every room. In addition, in two rooms there are TVs on which you can watch documentary, which is dedicated to the exposition of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Of course, a huge plus of visiting this place as part of an excursion is that only organized groups have the opportunity to visit the former bedroom of Emperor Paul and the Church of St. Michael.

Working hours of the Mikhailovsky Castle: Monday - from ten in the morning to five in the evening; Tuesday is a day off; from Wednesday to Sunday - from ten in the morning to six in the evening. Ticket offices stop working one hour before the museum closes.

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This castle was painted in the color of the glove of the favorite of Emperor Paul I. Surely you have already guessed that we are talking about the Mikhailovsky Castle. It is also called Engineering, and in the documents of the 18th century it was called the Palace of St. Michael.

The first sketches of the Mikhailovsky Castle were made by Paul I himself. For twelve years he worked on the options for his future residence, by the beginning of construction they had accumulated thirteen.

Paul I himself conceived the castle and even made its first sketches. Work on the project of the future residence began twelve years before construction began, by this time the emperor had thirteen options for the future palace.

Mikhailovsky Castle is named after the temple of Michael the Archangel, the patron of the Romanov dynasty, located in it. The second name - Engineering - came from the Main Engineering School located there since 1823.

As soon as Paul became emperor, he immediately issued a decree on the construction of his long-term dream. The first stone was laid in 1797, work went on day and night, 6 thousand people worked on the imperial residence. Finished in 1801. 40 days after the housewarming, the owner of the castle was killed in his own bedroom. After the tragic death of the tsar, his family hastily left the castle for the Winter Palace.

Mikhailovsky Castle is considered one of the most interesting architectural monuments of the Northern capital. It is not like all the palaces that were built before. This is largely due to the fact that Paul I had the title of Master of the Order of Malta. The emperor wanted his residence to serve as a meeting place for the Knights of Malta. Outwardly, the castle resembles medieval fairy-tale buildings. Initially, the territory of the Mikhailovsky Castle was completely separated by water - the Moika and Fontanka rivers, as well as the Church and Voznesensky canals. In fact, the residence of Paul I was located on the island, which could only be reached by bridges.

There are two versions explaining why the castle was built on the site of the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna. According to the first, Paul wanted to live and then die exactly where he was born. The second version says that the archangel Michael once appeared to the guard soldier and said that a temple should be built on this site. The young man reported this to Paul, who then carried out the order.

After the death of the emperor, the castle was neglected. When Alexander I needed silver for a luxurious service (a wedding gift to his sister, the Queen of the Netherlands), he ordered the silver gates from the palace church to be melted down. In the era of Nicholas I, architects "mined" marble in the castle for the construction of the New Hermitage. During the Great Patriotic War there was a hospital here.

Mikhailovsky Castle

By the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the castle was restored, the interiors took on the form in which they were under Paul, the inscription on the facade and the statues from the side of the Summer Garden reappeared. Back in 1800, a monument to Peter the Great was erected on the square in front of the castle with the inscription "Great-grandfather's great-grandson." The sculpture was cast according to the model of Rastrelli, made during the life of Peter the Great. And in 2003, a monument to Paul I himself appeared in the courtyard.

Several permanent exhibitions are open in the halls of the castle, guided tours are held, and temporary exhibitions are open.

Practical Information

Address: St. Petersburg, Sadovaya street, 2.

Metro stations: Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor.

Ticket price: for an adult - 650 RUB (this is a complex of palaces), for schoolchildren and pensioners - 300 RUB, preschoolers are free.

Prices on the page are for September 2018.

The private quarters of the inhabitants of the castle adjoined the halls of the front suite. The decoration of these rooms reflected the tastes of their owners. So the emperor's bedroom, adjoining the Boudoir of Maria Feodorovna, served Paul at the same time as an office where he liked to read and be alone. The bedroom was decorated with white wood paneling and contained the emperor's small camp bed behind simple screens, as well as armchairs, stools and couches. The mahogany writing table was adorned with a balustrade of Ivory with a frieze of copies of antique cameos and bronze details (today in the State Museum Reserve Pavlovsk). On the table is an ink set and candelabra made of ivory and amber with portraits of members of the imperial family in medallions. According to legend, the empress herself took part in the work on the turned parts for this table.

