Introduction

CHAPTER 1. IMAGE OF THE TEMPLE IN THE ERA OF CLASSICISM.

SECTION 1. Ideas about the ideal architectural type of a temple in the era of classicism of the 18th century, in France

SECTION 2. The image of the temple in the era of classicism in England 29

SECTION 3. Ideas about the ideal of temple architecture in the era of classicism in Russia 52

CHAPTER 2. METROPOLITAN PLATO OF MOSCOW AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF RUSSIAN TEMPLES IN THE ERA OF ENLIGHTENMENT. 74

SECTION 1. Metropolitan Plato on the image of an Orthodox church 79

SECTION 2. Metropolitan Plato on the architecture of Russian churches 92

SECTION 3. Construction activities of Metropolitan Plato 113

CHAPTER III. ARCHITECTURE OF MOSCOW MANOR CHURCHES IN THE ERA OF CLASSICISM (second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries.) 126

SECTION 1. Types of churches in the Moscow region of the 1766s that preserved the stylistic features of the Baroque (1763-1773) 134

SECTION 2. The emergence of new types of temples in the architecture of the 1770s (1773-1783) 755

SECTION 3. Development of church architecture in the Moscow region in the 1780s - 90s 212

MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND RESEARCH RESULTS. 260

Introduction to the work

The relevance of research. The churches of the Moscow region, erected in the second half of the 18th century on orders from estate owners, constitute a vast and relatively little-known circle of monuments of Russian architecture of the classicism era. Many of them, being built in the estates of prominent figures of Russian history, are preserved fragments of once extensive estate complexes, the creation of which is often associated with the names of the greatest masters of Russian classicism. These buildings are of interest not only due to their high artistic quality, but also due to their lack of knowledge. In none of the European countries in the second half of the 18th century was such large-scale church construction carried out as in Russia. The plans of Western European classicist architects to embody the image of an ideal temple basically remained on paper, fueling heated discussions about the forms of church architecture during the Enlightenment, which affected, to a greater or lesser extent, all countries of Western Europe. However, it was in Russia that ideas about the image of an ideal classicist church, transformed by the Orthodox spiritual orientation of Russian culture, became a reality in many churches erected in cities, villages and especially in estates, where their owners could implement, sometimes, very bold plans.

The Moscow region contained on its land perhaps the most significant part of the Russian temple-building heritage of the era of classicism. In the second half of the 18th century, more than a hundred churches were built on estates around the “first throne capital”. However, until recently, historians

INTRODUCTION

Due to understandable ideological reasons, architecture was not given sufficient attention to this part of the Russian architectural heritage. At the same time, and especially in recent decades, there has been an active process of spontaneous destruction of monuments, often deprived not only of their immediate, but also of any functional content at all. Some of them have not been studied at all and are almost not recorded in iconographic material. The surviving objects are also often in a ruined state. In these conditions, with the recent process of revival of Russian shrines emerging, the study of manor churches becomes relevant both in historical and practical restoration terms.

State of the issue. Despite insufficient knowledge of manor churches, domestic historical and architectural science has considerable experience in analyzing manor complexes of the Classical era. The traditions of studying the historical environs of Moscow arose in the 19th century, “almost connecting with the experiences of historical descriptions of the era of classicism. At the beginning of the 20th century, in connection with the rapid destruction that had already begun at that time

Russian estate culture, architectural historians increasingly began to turn to

to buildings on noble estates of the 18th and 19th centuries. After

For example: Raevsky A. Neighborhoods of Moscow // Son of the Fatherland. S.-PB.; 1815.4.5; Zakharov M.P. Guide to the outskirts of Moscow. M.: 1867; Martynov A. Moscow region antiquity. M.: 1889; volumes of the collection "Antiquities. Proceedings of the Commission for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments of the Moscow Archaeological Society." "News of the Imperial Archaeological Commission", published in the capital.

