three-part bridge
maple street
Two pavilions of the guardhouse Mikhailovsky Castle
The architecture of the palace is uncharacteristic for St. Petersburg of the 18th century. With its austere elegance of its style, the castle rather resembles a medieval fortress; it is the only palace building in Russia in the style of romantic classicism.
The peculiar appearance of this building, combining conflicting architectural trends and stylistic devices, puts it apart in the general course of the development of Russian classicism. However, it is the Mikhailovsky Castle that is perceived as the most expressive symbol of the Pavlovian era. Its appearance clearly embodied the artistic tastes and originality of the personality of the owner and main creator - Emperor Paul I
South (main) facade
The central part of the southern façade is highlighted in contrast by a portico raised to a high ground floor of four double Ionic columns of red marble with a richly decorated sculpted pediment and an attic above it.
It was decorated with a bas-relief "History Brings the Glory of Russia to Its Tablets", made by the sculptor P. Staji. Also on this facade was a modified biblical quotation (originally referred to God, and not to the monarch) - Your house is worthy of the Lord's shrine in the length of days.
The main southern façade is emphatically monumental and representative. The solemn structure of its columns and giant obelisks are reminiscent of the Louvre colonnade and the Saint-Denis gate in Paris.
The northern façade opposite the main one, facing the Summer Garden, is designed as a park façade.
At its center is a wide, sculptured staircase leading to an entrance loggia with a paired Tuscan marble colonnade supporting the terrace. The facade is completed with a richly decorated attic.
The open terrace of this facade is supported by a marble colonnade, and a wide staircase, decorated with statues of Hercules and Flora, was also used.
The western and eastern facades, according to Bazhenov's project, were treated in the same way as subordinate ones.
Western facade
East facade
In the direction of Sadovaya Street, the facade of the palace church protrudes, which is crowned with a typical St. Petersburg spire.
Known for his insistence on ostentatious effect in palace life and parades, Pavel literally “stuffed” Mikhailovsky with luxury and wealth. They exude both from the interiors themselves (malachite, various types of marble, lapis lazuli, jasper), combining monumental painting and wood carving, amazing molding and velvet upholstery with silver embroidery, and from the works of art present in these walls.
On November 8, 1800, the day of St. Michael the Archangel, the solemn consecration of the castle and its church took place, and in February 1801, Pavel and his family moved from the Winter Palace to Mikhailovsky Castle.
Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with their sons Alexander and Konstantin; presumably K. Hoyer, 1781
Gerard von Kugelgen. Portrait of Paul I with his family. 1800
Johann Baptist Lampi Jr. Equestrian portrait of Emperor Paul I with his sons Alexander and Constantine, as well as the Hungarian palatine Joseph. 1802
Maria Feodorovna ; before converting to Orthodoxy - Sophia Maria Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg (German: Sophia Marie Dorothea Augusta Luisa von Württemberg; October 14, 1759, Stettin - October 24, 1828, Pavlovsk) - Princess of the Württemberg House, the second wife of the Russian Emperor Paul I. Mother of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I.
Alexander Roslin. Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna
Maria Feodorovna shortly after the wedding. Portrait of Alexander Roslin
M.F. Kvadal. Coronation of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna
Maria Fedorovna by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun (1755-1842)
Vladimir Borovikovsky (1757-1825) Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna (1759-1828)
Veil Jean Louis - Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna
Doe George (1781-1829) Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna
For a little over a month, the castle was the royal residence. "Here I was born, here I would like to die" - these words of Emperor Paul I were destined to become prophetic. On March 11, 1801, Emperor Paul I was killed in his bedroom in the Mikhailovsky Castle, becoming the victim of a palace conspiracy. On the morning of the next day, the august family returned to the Winter Palace.
Assassination of Emperor Paul I, engraving from a French historical book, 1880s
Maria Feodorovna in a widow's dress
Tombstone of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna in the Peter and Paul Cathedral
Mikhailovsky Castle is full of legends and mysteries. Rumor has it that after the murder he walked in it ghost of the slain emperor, to whom the monk Abel also prophesied about the fate of the entire Romanov family and the Russian state. The envelope with this prophecy was to be opened according to Paul's will on the centenary of his death, and it was kept in another castle - in Gatchina, the suburban residence of the emperor.
For two decades, the Mikhailovsky Castle was used for private residences, government apartments for departmental officials were equipped here, and various institutions were located.
Pavel I on a portrait by S. Schukin
In 1822, by decree of Alexander I, the building was transferred to the Main Engineering School, which gave the castle a new name - "Engineering". For a whole century, the school rebuilt the former imperial residence for its own needs. In the middle of the XIX century. by order of Alexander II on the spot former bedroom Paul, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was built, partially preserved to this day.
Portrait of Emperor Paul I by Nikolai Argunov
Within the walls of the Military Engineering School, F.M. Dostoevsky, D.V. Grigorovich, I.M. Sechenov, Ts.A. Kui and many others.
V.L. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Paul I
In 1991, the building of the Mikhailovsky Castle was transferred State Russian Museum. Since that time, a comprehensive restoration of a one-of-a-kind architectural monument has been underway.
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky
One of the legends of the Mikhailovsky Castle is connected with the color of its walls: according to one version, it was chosen in honor of the glove of the Emperor's favorite Anna Gagarina (Lopukhina). According to another, it was the traditional color of the Order of Malta. Following the choice of the king, color came into fashion, and for some time the facades of some St. Petersburg palaces were repainted in the same color.