The walls of the bedroom were decorated with twenty-two canvases by Western European artists. First of all, the canvases of the French marine painter C.-J. Vernet. It was in the Bedroom that Paul was killed by conspirators on the night of March 12, 1801.
The long-awaited consecration of the Mikhailovsky Castle took place on November 8, 1800, on the day of St. Michael the Archangel. The decoration of the halls was not yet completed, the unhealthy climate of the hastily built building was well known. To slightly reduce dampness, freshly baked bread was placed on the windowsill. The emperor was unpretentious in everyday life and, despite the dampness and cold, the family had to settle in a new palace.
Interior drawings have not been preserved to this day, which makes it difficult to restore them and does not allow us to fully imagine how the residence looked inside. The main information about the decoration is contained in the description of the Mikhailovsky Castle by the German writer A. Kotzebue, which was compiled by decree of Paul I.
Immediately after Pavel's death, on the morning of March 12, 1801, the august family left the residence. After Pavel's funeral, unique monuments of art and furnishings began to be taken out of the castle. The building itself was identified for placement in it public institutions and apartments of employees of the Court Office.
In 1822, the Mikhailovsky Castle came under the control of the Military Engineering Department. Since 1823, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the castle began to be called Engineering. This is where the School of Engineering is located. Founded it educational institution It was at the initiative of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich (the future Emperor Nicholas I), to train military engineers and sappers, who were supposed to build fortresses according to the rules of the latest military art.
For the needs of the school, the premises of the former residence were converted. In the inner chambers, the remains of mirrors and marble cladding were removed from the walls, picturesque plafonds were removed from the ceilings, exquisite fireplaces were replaced with simple stoves. All luxury goods were sold at public auction, thus Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich hoped to cover all the costs of repairing and altering the building.
Among the students of the Main Engineering School was F.M. Dostoevsky, he studied at the Engineering Castle from 1837 to 1843. Among the famous pupils are also: the writer D.V. Grigorovich, the scientists I.M. Sechenov and P.N. Yablochkov, the composer Ts.A. Cui, the hero of Sevastopol E.I. Totleben and many others.
The rooms where the assassination of Paul I took place in 1801 remained closed, and only in 1857 the rooms where the tragedy took place opened their doors again.
Then, by decree of Emperor Alexander II and at his personal expense, in the Bedroom and the Corner Boudoir, a house church was built in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul for the Nikolaev Engineering Academy and School. The design of the temple was drawn up by the architect K.A. Ukhtomsky. After the 1917 revolution, the church was closed and looted.
For almost two hundred years, military educational institutions were located in the Mikhailovsky Castle, then various Soviet institutions, the planning of the entire ensemble was repeatedly changed, the buildings and interiors that were part of it were rebuilt.
In 1991, the Mikhailovsky Castle became part of the architectural complex State Russian Museum. Currently, temporary exhibitions of the Russian Museum are held in the restored halls of the castle, as well as permanent exhibitions are open: "The History of the Castle and Its Inhabitants", "Antique Scenes in Russian Art" and "The Renaissance and the Work of Russian Artists".
In 2003, a monument to Paul I by sculptor V.E. Gorevoy, architect V.I. Nalivaiko was erected in the courtyard of the Mikhailovsky Castle.

Address: Sadovaya street, 2

Working hours: from 10.00 to 18.00

Mikhailovsky, he engineering castle- the most original and most mystical palace building in St. Petersburg. Palace built during the reign Paul the First in the form of a medieval castle and obliged to protect his life, becomes the place of his violent death. This mystical castle is located on the Fontanka embankment behind the territory of the Summer Garden.

This castle on Sadovaya Street appeared towards the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. Why is the building called a castle? And why Mikhailovsky? It so happened that Paul, famous for his originality, received the title of Grand Master of the Catholic Knights of Malta, and this gave him the right to build locks(similar to knights). Such is the prehistory of the appearance of almost the only classical castle in Russia.

Mikhailovsky Castle was built like a real medieval fortress

The name of the castle was given in honor of St. Archangel Michael, who was allegedly seen by a soldier standing at his post. It was Michael who indicated the place of construction of the future imperial palace. The name was given to the building already when the foundation was laid, and this is perhaps the only case of the name of the palace structure. not by name its owner.

The history of creation - mysticism and reality

The idea of ​​creating his family castle haunted Paul long before the coronation. He came up with and drew many sketches of an imaginary palace, collected architectural options for various castle buildings, focusing on the samples he saw during his trips abroad. They say that the proposed options gathered 13 - a rather mystical number.