Such as, for example, Karamzin N.M. Note about Moscow landmarks // Notes of an old Moscow resident, M.: 1988; Historical and topographical description of the cities of the Moscow province with their districts. M., 1787.

See, in particular: Russian estates. St. Petersburg, 1912; Shamurin Yu. Podmoskovnye. Issue 1-9, M.: 1912-1914; Ilyin A.N. The village of Vinogradovo. M.: 1912; Publications in the magazines "Capital and Estate", "Old Years", "Excursion Bulletin", Shakhovskoy I.I. The village of Troitskoye-Kainardzhi and the village of Zenino, Korneevo, too. M.: 1915; Yartsev A. Walks near Moscow. A trip to Porechye Uvarovskoye // Moscow Gazette, 1904, Nos. 168, 175, 182, 189, 196, 203, 210, 217, 224, 231, 238; Individual monuments were considered in the History of Russian Art by I. Grabar (ed.

INTRODUCTION

revolution, the traditions of these publications were continued 4 . There was a great contribution
introduced by the Society for the Study of Russian Estates 5, which united the efforts of many
scientists who began working even before its creation. For "eight years
existence of OIRU, its members not only carried out a huge

research work in museums, archives and expeditions, but also published a number of publications that have not lost their significance to this day. True, when they studied estate complexes, temples were almost not considered separately. The same trend continued in subsequent works, among which were those specifically dedicated to the estates of the Moscow region." However, many valuable comments about the architecture of estate churches, significant

Knebel); Works of Count S.D. Sheremetev (G.S.Sh.), for example, Lopasnya and Semenovsky Paradise // “On the Road”, Bbm.rV, M.: 1906, pp. 54-69.; Belaya Kolp, M., 1902.

For example, Lobanov V.M., Podmoskovnye. M.: 1919.

On the activities of the OIRU, see Pisareva L., Afanasyeva M. Lost manuscript - preface to the publication of the last work of A.N. Grech “Wreath for Estates” // Monuments of the Fatherland, No. 32 (No. 3-4, 1994) M„ and also Mikhailovskaya N. We select abandoned traditions // Artist: Russian estate. 1992, No. 4-5; Ivanova L.V. Society for the Study of Russian Estates // Monuments of the Fatherland. M., 1989. Issue 1(9), pp. 50-55; Ivanova L.V. Society for the Study of Russian Estates // Fatherland: Local History Almanac. M.: 1990, Issue. 1, pp.36-44. 6 For example, A.N.Grech, B.P.Denike, V.M.Lobanov.

Pertsev P. Estate excursions. M.; L. Gosiedat, 1925; Excursions to the Moscow region. Plan of summer excursions for 1925, organized by the Society for the Study of Russian Estates. M.: 1925. Museums near Moscow. Guides, ed. Iv. Lazarevsky and V. Zgura. M.-L., 1925 (among the authors are S. Toropov, A. Grech, N. Tyutchev), editions: I. Kuskovo, Ostankino.

2. Arkhangelskoye, Nikolskoye-Uryupino, Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo. Z. Ostafyevo, Muranovo, Abramtsevo.

4.0lgovo, Dubrovitsy, Sergievsky Historical and Art Museum. 6. Tsaritsyno, Kuzminki, Sukhanov Collection of the Society for the Study of Russian Estates (issue 1-8); Morozov V.V., Olsen B.O. Excursions and walks in the vicinity of Moscow. M.-L..1926; Monuments of estate art (issue 1., M.: 1928); Around Moscow. Excursions, M.: 1930. The works of Zgura V.V. date back to the same period. New pseudo-Gothic monuments // Collection of OIRU. M.: 1927. issue 1, pp. 1-4; Problems and monuments associated with V.I. Bazhenov. M.: 1928. and Kozhina N.A. Fundamentals of Russian pseudo-Gothic of the 18th century in the village of Krasnoye, Ryazan province. L.: 1927; On the genesis of Russian false Gothic // Academy of Architecture 1934, No. 1-2, pp. 114-121.