Anna Lopukhina (Gagarina) - favorite of the emperor
When the Russian Museum began the restoration of the palace, the walls of the castle were of a brick-red color, to which the townspeople had long been accustomed, considering it to be the original one, especially since it coincided with the colors of the Order of Malta. But the restorers found remnants of the original paint under the plaster of the palace facade, and this hard-to-identify color (pinkish-orange-yellow) was very different from the usual colors, confirming the story of the glove.
Paul I in the crown, dalmatics and signs of the Order of Malta. Artist V. L. Borovikovsky
In 2001-2002 a unique in complexity reconstruction of a part of the fortifications that previously surrounded the castle was carried out - fragments of the Resurrection Canal and the Three-Span Bridge, preserved underground, were discovered. Scientific research and archaeological work made it possible to carry out the reconstruction of the engineering and technical complex of the 18th century. - one of the central architectural ensembles of St. Petersburg during the time of Paul I.
S. Tonchi Portrait of Paul I in the attire of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta
The restored halls now house permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions.
Pavel I - Vladimir Borovikovsky
Sadovaya st., 2
Fontanka r. emb., 1
The site on which the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle is located, in early XVIII century was part of the Summer Garden - the royal estate founded by Peter I. Here, near the junction of the Moika and the Fontanka, the Summer Palace of Elizaveta Petrovna was built in the 1740s.
In the very first month of the reign of Paul I, on November 28, 1796, a decree was issued: " for the permanent residence of the sovereign to build with haste a new impregnable palace-castle. He should stand on the site of the dilapidated Summer House". The emperor did not want to live in the Winter Palace. He preferred to live in the place where he was born. To strengthen the belief in the need for this step, a rumor was started. As if a young man appeared to a soldier standing at night in the Summer Palace, surrounded by radiance. The young man said sentry: " Go to the emperor and convey my will - so that a temple and a house in the name of Archangel Michael will be erected on this place". The soldier, having changed from his post, reported the incident to his superiors, then to the emperor. So allegedly the decision was made to build a new palace, so the name was given to him - Mikhailovsky.
Paul I entrusted the design of the new building to the architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov, the emperor's mentor in architecture. A preliminary plan for the future building was drawn by Pavel himself.
The laying of the Mikhailovsky Castle took place on February 26, 1797 in the presence of Paul I. Bazhenov could not attend it due to illness. For the ceremony, a special piece of Italian marble was made with the inscription " In the summer of the 1797th month of February on the 26th day, the foundation was laid for this building of the Mikhailovsky Castle ..."[Quoted from: 1, p. 144] Bricks of polished jasper were prepared for the laying participants. According to the sketch of Vincenzo Brenna, they made a silver hammer, spatulas and gilded saucers with gold and silver coins. Brenna, to the Grand Dukes and Princesses - an official of the commissary service Grigory Bazhenov (namesake of the architect).
On March 4, 1797, a new decision was announced: " The construction of the Mikhailovsky Palace is to be entrusted directly to our architect collegiate adviser Brenne"[Quoted from: 1, p. 145]. Vincenzo Brenna, unlike Bazhenov, agreed to build the palace "in great haste." He was not an architect, but only a decorator. Therefore, when managing construction, he followed Bazhenov's project exactly. In the spring of 1795, Brenna broke his arm, so he could not make the drawings himself.
Brenna's assistants included Fyodor Svinin and Karl Rossi. With their help, drawings were drawn up and handed over to the emperor with an appeal: " Your Majesty. The plans and drawings of the Mikhailovsky Palace, designed by Your Imperial Majesty, I put in order according to the basics and rules of art ..."
The emperor introduced his own proposals into the project and demanded their implementation. So the courtyard of the building became octagonal. This, probably, should have reminded everyone that Paul I is the grand master of the Order of Malta, which has just an octagonal shape. In the eastern part of the castle, the emperor ordered to build a wide front staircase, which led only to a small guard room.
Pavel I hurried and accelerated the construction. For these purposes, Vincenzo Brenna received the rank of state councilor, Charles Cameron and Giacomo Quarenghi were sent to help him. In addition, E. Sokolov, I. Girsh and G. Pilnikov worked together with Brenna.
The "Special Expedition for the Building" was ordered to complete the draft construction work by 1797. Because of this, I had to work around the clock. At night, the builders, whose number was increased to 6,000 people, used torches.
To speed up the work, building materials intended for other construction sites were transferred here: decorative stone, columns, friezes and sculptures from Tsarskoye Selo, the palace in Pella and the Academy of Arts; from the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral - a frieze that was placed above the main gate; from the Tauride Palace - type-setting parquet.
On the frieze of the south-eastern facade there is an inscription: "THE SHINE OF THE LORD IS SUITABLE FOR YOUR HOUSE FOR THE LONGITY OF DAYS". There is a legend that the death of Paul I was predicted, supposedly the number of years of the emperor will be equal to the number of letters in the text of this saying. It was impossible to say for sure whether there was a prediction or not, but the fact of coincidence is obvious. The tympanum of the pediment of the same facade contains a bas-relief "History records the glory of Russia on its tablets", created by the sculptor P. Stagi.
For the sake of decorating the interiors as soon as possible, Paul I canceled the duty on items imported from abroad intended for the Mikhailovsky Castle. Two plafonds of the Great Throne Hall were made from a single canvas "Allegory of the Bliss of the Reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna", painted by the artist D. Valeriani for the Great Hall in the Catherine Palace. It was transferred to the Mikhailovsky Castle in 1800, cut into two parts ("Allegory of Victory" and "Allegory of Peace") and inserted into new stretchers.