And so, finally becoming emperor(1796), at the very beginning of his stay in power, Paul the First orders to begin the construction of an impregnable castle-fortress, in which his large imperial family was to permanently reside.

The place chosen for the construction of the castle is also very symbolic. Was previously here Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna(architect D. Rastrelli), built in the Summer Garden in continuation of the tradition of the Summer Palaces of Peter and Catherine the Great.

In 1754 the summer Elizabethan palace becomes the birthplace of Catherine's son, the future Paul the First. The same palace, eight years later, is a witness palace coup , as a result of which Catherine becomes Empress. The overthrow from the throne of her husband (Paul's father) ended with his death. Could anyone then assume that the son would repeat the fate of his father?

The castle was built quickly - from 1797 to 1801.(architects V. Bazhenov and V. Brenn). Pavel hurried the construction very much, involving almost all available architects to work, and borrowing a large number of building materials at other construction sites. For example, at the St. Isaac's Cathedral being built, the Mikhailovsky Castle was enriched with marble, sculptural and columnar material was brought from Tsarskoye Selo, as well as a lot of decorative stone.

Eastern facade of the castle of Paul the First

Paul's impatience during the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle was due to his premonition of a new palace coup, the desire to save his life. Therefore, the created palace-fortress cut off from city buildings by a deep moat filled with water.

Work on the construction site of the castle went on around the clock, but still not as fast as Pavel wanted - it was not possible to build the palace within one year. Only by autumn 1800- on St. Michael's Day - the palace castle was finally consecrated. But there were still finishing works to create the palace interior, finally completed only with the death of Paul (in March 1801).

Mikhailovsky Castle was built by the autumn of 1800

mystical meaning also acquired a copper-letter inscription created from a blank for St. Isaac's Cathedral. The phrase decorating the Resurrection Gate to the palace read - "THE HOUSE OF YOUR HOUSE IS SUITABLE FOR THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE LONGITY OF DAYS." This Bible statement contains 47 characters. Mysticism consists in the alleged prediction that Paul will live the same number of years as the signs contain gate phrase. He really died at the age of 47.

Resurrection Gate of the Mikhailovsky Castle with a mystical inscription

And so the construction of the new castle was completed, but Paul had very little time left to live in it. Whether the prediction is to blame or not, however, after the assassination of the emperor, no one remained to live in the castle. The household of the murdered man returned to the Winter Palace.

Moreover, later the heirs dismantled the castle literally for parts! One of Paul's sons Alexander the First - creates a luxurious table service from chased silver church gates of the castle. His other son Nicholas the First- takes out facing marble of the Mikhailovsky Castle for decoration of the New Hermitage.

In 1819 entered the empty castle building Main engineering school, giving the structure a new name - engineering castle. Over time, nothing remained of the interiors of the Pavlovsk Palace - the building was replanned to meet the needs of the school. By the way, he graduated from this engineering school himself F.M.Dostoevsky! During his studies and directly on his initiative, a literary circle arose among the students of the school! Since 1843, the future writer was assigned to the service of a field engineer in the engineering team of St. Petersburg. Dostoevsky's engineering activities, however, did not last long.

In the courtyard of Mikhailovsky or Engineeringcastle

In Soviet times, the Mikhailovsky Castle was inhabited by Leningrad military engineering school, and during the war period it was equipped hospital. In the post-war period, services of various technological universities of the city, the Naval Library and the Bureau of Technical Information were placed here. The economic activity of organizations that are far from the idea of ​​preserving the historical building has led to the loss of its original appearance, and has had a deplorable effect on the general architectural condition.

1991 opened a new page in the fate of the Mikhailovsky Castle. He passed to the disposal of the Russian Museum. Restoration, restoration of interiors and engineering and fortification protection began. Already by May 2003 Mikhailovsky Castle was able to receive the first visitors who got acquainted with the partially recreated interiors and the permanent exhibitions located in them.

Paul's murder

Pavel the First associated with the new castle the dreams of his entire future life. He dreamed of living there with his family, holding imperial events, receiving guests, performing ceremonies of the Order of Malta, festivities and so on. Alas, these dreams did not come true, although the beginning was more than solemn.

The emperor made an almost triumphant move to the new residence on the first of February 1801. This event was accompanied by unprecedented pomposity and ritualism. The imperial family, surrounded by retinue, walked from Palace Square to the new palace. The family procession of the ruling Romanovs was accompanied by cannon volleys and the sounds of military bands. The guards stood along the entire route of movement.