Toropov S.A. Architecture of old estates //Russian architecture. M.: 1940; Toropov S.A. Estates near Moscow. M.: 1947; Tikhomirov N.Ya. Architecture of estates near Moscow. M.: 1955; Bakhrushin S., Bogoyavlensky S. Estates near Moscow of the 18th century // History of Moscow. M.: 1952 (T.1). Ilyin M.A. Architecture of a Russian estate // History of Russian art. M.: 1961 (T.6).

INTRODUCTION IV

conclusions about the patterns of stylistics and shape formation in the era of classicism were made by M.A. Ilyin. He introduced many previously unmentioned monuments into scientific use. However, the researcher did not set himself the task of creating a complete picture of the development of estate church architecture near Moscow.

The architecture of individual manor churches in the Moscow region has also been discussed in many monographs. * A huge amount of work on collecting the most complete material possible and its certification was done under the leadership of B.L. Altshuller by the team of authors of the catalog “Architectural Monuments of the Moscow Region” (M.: 1975), published under the general editorship of E.N. Podyapolskaya. And yet, this catalog turned out to be insufficiently complete: many newly discovered monuments were not included here. Searches, measurements, and photographic recording of new objects continued in subsequent years. Unfortunately, the most interesting historical information and architectural materials collected during this work have not yet been published.

Ilyin M.A. Moscow region. M.: 1966; Ilyin M.A. On the issue of Russian estates of the 18th century // Russian city of Moscow and Moscow region. Bbin.IV, M.: 1981.

10 For example: Snegirev V. Architect V.I. Bazhenov. M.: 1937; Mikhailov A.I. Bazhenov. M.: 1951; Vlasyuk A.I., Kaplun A.I., Kiparisova A.A. Kazakov. M.: 1957; Budylina M.V., Braitseva O.I., Kharlamova A.M. Architect N.A. Lvov. M.: 1961. And also: Grabar I.E., Kazhdan T.P., Gunkin G.I., Unknown and suspected buildings of V.I. Bazhenov. M.: 1951. Nikolaev E.V. Classic Moscow. M.: 1975; Beletskaya E.A., Pokrovskaya Z.I. Mausoleum in Otrada // Architectural Heritage No. 29. M.: 1981, p.50; Evsina N.A. Russian architecture in the era of Catherine II. M.: 1994; Kirillov V.V., Gerchuk Yu.Ya. in the collection Russian classicism of the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries. M.: 1994. and others.

12 Participating in this work: Podyapolskaya E.N., Sharmin P.N., Karpova M.G., Yakunin O.F., Smirnov G.K., Andreeva E.E., Galashevich A.A., Chugreeva N. .N., Perepelitsky M.S., Finogenov A.I., Tkachenko S.Krolenko I.I., Orlovsky S.P., Zelentsova T.S., Kotova O.N., Boym K.D., Demidov S.V. , Yakubovskaya O.N., Alekseeva I.D., Ignatiev G.K., Mekhova G.I., Shitova L.A. and etc.

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, especially since the beginning of the years, a number of

cultural, historical and local history works 13, including in connection with the revival of the Society for the Study of Russian Estates. Scientific conferences organized by the revived OIRU and numerous publications 14 are restoring lost traditions.

Thus, although researchers have collected extensive historical and iconographic material on estates near Moscow, until recently the interests of most authors were traditionally

turned towards secular forms of expression of estate culture, while

15 according to contemporaries lJ spiritual life of Russian landowners

took place in inseparable connection with religious feeling, the former

an integral part of what seemed to be a freer and moral

pure rural existence. Due to what is happening (involuntary now)

obfuscation of the latter circumstance, the architecture of manor churches in the era

classicism continues to receive insufficient attention. Listed

The above works had, for the most part, cataloging tasks and did not strive

carry out an analysis of the development of compositions and style of manor churches

Moscow region of the second half of the 18th century, trace the internal

For example: "...in the vicinity of Moscow": From the history of Russian estate culture of the 17th-19th centuries. M.: 1979; Evangulova O.S. City and estate of the second half of the 18th century. in the minds of contemporaries // Russian city, Issue 7. M.: 1984. Numerous publications appeared in magazines: “Our Heritage”, “Monuments of the Fatherland”, “Moscow Journal”, etc.