The sculptors P. Staji, P. Triskorn, artists D. Scotty, A. Vigi, J. Mettenleter and many others took part in the decoration of the premises of the Mikhailovsky Castle.
The space around the palace was radically transformed. The approach to the building began from Italian Street through triple semi-circular gates, the middle passage of which was intended only for members of the imperial family. Beyond the gate was a wide, straight alley. On the sides of the alley there are buildings of stables and an arena (exercise). The alley ended at the three-story pavilions (guardhouses), behind which the pre-castle fortifications began.
Since 1798, the canals surrounding the Mikhailovsky Castle have been lined. On April 30, a row for lining was given to Petrozavodsk merchants Efim and Philip Bekrenev (father and son). Around the palace, the banks were laid out with "wild stone", and around the front places - with the Tosno basement slab. On August 2, 1799, Efim Bekrenev undertook to lay a canal between the castle and the Summer Garden with a stone. The work was expected to be completed by October next year.
At the same time, in front of the main facade of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the Connetable Square (the parade ground of the commander-in-chief of the army) was created. The area was intended for military exercises and parades so beloved by Paul I. It was also surrounded by a wide moat, over which a wooden drawbridge was thrown. Cannons were placed on both sides of the bridge. In the center of the square is a monument to Peter I. Behind the monument is a moat and three bridges. The middle bridge was intended only for the imperial family and foreign ambassadors. It led to the main entrance.
The solemn consecration of the new castle took place on November 8, 1800. On February 1, 1801, the royal family moved to the Mikhailovsky Castle.
The cost of building the Mikhailovsky Castle amounted to 6,171,069 rubles. The residence of Paul I turned out to be the most expensive building of the 18th century.
The first floor was intended for the heir to the throne, Alexander Pavlovich and his wife, the southwestern part - for Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, the southeastern part from the side of the Fontanka - for Ober-Stalmeister I.I. Kutaisov, the northwestern part - for Pavel I. From the side of the parade ground the courtyard was the premises of the chief marshal A. L. Naryshkin.
From the front yard of the Mikhailovsky Castle one could get to four stairs: the front staircase leading to the church, to the card room and to the living quarters. The main staircase with columns made of polished gray Siberian marble led to the enfilade of the palace chambers on the second floor. Walking along it, one could get into the entrance hall, decorated with historical paintings by the painters V. K. Shebuev and G. I. Ugryumov. Next was the throne room, the walls of which were covered with green velvet. Behind the throne room was the Laocoön Gallery, where historical tapestries hung and marble statues stood. Behind the gallery, guests entered the living room, then into a huge marble hall, where the gentlemen of the Order of Malta were on duty. The chambers of the empress were also located on the second floor. Here was the Raphael Gallery, one of the walls of which was covered with carpets with woven copies the best pictures Rafael Santi. The emperor's living quarters were located on left hand from the church. On the other side of the church were the rooms of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. They stretched to the Voskresensky (White) Hall, opening a suite of state apartments.
The premises of the third floor were occupied by the Grand Duchesses.
Pavel I was in such a hurry with the move that he did not even wait for the walls to dry. The building was damp and cold. The historian August Kotzebue, who, on behalf of the emperor, described all the premises of the Mikhailovsky Castle, said:
“Nothing can be more harmful to health than this dwelling. Everywhere there were traces of decaying dampness, and in the hall in which large historical paintings hung, I saw with my own eyes, despite the constant fire maintained in two fireplaces, strips of ice an inch thick and the width of several palms. In the rooms of the emperor and empress, dampness was to some extent eliminated by the fact that the walls were finished with wood; but everyone else suffered cruelly "[Cit. according to: 1, p. 155, 156].
Moving to the Mikhailovsky Castle allowed Paul I to bring his favorite Anna Petrovna Lopukhina closer to him. She left her husband's house and settled in a new palace under the emperor's office. He communicated with her rooms with a special staircase.
Just 40 days after the housewarming (on the night of March 11-12, 1801), the emperor was killed in his front bedroom.
After the assassination of the king, the courtiers left the Mikhailovsky Castle in a hurry. Some began to be frightened by his ghost, legends were born about the voice of Peter the Great sounding in the halls of the palace.
Work on the arrangement of the Mikhailovsky Castle was suspended. Values were gradually taken out of its premises to old mansions and palaces.
The Mikhailovsky Castle was transferred by imperial decree to the Main Engineering School in 1819. Hence its second name. Since February 1823, the castle has officially been called "Engineering". In 1820, Karl Rossi replanned the area around the castle, the canals were filled up. For needs educational institution a redevelopment of the premises was required, which began to be carried out in 1822. The management of the school at the same time paid attention only to the needs of the institution. Partitions were placed in the large halls of the Engineering Castle, additional passages were arranged. The gilded molding was whitewashed, destroyed in places or covered with a thick layer of plaster.
When decorating the museum halls of the New Hermitage in the 1840s, marble from the interiors of the Engineers' Castle was actively used. In 1871, according to the project of K. A. Ukhtomsky, the Small Church was equipped in the former Front Bedroom School of Engineering. The large Castle Church was divided by ceilings into three separate rooms. In the years 1891-1895, a staircase was built into the Laocoön gallery.