Despite the fact that the finishing work of the Mikhailovsky Castle was not completed, the plaster did not dry out completely, it smelled of dampness, it was cold and uncomfortable everywhere, this did not bother Pavel - after all, he moved, as he believed, to an impregnable fortress. He was happy. The very next day, the Mikhailovsky Castle met guests arriving at masquerade ball arranged for the imperial housewarming. A little more than a month, Pavel managed to enjoy life in the castle of his dreams.

10th of March one of the musical concerts that the emperor loved to arrange was taking place, and the very next night was the last in Paul's life. It all happened after midnight. Several guards conspirators burst into the imperial bedroom and began to demand Paul's renunciation of the throne. Encountering resistance, the conspirators beat Pavel and then strangled him with a scarf. Although death could also have been caused by the blow of N. Zubov's golden snuffbox into the imperial temple, received during a scuffle (that snuffbox is kept today in the Hermitage collection).

The scene of the assassination of Paul the First (engraving)

The death of the emperor was officially announced as a result of a sudden apoplexy. And in order to show the deceased to the troops and people, Paul's face was made up. In the coffin, even the make-up face was partially covered by a hat pulled over the forehead.

It should be noted that the instability of the emperor's political course caused discontent in the noble and military environment of Paul. Adding to this negative personality traits of his character: suspicion, imbalance, illogicality and cruelty - the reasons for the conspiracy become clear. The number of conspirators, among whom was the governor-general of the city, ranged from 200 to 300 people. In the same bedroom on the night of March 11 about ten people entered.

The most mystical castle in St. Petersburg keeps the secret of Paul's death

Paul's assassination, planned or accidental, was brutal and ruthless. But historically, the removal of the emperor from power was justified and had a beneficial effect on the mood in society. Paul the First was buried, like all emperors, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Total 40 days Paul lived in the palace of his dreams (again a mystical figure), having been in power for four years, four months and four days! The violent death of the emperor created an areola of mystical mystery around the castle, and gave rise to stories about ghost the murdered emperor, who shone in the bedroom windows, moaned, played his favorite musical instrument.

The ghost of Paul the First cannot leave the Mikhailovsky Castle

The sad fate of the murdered emperor found a wide response in Russian literature. In "Ghost in the Engineer's Castle" N.Leskova, "Paul the First" Merezhkovsky, "Conspiracy" M. Aldanova, "Mikhailovsky Castle" O.Forsh and many other works touch upon the tragic fate of the great-grandson of Peter the Great.

The emperor's family, immediately after his death, moved again to the Winter Palace. The brainchild of Paul - Mikhailovsky Castle was abandoned for several years.

Castle architecture

Mikhailovsky Castle - the most expressive architectural structure Pavlovian era, which clearly reflected the tastes and worldview of the last emperor of the 18th century. The castle, as if growing out of the water, in style refers to romantic classicism. The facades of the palace, decorated with statues, do not repeat each other. This medieval fortress, which is an absolutely uncharacteristic building for Russian architecture, is also painted in an uncharacteristic red-orange color.

The architecture of the Mikhailovsky Castle was very uncharacteristic for the city

The road to the castle started from the main front gate at Manezhnaya Square. Along the wide road stood the imperial stables and arena, as well as three-story guardrooms. guardhouses, after which there were already fortifications of the castle itself.

By three-part bridge, past the guard, an entrance was made directly to the castle territory. The front facade of the entrance gates of the Resurrection, located from southern side of the castle, was decorated with obelisks of military armor. In the niches were placed statues of Diana and Apollo, as well as allegories of Day and Night. This entrance was intended for the imperial family and honored foreign guests.

South front side of the Mikhailovsky Castle

Through the entrance gate western facade residents of St. Petersburg who wanted to see various works of art could enter the territory of the castle. This entrance was more ornate, with a cornice decorated with stucco, with statues of allegories of Faith and Hope. In the center of the western façade is a church equipped with a typically St. Petersburg spire. This small church for the imperial family was consecrated in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. And on the ceiling you can see the Masonic all-seeing eye.

Western facade of the Mikhailovsky Castle with the Church of St. Michael

After the murder of Paul, the church was closed, but twenty years later the services were restored in it, although the building itself was rebuilt into a two-story building. The most famous parishioners churches were F. Dostoevsky and M.Mussorsky, and the composer M. Glinka even got married here.