During the short history of the existence of the revived OIRU, three voluminous collections have already been published:

Russian estate. Collection of OIRU. Issue 1(17). Moscow-Rybinsk: 1994. Scientific. ed. L.V. Ivanova;

Russian estate. Collection of OIRU. Issue 2(18). M.: 1996. Scientific. ed. L.V. Ivanova; Russian z OIRU. Issue 3(19). M.: 1997. z. L.V. Ivanova; bibliographic index "Russian estate on the pages of the magazines "Old Years" and "Capital and Estate". M.: 1994. Editor and editor L.V. Ivanova. See also Russian estate: experience of bibliography (1992-1996) / / Russian estate. Collection of OIRU. Issue 3(19). M.: 1997, pp. 380-386. 15 Notes from N.M. Karamzin, A.T. Bolotov, A.E. Labzina, V.N. Golovina and etc.

See more about this: Evangulova O.S. Decree. Op.

INTRODUCTION

compositional relationships and external influences, as well as raise the question of the interpretation of the forms of church architecture of the era of classicism and the problems of their emergence.

The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the development of manor temple architecture 1" in the Moscow region in the second half of the 18th century, as well as to analyze its relationships with the image of the ideal temple of Western European classicism.

Research objectives: 1. Study of ideas about the image of an ideal temple in the era of classicism in Russia and Western Europe. 2. Analysis of the views of the Russian clergy of the second half of the 18th century on the image of the temple and its architecture. 3. Identification of the interrelations of theoretical positions in the field of church architecture, their practical implementation in individual monuments and consideration in this context of temple construction in estates near Moscow. 4. Identification of the main types of manor churches in the outskirts of Moscow during the era of Catherine II. 5. Study of the process of development of classicist forms and style in manor churches in the outskirts of Moscow, using as complete material as possible about surviving monuments. Object of study are temples erected by order of the owners of estates in the Moscow region 18 during the period of the emergence and development of classicism (1762-1801). We study not only the churches of the estate complexes, but also the temples built near them, also designed for a rural parish, and the churches erected by order of the owners in villages that did not have estates, as well as in churchyards. The latter, in their purpose for a small number of worshipers, are close to those manor churches that

17 This designation refers to churches built at the expense of landowners. ""The modern borders of the Moscow region are conditionally accepted.

The work used materials on churches that are on the protected lists of architectural monuments and newly identified architectural monuments of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

INTRODUCTION

functioned as brownies. In addition, the work examines texts
theoretical statements of the Enlightenment era about the image of the temple and their
incarnations, representations of the Russian clergy of the second half of the 18th century
about the symbolic meaning of temples and forms of church architecture (firstly
turn, on the materials of sermons, theological, literary and
historical heritage of Moscow Metropolitan Platon (Levshin)).
Research method consists in a consistent transition from analysis
theoretical positions of classicists regarding the image of an ideal temple,
and consideration of individual objects in the architecture of which they received
incarnation (including earlier temples, but considered in the era
classicism exemplary), to the study of ideas about the image of the temple in
Russia in the second half of the 18th century in general and again to interpretation
specific monuments of Moscow region church architecture

period under review.

Novelty of the research is that the work is the first to examine the entire corpus of monuments of church architecture in the Moscow region of the second half of the 18th century from the point of view of style development and to reveal a complex picture of the interaction of individual artistic styles in the temple architecture of the period under study. The sources and ways of formation of many compositions of classicist churches are examined in a new way. Architectural research methods are combined with an awareness of the spiritual and symbolic essence of church buildings. For the first time, the ideas of the clergy of the Enlightenment era about the image of the temple were examined in detail.