F. M. Dostoevsky studied here in 1838-1843 and lived until 1841. The engineering school in the Mikhailovsky Castle was also graduated by the hero of Sevastopol E. I. Totleben, the physiologist I. M. Sechenov, the physicist P. N. Yablochkov, the composer and scientist Ts. A. Cui, and the writer D. V. Grigorovich.
Since 1917, the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle has been occupied by various Soviet institutions, next to which the engineering school continued to operate.
During the Great Patriotic War a heavy air bomb hit the eastern part of the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle. Then the Main Dining Room was completely destroyed, the roof was significantly damaged.
Interesting discoveries were made by restorers during restoration work in 1953. It was then that the true origin of the two plafonds of the Great Throne Hall became clear. For the Mikhailovsky Castle, copies were made from them, and the originals were used to restore the Catherine Palace.
In 1988, the Museum of the City History was asked to consider the possibility of using the premises that were vacated after the Lengiproenergo Institute moved from the Mikhailovsky Castle. The Museum of the History of the City did not manage to get new squares here. In 1991, the Russian Museum bought a third of the premises of the castle, and four years later bought it completely. Currently, permanent exhibitions are open in the halls. By the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Voskresensky Canal and the Three-Span Bridge were reconstructed and opened.
| № | Source | Pages | date of the application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | (pp. 138-158) | 21.09.2012 20:28 | |
| 2) | (Page 150) | 03/02/2014 18:25 |
Pavel I
The outgoing year was marked by the 210th anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Paul I by conspirators in the Mikhailovsky Castle.
Started in March 2011 from R.Kh. the countdown of the 211th year of the sad event is marked by such an amusing game of numbers with the dominance of the four (sum). 4 is considered the fatal number of Paul I: he reigned exactly 4 years 4 months and 4 days, lived in his castle for 40 days, etc.
I am not a fan of numerology, but for some reason I really wanted to see the scene again with my own eyes. Perhaps, according to the consonance of eras and moods. “And the weather is kind of dark, boring,” writes one of the eyewitnesses of those years. “We can’t see the sun for weeks, we don’t want to leave the house, and it’s not safe ... It seems that God has abandoned us.”
PALADIN'S RESORT
The pensive singer looks
On menacingly sleeping in the mist
Desert monument of a tyrant,
Abandoned Palace
(A.S. Pushkin. Ode "Liberty") 
This is a modern view of the knightly stronghold of the Emperor (south, the main facade from the side of the Connetable Square).
Mikhailovsky Castle is an "architectural self-portrait" of its owner. An unusual for St. Petersburg plan of a medieval citadel, ditches, drawbridges, cannons and a bizarre combination of different styles. Sketches of the future building were drawn by Pavel himself. The initial project of V. Bazhenov was rejected, and Vincenzo Brenna, "wild Brenna", as his contemporaries would call him, received an order for revision and construction as soon as possible.
This is what the original castle looked like. 
How did his contemporaries perceive him? 
Hood. F.Ya.Alekseev (1753-1824). View of the Mikhailovsky Castle and Connetable Square in St. Petersburg (c.1800)
He is. View of the Mikhailovsky Castle from the Fontanka (c.1800)
Modern view of the arch of the Resurrection Gate 
Octagonal courtyard 
here in 2003. a monument to Paul I was erected (sculptor V.E. Gorevoy, architect V.I. Nalivaiko). In my opinion, one of the few really successful modern monuments that fit into the urban fabric. 
To feel the nature of the “genius of the place”, one must remember that the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, built in 1742-1744, previously stood on the territory of the castle. by F. B. Rastrelli himself.
This is probably the most mysterious of the unpreserved palaces of St. Petersburg. Neither the items of his decoration, nor even their reproduction, have come down to us. But he was captured in several paintings and drawings of his contemporaries, in particular, the founder of the Russian architectural landscape M.I. Makhaev (1718-1770). 
Looking at this joyful beauty of the Russian baroque, one recalls the harpsichord music of Rameau and Couperin. here in 1754. Paul I was born
And he, in the first month of his reign, orders to demolish the palace "because of dilapidation."
The monarch, for all his penchant for mysticism, does strange things that largely explain sacred meaning Mikhailovsky Castle and the chain of subsequent events.
He declares: “I want to die in the place where I was born” and builds his residence on it.
It contributes to the spread of the legend about the miraculous appearance of the Archangel Michael, who ordered to build a temple in his honor on this site.
The Emperor built the temple, but the incorporeal forces do not need palaces and castles. Later, the monk Abel asked Paul I a question: “And why, Sovereign, did not fulfill the command of the Archangel Michael exactly?” And then he gave an answer-prediction: “Neither kings nor peoples can change the will of God... I see your premature tomb in it, noble Sovereign. And as you think, it will not be the residence of your descendants.
On the pediment of the main entrance to the castle in 2003. the pre-existing inscription was restored:
YOUR HOUSE IS SUITABLE FOR THE HOLY HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE LONGITY OF DAYS
According to legend, St. Xenia of Petersburg predicted: how many letters are in this inscription, so many years the emperor will live. Letters 47. Paul I was killed shortly after moving to the castle at the age of 47, he was not yet full forty-seven.
The motto above the portico is a distorted borrowing from Psalm 92 of Davidov: “Holiness befits your house, O Lord, for the length of days.”
Such texts cannot be changed.
Let's go inside the castle and proceed to the place of the tragic events.