Arch of the Church of St. Michael in the Mikhailovsky Castle

There were sculptures on the attic Peter and Paul from marble (author P. Triscorni). Today they adorn the Lutheran Peter and Paul Church on Nevsky Prospekt.

Northern the park side, looking at the Summer Garden and decorated with marble Flora and Hercules, had a wide staircase and a colonnade on the open terrace.

The northern facade of the Mikhailovsky Castle is visible from the side of the Summer Garden

Mikhailovsky Castle, erected at the intersection of the Moika and Fontanka, framed along the perimeter by moats filled with water, in its architectural appearance resembles an average European fortress.

Its walls, closed in a square rounded at the corners, surround the territory of the courtyard with eight corners. Three bridges are thrown across the moat from the castle to central alley with the monument to Peter the Great. There were sentries on all bridges.

The impregnability of the Mikhailovsky Castle did not protect the life of the emperor

Monument to Peter the Great

Not loving his mother Catherine, Pavel, at the same time, greatly revered his great-grandfather Peter the Great and was proud of this kinship, considering himself the successor of a great cause. Therefore, at the entrance to the castle, a bronze monument to Peter with a “donation” inscription was erected.

The monument to Peter the Great is located on the central alley

The history of the appearance of this sculptural image is very interesting. The monument to the emperor on horseback in a model version was made during the reign of Peter the Great himself by the architect B.Rastrelli and is considered first equestrian monument to the founder of St. Petersburg. Moreover, the face of the emperor was copied from the plaster lifetime mask of the emperor-reformer.

The face of Peter the Great is reproduced from a lifetime mask

In the baroque monument, we see the majestic emperor in a triumphant laurel crown on a mighty horse. However, the statue was cast in bronze only at the end 40s 18th century under Elizabeth Petrovna, but the place for the installation of this monument was never chosen, it was simply stored in the basement. Catherine the Second, who decided to erect a monument to Peter on the Senate Square, rejected the Rastrell version, and ordered the Bronze Horseman E. Falcone.

But Paul the First decided to install Rastrelli's sculpture near his palace. For her, a special pedestal(fig. F. Volkov), decorated with bas-reliefs on the themes Poltava and Gangut battles. The bas-relief plates were made by a group of sculptors. In addition to them, the pedestal was supplemented with a symbolic inscription "Great-grandfather - great-grandson". The monument to Peter was installed on a pedestal in 1800.

The monument, made by Rastrelli, finally found its permanent place

Images bas-reliefs amaze with their detail, skill and artistry of the plots. Interesting plot rescue a drowning sailor, the heel of which is rubbed to a shine - for every tourist touches it, wishing, according to legend, to avoid such a fate. Another bas-relief depicting a scene from Poltava battle, also attracts tourists - especially the boots of Peter and the hooves of horses, touching which brings great luck.

Fragment of a bas-relief - saving a drowning sailor

It is interesting that during the Second World War, the monument was removed from its pedestal and safely hidden, and after the war it was erected in its original place.

How and what to see in the Mikhailovsky Castle

Since the Mikhailovsky Castle is an architectural palace complex, it is better to start exploring it from Manezhnaya Square, which is located at the intersection of Italian and Karavannaya streets. During the time of Paul the First in place house number 4 were travel gate to the castle grounds. They were three-aisled, and their central part was intended for royalty.

At the beginning of the 20th century, in their place appeared Officers' House of the Imperial Convoy(architect B. Seguin), which closed the front view of Maple Street, created by C. Rossi, as a solemn entrance to the castle territory.

The former Officers' House on Manezhnaya Square took the place of the entrance gate

Therefore, we go around the building number 4 and enjoy the direct perspective of the Maple Highway, along which the buildings are stretched Mikhailovsky arena(left) and Stables of the Mikhailovsky Castle(on right).

The main entrance to the Mikhailovsky Castle was carried out along Klenovaya Street

Building Mikhailovsky arena(architect W. Brenn) is equipped with high and semi-circular windows, which provided excellent natural lighting of the interior. Before the revolution of 1917, the Manege was mainly used for its intended purpose - for military exercises Petersburg Guard. But sometimes various exhibition events, such as the exhibition of the Imperial Horticultural Society or the first exhibition of the Imperial Automobile Society (1907).