The following are submitted for defense: 1. Analysis of ideas about the image of a temple in the era of classicism in Western Europe 2 "and Russia. 2. Identification of the views of Moscow Metropolitan Plato on the architecture of temples. 3. Chronology

Using the example of France and England.

INTRODUCTION

church construction in estates near Moscow in 1762-1801. 4. Characteristics of the types of manor churches near Moscow in the second half XVIII century. 5. General patterns of compositional and stylistic development of the architecture of churches built during the period under review in the Moscow region on orders from estate owners.

Approbation of work. The main provisions of the work were introduced into a number of
academic work for the courses: History of Russian Art and History of Architecture
at the Moscow Architectural Institute at the Department of History of Architecture and
urban planning, were reported at the conferences: "Religious ideas and
images in Russian art of modern times" at the Russian Academy
Arts (Moscow, April 1996); "Capital City" (to the 850th anniversary
Moscow) at the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences (Moscow,
november 1996 G.); at the Second Kareev Readings on Novistics in St.
Petersburg State University (St. Petersburg,
April, 1997), "Faces of a Bygone Russia" About the IRU and Aleksandrovsky
Art Museum (Alexandrov, November 1997); "Architecture in history
culture. Desired and actual" NIITAG RAASN (Moscow,
December 1997), - and also partially published in a number of articles (see list in
applications).

Scope and structure of work. The work is structured in accordance with the research methodology and consists of an introduction, three chapters of the main part, conclusions, bibliography, as well as an appendix that includes a summary chronological table of monuments, as well as an index of monuments and names mentioned in the text. The volume of text is 290 pages. The album contains archival and contemporary photographs, drawings, and illustrations.

Ideas about the ideal architectural type of a temple in the era of classicism of the 18th century, in France

For a better understanding of the processes that took place in church architecture of the Classical era in Russia and in one of its most important sections - estate church building near Moscow - it is necessary to turn to the consideration of the theoretical ideas of that time about the architecture of churches, especially since this topic has not yet been sufficiently studied.

The discussion about church architecture in France had a significant influence on European classicist thought. We are interested, first of all, in the first half of this discussion (before 1770), especially those years when, thanks to the studies of V.I. Bazhenov and I.E. Starov abroad, the ideas of French theorists could become known in Russia and be applied in practice, at a moment significant for the development of Russian art during the formation of the Russian classicist style. In addition to the direct perception of the ideas of European classicism during the travels of pensioners of the Academy of Arts, there was also a significant influence of theoretical professional European literature, and especially French, on architectural education in Russia. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, future architects became acquainted with the works of F. Blondel, J.-F. Blondel, R.F. de Chambray, J.-F. de Nefforge and other theorists of French classicism, including J.-L. de Cordemoy - the founder of the French theory of temple construction of the era of classicism.

In the course of studying the architecture of European classicism, much less attention was usually paid to church architecture than to civil architecture - residential buildings, palaces, and urban ensembles. This was partly due to perceptions of a decline in religiosity in European countries during the Enlightenment. However, recently the view on this philosophical movement has begun to change, and from emphasizing its atheistic features, researchers are moving on to studying the unique and completely different expression of spiritual ideas in the art of that time from other eras. Unfortunately, this research trend has not yet fully manifested itself in the history of architecture, and there are still very few special works on the images of church buildings of the second half of the eighteenth century, especially generalizing works.