Main staircase 
Emperor's cypher, lantern
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Sculpture of Cleopatra (copy of the work of 1789 by Paolo Triscorni)
Now the castle belongs to the Russian Museum. The exhibition "Holy Russia" works here. It is organized on a very, very high order, and any photography is prohibited. At her slightest attempts, energetic elderly ladies with unkind looks from burning eyes appear from everywhere. However, we managed to capture something.
Throne room of Empress Maria Feodorovna 
Castle Church in honor of Michael the Archangel 
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Moving along the 1st floor, we exit to the very spiral staircase along which the killers went to the chambers of the Emperor
We go up the stairs to the 2nd floor. We find ourselves in the premises of the former Oval Boudoir, which later became the porch of the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul 
Antique mirror and bas-relief of Alexander II. Plafond "Ascension of Our Lady"
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We came close to the scene of the tragedy: in the adjacent room was the bedroom of Paul I. Remember its windows - the 2nd and 3rd from the left on the second floor of the western facade of the castle from the side of the current Sadovaya Street. (marked with a black frame).
CHRONICLE OF THE PUTCH
He sees - in ribbons and stars,
Intoxicated with wine and malice,
The killers are coming in secret,
Insolence on the faces, fear in the heart.
The events of the night from March 11 (23) to March 12 (24), 1801 have been described countless times and analyzed almost to the minute. For example, D.S. Merezhkovsky in the drama "Paul the First", where the monarch dies with the name of Alexander on his lips.
To separate fiction, we will use the notes of an impartial contemporary - N.A. Sablukov (1776-1848), squadron commander of the Horse Guards Regiment. He was one of the few people close to the court who managed to stay in the service during the entire four-year reign of Paul I.
Sablukov writes about the character of the Emperor: “He was a completely benevolent, generous person at heart, ready to forgive insults and confess his mistakes. He highly valued the truth, hated lies and deceit, cared about justice and mercilessly pursued all kinds of abuses, especially extortion and bribery. Unfortunately, all these laudable and good qualities remained completely useless, both for him personally and for the state, thanks to his intemperance, extreme irritability, unreasonable and impatient demands for unquestioning obedience. The slightest hesitation in the execution of his orders, the slightest malfunction in the service entailed a severe reprimand and even punishment without any distinction of persons.
In March 1801, the main inspirer of the conspiracy, the author of the idea of the regency, Count N. Panin, was in exile in Moscow. The direct leadership of the putsch was carried out by Count P. Palen and the Zubov brothers.
Four or five days before March 11, during a ride on horseback, Pavel suddenly became ill. “He suddenly stopped his horse and, turning to the master of the horse Mukhanov, who was riding next to the empress, said in a very excited voice: “It seemed to me that I was suffocating and I did not have enough air to breathe. I felt like I was dying… Do they want to strangle me?”
Mukhanov replied: "Sir, this is probably the effect of the thaw." The emperor did not answer, shook his head and his face became very thoughtful. He didn't say a single word until he returned to the castle."
On March 11, Sablukov's squadron was supposed to put up a guard at the Mikhailovsky Castle. However, Paul, on the teaching of Palen, makes a fatal decision to remove the faithful horse guards because of their "Jacobinism".
In the evening of the same day, the conspirators divided into small circles. “We dined with Colonel Khitrovo, with two generals Ushakovs, with Depreradovich (Semyonovsky Regiment) and with some others. Late in the evening, everyone joined together at one common dinner, which was attended by General Bennigsen and Count Palen. Much wine was drunk and many drank more than they should. At the end of the dinner, Palen is said to have said: "Rappelez-vous, messieurs, que pour manger d" une omelette il faut commencer par casser les œufs"(remember, gentlemen, to eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs).
N.A.Sablukov
At this dinner, the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, Colonel Bibikov.<...>as if he expressed publicly the opinion that it makes no sense to try to get rid of one Pavel; that it would not be easier for Russia with the rest of his family, and that it would be best to get rid of them all at once. No matter how outrageous such an assumption is, it is noteworthy that it was expressed a second time in 1826, during the last conspiracy that accompanied the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I.
Around midnight, most of the regiments that took part in the conspiracy moved towards the palace. The Semyonovites walked ahead, who occupied the inner corridors and passages of the castle.
The conspirators got up from dinner a little after midnight. According to the plan worked out, Argamakov, adjutant of the grenadier battalion of the Preobrazhensky regiment, whose duty was to report to the emperor about the fires occurring in the city, was to give the signal to invade the inner apartments of the palace and the emperor’s office itself. Argamakov ran into the foyer of the sovereign's office, where recently there was still a guard from my squadron, and shouted: "Fire!"
At this time, the conspirators, numbering up to 180 people, rushed through the door. Then Marin, who commanded the internal infantry guard, removed the faithful grenadiers of the Preobrazhensky Life Battalion, placing them as sentries, and placed those of them who had previously served in the Life Grenadier Regiment in the front of the sovereign's office, thus preserving this important post in the hands of conspirators."
PLACE OF THE KINGMURDER
O shame! oh the horror of our days!
Like animals, the Janissaries invaded! ..
Infamous blows will fall...
The crowned villain died.
“It was a long room, which was entered through door a, and since some of the walls of the castle were thick enough to accommodate an internal staircase, a staircase was arranged in the thickness of the wall, between doors a and b, which led to apartments Princess Gagarina, as well as Count Kutaisov. At the opposite end of the study there was a door c leading to the empress's bedchamber, and next to it a fireplace d;
on the right side stood the camp bed of the emperor e, over which they always hung: a sword, a scarf and a cane of his majesty. The emperor always slept in underpants and in a white linen camisole; with sleeves.