Automobile exhibition in the Manege on Maple Street (1907)

In Soviet times (1949), it was equipped here. And today the Manege has again turned into an exhibition complex, which has retained its name "Mikhailovsky Manege".

The building of the Mikhailovsky Manege in St. Petersburg during the Soviet period

stables(architect V. Brenn) as well as the Manege were built early 19th century in classic style. Having passed along Maple Street between these structures, we go directly to the castle territory, the entrance to which is indicated by the left and right Guards(guard), built by the same architect W. Brenn.

The three-storeyed Cordegardie with high windows on the ground floor are symmetrical and have the same cruciform structure. Columns of the Ionic order unite the second and third floors.

AT The guardhouses of the Mikhailovsky Castle housed guard services

Between the Guardhouses along the continuing Maple Street we are already moving along the territory of the castle itself - today it is, and on the way to the castle we are met like a Roman emperor Peter the First on a powerful horse. After getting acquainted with the monument, we continue moving to the intersection with Zamkova Street, from which, behind the Resurrection Canal, a three-part bridge to the Mikhailovsky Castle begins.

Through Engineering Square approaching the southern facade of the castle

The castle itself must be seen from the outside along with Resurrection Gate through which we entered. It is also necessary to see the octagonal courtyard with a monument to the unlucky Pavel the First(author V. Gorevoy).

Monument to Paul the First in the courtyard of the Mikhailovsky Castle

Mikhailovsky Castle is original not only from the outside, interior wealth he is also admired - this is a gilded stucco, frescoes and paintings by famous artists, furniture covered with exquisite fabrics, bas-relief decorations, fireplaces and statues.

Particular attention should be paid to well-executed model of the Mikhailovsky Castle. The castle, surrounded by water channels, drawbridges and other fortifications, appears before us in its original form. 1801.

Model of the Mikhailovsky Castle in the museum exposition

Today, in the recreated halls of the Mikhailovsky Castle, you can see Antique scenes and works Renaissance in domestic art. You can learn more about destinies the first owners of the palace, to visit the sculptural fund, among which are the statues that previously adorned the Summer Garden. These expositions are located mainly on the first floor.

On the second floor of the castle, you can see the recreated imperial chambers and other halls. walk along Canteen, Georgievsky, Throne and the Pre-throne halls of Maria Feodorovna (Paul's wife), to examine the room of their son Konstantin and marble gallery.

The Raphael Gallery is located next to the chambers of the Empress

The former bedroom of Paul the First, in which the murder took place, was subsequently reorganized into Church of St. Peter and Paul, but it can be visited exclusively as part of excursions, and this will be somewhat more expensive.

Peter and Paul Church on the site of the former bedroom of Paul the First

Peter and Paul Church was created at the site of the murder of Paul by his grandson - Alexander II, subsequently coming here every year on the anniversary of the death of his grandfather. Alexander II prayed here, and looked from the windows of the former Pavlovian bedroom at the place of his future death, which was very close, not suspecting it. Today this place is designated as the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

Mikhailovsky Castle visit all the days except Tuesday, with 10.00 to 18.00. BUT on Thursdays– from 13.00 to 21.00.

The name "Mikhailovsky" castle was due to the temple located in it in the name of the Archangel Michael - the heavenly patron of the Romanov dynasty.

Perhaps this is the only case in the history of Russian architecture when a secular architectural building is named after a saint. In addition (according to Wikipedia), the castle is the only palace building in Russia in the style of romantic classicism.

Pavel loved knightly romance, which is why his residence should have been a castle, not a palace. On December 16, 1798, Paul I was elected Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and from that time on he called all his palaces castles.

Paul I was afraid of a palace coup, and therefore did not want to stay in the Winter Palace. There is a legend that a ghost in the form of a beautiful young man surrounded by radiance appeared to one sentry who stood guard at night in the Summer Garden, who ordered him to go to the emperor and convey his will to erect a temple and a house in the name of Archangel Michael.

The sentry told the chief about the vision, he reported above, and so it came to the emperor, who gladly decided to build his castle on this site, which he himself had chosen a long time ago)))

The palace was built urgently and with high quality. This is how they build in Russia only for emperors and Olympiads ...

Simultaneously with the construction, Pavel did not forget to deal with other state affairs. During his reign, he retired 7 field marshals, 333 generals (out of 500) and 2261 staff officers and chief officers. And not Paul's tyranny, but the fight against violation of military discipline, embezzlement, "pulling away" soldiers from regiments and other malfeasances of the commanding staff that were common at that time.