A different situation arises if we turn to primary sources. Surprisingly, European architectural treatises of the 18th century devote a lot of space to church buildings. Moreover, if with regard to civil architecture or the study of monuments of antiquity, one can find sufficient unanimity among the theorists of architecture of that era, at least to state a movement of thought in one direction, based on the desire to be as close as possible to the principles of ancient art, then with regard to church architecture, the authors Many architectural treatises express contradictory opinions. Researchers of the theory of classical architecture, in particular Françoise Fichet, even consider the discussion about the form of temples and their decoration to be one of the largest discussions in the theory of architecture in France in the eighteenth century. There were serious reasons for this: it was in church architecture that the traditional type and form of a building came into a particularly tangible and difficult to overcome contradiction with the desire to follow the typology and architectural system of buildings of ancient Rome and Greece. It was in this area of ​​building art that post-antique (including early Christian, Romanesque, Gothic) and ancient traditions of European architecture encountered particular certainty, and it was necessary to find a compromise between them.

It is also important to note that the post-antique tradition appeared here in its various historical guises. In the 18th century, ideas of imitation of the Middle Ages became more and more widespread, architects knew the experience of temple construction of the Renaissance masters, and the legacy of Baroque, rejected by the classicists, was still very close. Theorists clearly identified all these directions as important components of the history of European architecture, although not always under the names familiar to us, and, entering into discussion among themselves, they sought to use the principles, experience, achievements and authority of various historical eras, while recognizing the unconditional priority over all of them is true antiquity.

On the one hand, thus, the views of the theorists of classical architecture were distinguished by historicism, one might say, “ideal historicism,” where the ancient ideal was the norm and criterion. On the other hand, during the formation of the architecture of classicism, the development of its own typology of church buildings, new in relation to the 17th century, took place, as well as a new architectural language that made it possible to express the religious ideas of the “age of Reason” in the “ancient alphabet”.

Metropolitan Platon on the image of an Orthodox church

Church in a sermon during the renovation of the refectory church in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Metropolitan Plato compares it with the purpose of the temple as the material design of the Church: “Although in its essence the Church is different, the temple is different, but, for all that, they are inseparable,” writes he, - The Church is the council of true Christians, the temple is the place where true Christians perform their service before God. The Church is the bride of Christ; the temple is the palace where the betrothal of immaculate souls to Christ takes place. The spiritual Church is an offering pleasing to the Lord; the temple is an altar, on whom this pleasant sacrifice is lifted up." Continuing the parallel comparison of the spiritual essence of the Church and the properties of the temple, Plato says: “The Church is a lamp, shining and burning with the light of godly deeds; the temple is a candlestick, on which this lamp placed illuminates everyone. The Church is a fragrant ointment; the temple is a sacred ark, this ointment in self-containing." The Metropolitan concludes the figurative comparison, drawn up in accordance with the rules of the rhetoric of his time, by indicating the purpose of the temple to be the visible expression of the immaterial Church: “The Church itself is invisible, for the faith and good deeds of true Christians are hidden from us, and are open only to the eyes of God; the temple opens this..." The idea that in the church, through spiritualized art, the invisible world is revealed to physical eyes is characteristic of the Russian spiritual tradition in relation to icon painting.

In the “Catechism in Conversations” or in the original instruction “The Christian Law...”, in accordance with the characteristic methods of science of that time, Metropolitan Plato turns to the historical etymology of the word “church” itself and to clarify the meaning of what is called the concept of “temple” in the Holy Scriptures : “... our name “church” seems to be made from this name “king” - why the church means like a royal house, or a royal chamber2, which interpretation of the name can be decent; since that pious gathering of people is truly a house King Christ and the chamber of the Holy Spirit - this is what it is called from the Apostle Peter - “royal sacred things” (1 Peter: 2:9); but more likely - from the Greek “Kyriakon” (i.e., “Temple of the Lord”) ". It should be noted that in this case, Metropolitan Plato resorts to the help of architectural images, denoting precisely the earthly hypostasis of the heavenly Church, in order to more clearly explain the complex spiritual image.4