“Two chamber hussars, standing at the door, bravely defended their post, but one of them was stabbed to death and the other was wounded. Finding the first door that led to the bedroom unlocked, the conspirators at first thought that the emperor had disappeared along the internal stairs.<...>. But when they came to the second door, they found it locked from the inside, which proved that the emperor was undoubtedly in the bedroom.
Having broken the door, the conspirators rushed into the room, but the emperor was not in it. Searches began, but without success, despite the fact that the door leading to the Empress's bedchamber was also locked from the inside. The search continued for several minutes when General Bennigsen entered, a tall, stolid man; he went to the fireplace, leaned against it and at that time saw the emperor hiding behind the screen. Pointing his finger at him, Bennigsen said in French: "le voilà"(here he is), after which Paul was immediately pulled out of his cover.
Prince Platon Zubov, acting as orator and chief leader of the conspiracy, addressed the emperor with a speech. Distinguished as a rule by great nervousness, Pavel, however, this time did not seem particularly agitated, and, maintaining full dignity, asked what they all needed.
Platon Zubov replied that his despotism had become so difficult for the nation that they came to demand his abdication.
The emperor, filled with a sincere desire to bring happiness to his people, to preserve inviolably the laws and regulations of the empire and to establish justice everywhere, entered into a dispute with Zubov, which lasted about half an hour and which, in the end, took on a stormy character. At this time, those of the conspirators who had drunk too much champagne began to express impatience, while the emperor, in turn, spoke louder and began to gesticulate violently. At this time, the master of the horse, Count Nikolai Zubov, a man of enormous stature and extraordinary strength, being completely drunk, hit Pavel on the arm and said: “Why are you shouting like that!”
At this insult, the emperor indignantly pushed away Zubov’s left hand, to which the latter, clutching a massive golden snuffbox in his fist, struck with all his might right hand a blow to the left temple of the emperor, as a result of which he fell unconscious to the floor. At the same moment, the French valet Zubov jumped up with his feet on the emperor's stomach, and Skaryatin, an officer of the Izmailovsky regiment, taking off the emperor's own scarf hanging over the bed, strangled him with it. Thus he was finished off.<...>
Names were given of some persons who, on this occasion, showed a lot of cruelty, even atrocities, wanting to vent the insults received from the emperor on his lifeless body, so that it was not easy for doctors and make-up artists to bring the body into such a form that they could put it up for worship, according to existing customs. I saw the late emperor lying in a coffin. On his face, despite the diligent make-up, black and blue spots were visible. His three-cornered hat was pulled over his head so as to hide, as far as possible, his left eye and temple, which was bruised.<…>
So died on March 12, 1801, one of the sovereigns, whom history speaks of as a monarch, full of many virtues, distinguished by insatiable activity, who loved order and justice and sincerely pious.
Here is a modern view of the room where the tragedy occurred (the wall where the door b was). 
In 1857, at the direction of Emperor Alexander II, the house church of the Nikolaev Engineering School was equipped in the chambers of Paul I. The work was carried out according to the project of arch. K.A. Ukhtomsky at the expense of Vel. book. Nikolai Nikolaevich (senior). The altar was located on the site of the bed (e) where the regicide was committed. An iconostasis was located on an additionally constructed wall. 
The walls of the temple were finished with oak panels. On them are black marble boards with the names of the pupils of the school who fell in battles. 
In place of the fireplace, a round stove was built, which has survived to this day.
In this church, as they say, Emperor Alexander II liked to spend time in complete solitude.
From here the best way visible domes of the Church of the Savior on Blood. Indeed, some rock is gravitating over the Mikhailovsky Castle.
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And finally, the most sacred place of the castle.
Here was the bed of the Emperor (e in the diagram above), and later there was the altar of the church.
Now it is a passage corridor, formed during the Bolshevik redevelopment of the church, which was liquidated in 1918. Above the bed of the slain monarch is a power shield.
EPILOGUE. HEIR
Where their solid shield is stretched out to everyone,
Where clenched by faithful hands
Citizens over equal heads
Their sword slips without choice.
“It is impossible without disgust to mention the murderers who were distinguished by their brutality during this catastrophe. I can only add that I knew most of them until the very moment of their death, which for many represented a terrible moral agony in connection with the most cruel bodily torments ”(N.A. Sablukov).
Count P. Palen was exiled in the summer of 1801 by order of Emperor Alexander I to his Courland estates. He ended his life in complete oblivion. He absolutely could not stand being alone in his rooms, and on the anniversary of March 11, he regularly got drunk dead drunk by 10 pm in order to come to his senses no earlier than the next day. He died at the beginning of 1826. a few weeks after the death of Alexander I.
Opala gr. Nikita Petrovich Panin, an outstanding person and statesman, whom the Decembrists called "the spiritual father of their free thinking", lasted 33 years and ended with his death.
The names of other participants in the murder were unknown to the young Emperor for a long time - he recognized them only a few years later. Some of them had already died by this time, others were exiled to the Caucasus, where they died.
Sometimes it seems that many contemporaries did not understand the character of the new monarch at all. 
N.I.Grech: “He could endure everything - deprivation, insults, suffering, but the thought that he could be suspected of complicity with the murderers of his father drove him into a frenzy. And even the great Napoleon fell victim to the insult in him of this feeling.