He introduced army regulations, created the world's first large sapper units, forced officers to go not to balls, but along the parade ground. The army raised its combat readiness and learned to fight in a real way, receiving modern weapons and uniforms.

Nobles who did not serve in the army and evade service in elected positions, Paul ordered to bring to justice. If you want to be a nobleman - serve! At the same time, soldiers were rarely punished, their salaries and medical care were increased. And it was all this in the complex that made it possible later to break Napoleon's perfectly equipped and trained army, but let's return to the castle.

After meeting with the monks of the Order of Malta, Paul essentially annexed Malta to Russia, taking it under Russian guardianship and protection. A large garrison and a naval base were planned there.

The emperor was in a hurry to build his residence-fortress, as he understood that he would face a serious struggle with England for world spheres of influence. He knew that he was surrounded by many traitors, feared for his life and wanted to have a reliable rear.

To speed up construction, Pavel ordered to take Construction Materials from other objects. It can be said that all the forces of St. Petersburg and the surrounding area were thrown at this object.

Decorative stone, columns, friezes and sculptures were delivered from Tsarskoye Selo and the Academy of Arts. Type-setting parquet was delivered from the Tauride Palace. In Tsarskoye Selo, several pavilions were dismantled, and the palace in Pella suffered a similar fate.

From the construction of St. Isaac's Church (then there was no St. Isaac's Cathedral yet) marble, including the frieze, famous for its gloomy prophecy, which was placed above the main gate. You can read about the prophecy under the link at the beginning of the post.

According to some legends, the future of all the Romanovs was predicted to Pavel ... and by building such a castle, he wanted to protect not only his family, but also all descendants. To build for them an impregnable house-fortress, which would be guarded by both soldiers and cannons and the Lord God himself. Did not work out...

The castle is located at the beginning of the Moika River, which flows from the Fontanka River. This arrangement made it quite easy to turn the territory of the castle into an artificial island. The only way to get inside was through heavily guarded bridges.

THREE YEARS! Only three years of work day and night and the castle was already standing! It really surprises! Especially when you consider that St. Isaac's Cathedral was built for 40 years.

The eastern façade facing the Fontanka has a semicircular ledge with a dome and a flagpole tower. The standard of the emperor was raised on the flagpole when Paul I was in the castle. Before mid-nineteenth centuries of the year, a fan-shaped staircase led to the entrance from the east, decorated with decorative vases and statues of Hercules and Flora brought from Italy. None of the sculptural decoration has survived to this day.

The general territory of the castle, together with various auxiliary buildings, is quite extensive. It starts from Nevsky Prospekt, from Italianskaya Street. There were triple semi-circular gates here, the middle passage of which was intended for members of the imperial family. From the gate to the castle, a wide alley began (now Maple Street), which was delimited on both sides by the buildings of the stables and the arena (exercierhaus - buildings for conducting drill exercises during bad weather).

Next came the three-story pavilions of the guardhouse, and the pre-castle fortifications began. Directly in front of the castle was the Connetable Square (now - Peter the Great Square), where there is a monument to Peter I (about his legends and history of creation below under the link).

Constable Square was also previously surrounded by a moat, through which a wooden drawbridge was thrown in the southern part, on both sides of which there were cannons. This ditch no longer exists. Everything looked like in the photo below (the picture is clickable, the text can be read).

Pavel periodically made refinements and improvements to the initial drafts (13 changes). He was a capricious and power-hungry monarch. But the castle turned out, although we are building, but elegant.

Three-part bridge over the Resurrection Canal.

View of the Engineering Square and the equestrian statue of Peter I.

The first stone of the new castle was laid on February 26 (March 9), 1797. The castle was built from 1797 to 1801. The final project, taking into account the previous ones, developed by Pavel himself, belonged to the architect V.I. Bazhenov.

By order of the emperor, construction was carried out day and night (by the light of lanterns and torches), as he demanded that the castle be rebuilt in the same year. According to the documents, the number of workers working at the construction site reached 6 thousand people at the same time.

According to the plan, the castle has the shape of a square with rounded corners and a main entrance from the south side. The so-called "three-part bridge" is thrown to the gates of the castle through the Resurrection Canal, which in fact consists of three bridges converging to the gates.

The middle part of the bridge was intended to enter the castle royal family and foreign ambassadors, the last two - for all other visitors and guests.