March 1804. in Germany, on the orders of Napoleon, the Duke of Enghien, a descendant of the Bourbons, was arrested. He was brought to Paris and shot. On this occasion, Emperor Alexander I protested, in particular against the violation of Germany's neutrality.
In response, Napoleon made a terrible mistake that ultimately cost him his throne and his very life.
He wrote: “In my place, the Russian emperor would have acted exactly the same way, if he knew that the murderers of Paul I were going to carry out their plan at one crossing from the borders of Russia, would he hasten to seize them and save his precious life?”
At the end of the post, the exhibits of the exhibition in Tsaritsino. Genuine nightgown of Paul I, in which he was killed, and an officer's scarf. 
And also as a wish of the State Russian Museum: I would very much like to see a recreated house church. Or, at least fenced off from the passage corridor, the place of regicide. Preferably in the current 211th year from its date.
We read the notes of N.A. Sablukov.
ON THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS A YULY STORY: A.KUPRIN.
Intoxicated with wine and malice,
The killers are coming in secret,
Insolence on the faces, fear in the heart ...
The unfaithful sentry is silent,
The drawbridge was lowered silently,
The gates are open in the darkness of the night
The hand of treachery hired...
A.S. Pushkin
M
Ikhailovsky or Engineering Castle of St. Petersburg.
It is not only a historical and architectural monument. This is the mystical castle-palace of Emperor Paul I, which became a predictor of his death. Around it, legends and traditions of past centuries are twisted, and even now there is still a lot of mystical and inexplicable in the castle.
Some historical sources claim that the name is associated with the appearance of the Archangel Michael or his envoy to the guard soldier at the place where the castle was subsequently erected (perhaps in memory of this there is a small soldier in a niche near the bridge). This is how the decision of the sovereign was explained earlier, immediately after the start of construction, to call the castle "Mikhailovsky".
The palace was being built in an emergency... Pavel was in a hurry, taking building and finishing materials from other objects. And here's your first legend. Not only coins were laid in the foundation (as it should be for good luck). Pavel personally also laid commemorative jasper bricks.
I have a separate post about the construction of the castle-palace and its history in Pavlovian times and after it...
On November 8 (21), 1800, on the day of St. Michael the Archangel, the castle was solemnly consecrated, but work on its interior decoration still continued until March 1801. The assassination of the emperor took place 40 days after the housewarming...
In a niche near the bridge, steadfast tin soldiers stand guard day and night. Even the shadow of the emperor is visible.
Some believe that this is Lieutenant Kizhe, a kind of Lieutenant Rzhevsky from the time of Paul I. He will bring good luck if you hit his head with a coin. Then he swears...
Listen carefully, the place where he will send you is the promised land for you... (just kidding).
The lieutenant is not the only mystical guardian of the Mikhailovsky Castle.
They say the ghost of the murdered Emperor Paul still walks at night through the dark corridors.
This is no longer a joke. His silhouette was seen immediately after his death, then in the years revolutionary change. Even at the time of Soviet anti-religious terry atheism, the ghost regularly made you chatter your teeth in fear.
The spirit of the murdered emperor frightens both religious people and atheists. He usually arrives at exactly midnight. Pavel knocks, looks out the window, pulls the curtains, creaks the parquet... even winks, moving into his own portrait. Some see light from the glow of a candle that Paul's spirit carries before him.
Doors slam loudly here at night (even if all windows are closed). And the especially lucky and impressionable even hear the muffled sound of playing the flageolet - an ancient musical instrument, which the emperor loved to listen to during his lifetime ...
There is a belief that every year on the day of his death, Paul stands at his bedroom window and looks down. He counts passers-by... and takes the soul of the 48th with him... however, you shouldn't panic, it's just a legend. And he can take the soul only if the moon is bright in the sky.
Attention! In order not to incur the wrath of a ghost, you need to lower your head when you meet and say: “Good night, your Imperial Majesty! The emperor will immediately disappear... otherwise, there may be trouble.
Shalit and a portrait of the emperor... for those who are interested, watch the video in the post under the link below.
In addition, 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. This legend is not based on an empty place! I have already written about it in detail, so I will not repeat myself.
During the Great Patriotic War, the military received information from the deceased monk about a secret room under the cellars of the castle where there is a silver casket with Christian relics and a certain mystical object that allowed you to travel in time and look into the future.
After the war, a commission on anomalous phenomena worked in the palace. Whether the reason was the desire to find the casket or frequent complaints about ghosts, it is no longer possible to find out. But the commission, which consisted of Soviet atheist scientists, counted more than 17 inexplicable facts and inexplicable night glows (ghosts) in the castle. The materials were classified - no one was going to frighten the religious population and amuse the communists.
In 2003, a monument to Paul I by the sculptor V. E. Gorevoy, architect V. I. Nalivaiko was erected in the courtyard of the castle.
Surprisingly, during the repair, an old plafond (a huge painting on the ceiling) from the main hall of the Catherine Palace was found in it. Previously, the ceiling was considered lost. Now it is in its historical place. The plafond was rolled up into a huge roll, which lay quietly near the corner, littered with various old rubbish. But there were all inventories Soviet period! I wrote a detailed post on Mail about this, I will move it over time.
From secular legends - supposedly the color of the walls was chosen in honor of the glove of the Emperor's favorite Anna Gagarina (Lopukhina).
But it's time to move on to the main legend and the tragedy of the castle - assassination of Paul I
The brutal murder of Emperor Paul I in the Mikhailovsky Castle gave rise to many legends. According to testimonies, a few days before the murder, the spirit of Peter I appeared to Paul, who warned his grandson about the danger that threatened him. It was also said that on the day of the murder itself, Pavel saw in one of the mirrors a reflection of himself with a broken neck.
On the day of his death, Paul was cheerful. But at breakfast he suddenly became sad, then abruptly stood up and said, "What will be, that cannot be avoided!"
Some researchers believe that Paul knew about the imminent death and tried to avoid it in the palace. There is a legend that Hieroschemamonk Abel told Paul the approximate date of his death. Paul believed the soothsayers and this particular elder, because he accurately predicted the date of the death of his mother, Catherine the Great. Allegedly, Paul asked him about his death and heard in response - "The number of your years is like the count of the letters of the saying above the gates of your castle, in which the promise is truly about your royal family."
This inscription was a modified text of the Psalm of David (Ps. 93:6):
“YOUR HOUSE IS SUITABLE FOR THE HOLY HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE LONGITY OF DAYS ”
This inscription with copper letters, by order of Paul, the builders brought from St. Isaac's Church, and for Isaac he was "stolen" from the Voskresensky Novodevichy Convent.
Perhaps by the holiness of the test, Paul wanted to remove the "curse" of prediction from himself. Or maybe he just gave himself into the hands of God.
There are 47 letters in the inscription, and Paul I was killed precisely at the age of 47.
When the conspirators came to kill Paul, he could use the secret passage that was in his bedroom. There was enough time for that. But for some reason, Pavel did not want to ... that he was hiding from the conspirators in the fireplace, it is quite possible that the assassins invented it.
An underground passage was dug from the Mikhailovsky Castle to the Vorontsov Palace. 3.5 km! It was at that time the longest underground passage in Russia, and possibly in the world. Some historians believe that it was on him that the conspirators entered the palace.
Here is the floor plan of the castle. I won’t write how the murder was committed, Google will tell about it no worse than me.
The conspirators failed to get him to abdicate the throne and ...
As you know, the emperor died from an apocalyptic blow ... with a snuffbox on the head (black humor of those times).
Not everyone knows that Pavel (for the first time for Russia), instead of the image of his profile, ordered the inscription to be minted on a silver ruble:
"NOT TO US, NOT TO US, BUT TO YOUR NAME."
The emperor took religion seriously.
Researchers generally consider the number 4 magical for Paul. The total term of Paul's reign is 4 years, 4 months and 4 days. Mikhailovsky Castle (his main and favorite brainchild) was under construction for 4 years. And only 40 days the emperor managed to live in it.
Engraving by Utwait after a drawing by Philippoto.
Pavel tried to make the castle impregnable. Perhaps he foresaw future upheavals (according to some reports, he was predicted the future of all the Romanovs) and Paul wanted to protect his descendants, build a protected house-fortress for them. Which would be guarded by soldiers and cannons and the Lord God himself.
The palace was surrounded by water from all sides - from the north and east by the Moika and Fontanka rivers, and from the south and west by the Church and Voznesensky canals. The palace could only be entered via three drawbridges, which were very heavily guarded. In addition to bayonets, Paul was protected by guns and secret passages and numerous secret rooms of the castle.
But all this did not help Paul. The elder's prophecy came true... and his castle, instead of a defender of the autocracy in Russia, turned into a mystical "dirty" place - no one else dared to trust the castle with their lives, because he could not even protect his creator, Emperor Paul.
It so happened that Paul I died in the same place where he was born. He erected the building of the Mikhailovsky Castle on the site of the wooden Summer Palace, where on October 1 (September 20), 1754, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to him...
The image of a ghost was actively used by senior cadets of the Nikolaev Engineering School, which settled in the Mikhailovsky Castle, to intimidate the younger ones.
The fame of the ghost of Pavel was brought by the story of N.S. Leskov "Ghost in the Engineering Castle".
AT Soviet time there were complaints about doors slamming, footsteps opening windows in the castle involuntarily at night (which led to the alarm). In the 1980s, employees of the Commission for Anomalous Phenomena at the Russian Geographical Society Russian Academy The sciences conducted a limited and informal study of the alleged anomalous activity in the building (which is simply amazing for the time).
The study consisted of a detailed interview of employees, shooting the premises with a film camera, measuring magnetic field and even the study of premises by the place of "framework" or "dowsing". The findings of the study are being kept secret.
They met a long time ago - great-grandfather with great-grandson ... I'm sure they had something to tell each other about. If Pavel were alive, the history of Russia would definitely have turned out differently. And not the fact that it would be less great, Paul was preparing to take India in alliance with Napoleon. At the very least, the war with Napoleon would certainly have been avoided, but it would obviously have been necessary, together with Napoleon, to fight with England and seize India. I don't even know which is better.
Some photos and info (C) Wikipedia and other Internet
Mikhailovsky Castle. History and legends...
Shock construction of tsarism
By order of Paul I, the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle was carried out "in three shifts", day and night (by the light of lanterns and torches), as he was impatient to celebrate a housewarming party. Negligent workers were punished, diligent ones were rewarded, and the number of all those employed at the construction site reached 6,000 people at the same time.
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 get back 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.
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 ... 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 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.
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). Imagine what the castle smelled like 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. 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 ...
Pantv,
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