Mikhailovsky Castle was consecrated on the day of St. Michael the Archangel, November 8 (21), 1800.

Work on interior decoration and decoration continued until March 1801, and Paul I and his family moved to the new palace on February 1, 1801.

According to eyewitnesses, at 9:45 a.m., the imperial family began a ceremonial procession from the Winter Palace to the Mikhailovsky Castle. The route was guarded by guards regiments placed in advance, cannons fired and the music of regimental bands sounded.
In the Mikhailovsky Castle, the emperor and his name were already awaited by senior military leaders, foreign ambassadors and ministers.

The total cost of the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle amounted to 6,171,069 rubles. It is believed that this is the most expensive building of the XVIII century.

There is a legend that the color of the castle walls was chosen for the gloves of the emperor's favorite Anna Gagarina (Lopukhina).

In Soviet times, the walls of the castle were brick red, and it was believed that this was a historical color and that was the color from the very beginning ... especially since it coincided with the colors of the Order of Malta. But during the last restoration, remnants of the original paint were found. And this hard-to-identify color (pinkish-orange-yellow) was very different from the usual colors, confirming the story of the glove. Now the castle has just such an unusual "cheerful", I would even say "female" color.

Many ambassadors recalled that the castle was "raw". They did not have time to prepare it for the resettlement of the imperial family, but Paul decided to live in it anyway. To slightly reduce dampness, freshly baked hot bread was placed on the windowsills (it was believed that it absorbs moisture well). Can you imagine what the smell was in the castle and how it all looked))) But to warm the cold and frozen thick walls of the castle and remove dampness, and even in such large rooms in winter frosts it was difficult. Almost impossible. Everyone froze, but endured.

Kugelgen von G. (Gerard von Kugelgen) Emperor Paul I with his family.

Only in Pavel's own bedroom (which was finished with white wood) was dry and warm. In all other halls and large rooms there was fog, and at the windows there was even hand-thick frost. Alas, Pavel did not have time to warm it up properly ... read how he was killed

From 1918 to 1941 and from 1945, the castle housed a military engineering school (Leningrad Military Engineering School), and during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) there was a hospital here. During the bombing, a heavy air bomb hit the eastern part of the castle, which destroyed the Main Dining Room and severely damaged the roof.

The front courtyard of the castle is octagonal. From it you can get to four stairs: the front one, and leading to the church, living quarters and a card room.

Monument to Paul I. The first... and the last...

Monument to the sculptor V.E. Gorevoy and architect V.I. Nalivaiko. It appeared 203 years after Paul himself erected a monument to his great-grandfather, Emperor Peter I, in front of the main facade.

This monument deserves a better place than the castle courtyard.

According to legend, a casket with great Christian relics of the Order of Malta, including the Grail, is hidden in the dungeons of the Mikhailovsky Castle.

After the murder of Pavel, his brainchild - the Mikhailovsky Castle, was as if cursed and fell into disrepair.

Alexander I (for a wedding gift), melted down the silver gates of the church into cutlery. This gift was received by his sister Anna Pavlovna, Queen of the Netherlands. I would not like to eat from such cutlery, even in modern anti-religious times.

They say Alexander reproached himself for participating in a conspiracy against his father and for his involvement in his murder. From the looks of it, it doesn't look like it.

Nicholas I ordered the architects to remove marble from the palace for the construction of the New Hermitage.

In 1823, the castle was occupied by the Main Engineering School, from which its second name came. Since February 1823, the castle has officially been called "Engineering".

Classes of the cadets of the Nikolaev Engineering School in St. George's Hall.

In the 1830s, the future stars of Russia - the writers F. M. Dostoevsky, D. V. Grigorovich, the outstanding Russian electrical engineer, the inventor of the arc lamp N. N. Yablochkov, the physiologist I. M. Sechenov and even the composer C. A. Cui . An outstanding Soviet fortifier, General D. M. Karbyshev, Hero of the Soviet Union, was educated here.

For almost two hundred years, military educational institutions were located in the Mikhailovsky Castle, then various Soviet institutions, the planning of the entire ensemble was repeatedly changed, the buildings and interiors that were part of it were rebuilt.
In 1991, the Mikhailovsky Castle became part of the architectural complex of the State Russian Museum.

By the 300th anniversary of the city, the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle was restored, many interiors were restored in the form in which they were under Paul, as well as the inscription on the facade. The castle was transferred to the State Russian Museum.