Plato’s sermon, which he delivered at the consecration of the house church in the courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in St. Petersburg, begins with an explanation of the purpose of the temple, which affirms the respectful and reverent attitude befitting a high place towards the construction and consecration of a new church. The temple is intended to be “a dwelling place for the inconceivable God,... a place of God’s gracious presence..., a haven of salvation,... a spiritual school for the disciples of Jesus Christ,... the threshold of a temple... of heaven not made by hands;... an earthly paradise... “And further the connection is affirmed, which has been emphasized since the first centuries of Christianity - between the earthly, material temple and the “temple of the soul” of man, which must first of all be cleansed and sanctified. And in relation to man, earthly temples are created for the offering of prayers, because “public church prayer, as if based on love that unites everyone, is more kind to God and more preferable than home prayer,” and for our teaching, because “It is impossible to lead an honest life if in this holy school (in the temple - I.P.) we do not learn the rules of a good life." If we connect these concepts with the unprecedented flowering of temple construction in the era of classicism in Moscow and the Moscow region, the spiritual life of Russian society of this period seems much richer than was commonly believed.

Plato endows the temple with a special unearthly meaning and sacred significance in his speech at the foundation stone of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 1768: “... The temple erected to Him [God] is a place of peace and mutual harmony, a place of God’s merciful condescension to human demands - a place , where the children of the One Father gather, where with one mouth and one heart

Types of churches in the Moscow region of the 1766s that preserved the stylistic features of Baroque (1763-1773)

It seems important to consider the interaction of various typological schemes and forms of the main volume of the church and its completion, in particular the question of replacing the types of churches “octagonal on quadrangular”, where closed vaults were often used, with rotundas with domed vaults. In the Moscow region, the volumetric-spatial and constructive solution of the ceilings of the main volume often does not have a direct connection with the establishment of developed classicism. Thus, the church in Mishutin (1805) is covered with a closed four-tray vault and completed with a decorative large wooden “light” drum with a dome, with the Palladian character of the facades, and the Baroque churches of the turn of the 1750s and 1760s in Laikov and Porechye (Yakovlevykh) are crowned with light rotundas.

It is also necessary to clarify that when the style changes within one typological group, it cannot be reliably stated that the continuation of the same typological series occurs: as in the construction of a centric altar and vestibule with equal exedra, which has a classicistic style of the church in Nikolsky-Gagarin. The origin of the forms of this temple is connected with the direct impressions of I.E. Starov received in Italy, and should be recognized as completely different than, for example, that of the church in Danilovsky, erected by K.I. Blank. The composition of the plan of the latter in the form of a quadrifolium has a direct connection with the Moscow Baroque buildings of the late 17th - early 18th centuries, although it goes back through them to Italian Renaissance models. Churches in Voronovo (early 60s) in the Elizabethan Baroque style and Polivanov (1777-79) are in a similar ratio. Formally, we have similar compositions: a square temple with a four-pillar structure, the middle space of which is crowned with an octagon with a high octagonal vault. But the church in Polivanov, stylistically related to samples from the albums of J.-F. de Nefforge (see the first section of the first chapter), could also be typologically inspired by the same source, that is, we are witnessing a process of new stylistic understanding of the established typological schemes of the Baroque, coinciding with ideas about the ideal composition of a classicist temple. Such examples show the complexity and ambiguity of the ongoing development of church architecture and force us to formulate any conclusions with extreme caution.

The problem of two-tower churches is a separate issue. The two-tower composition of the western façade was characteristic of churches belonging to different typological groups and even different stylistic movements. Apparently, the “two-tower” appearance of the western façade is a feature of a special nature that does not have a direct connection with the composition of the remaining parts of the temple. If we take into account the tendency of the Enlightenment era to ideologically saturate architecture, which was developed in the first half of the 1770s in Moscow architecture thanks to the activities of Catherine II, then we can assume that the presence of two bell towers on the western facade was one of those signs associated with specific political, cultural or the spiritual programs with which Russian architecture was so richly saturated in the last third of the 18th century, primarily with the triumphal and imperial theme in estate construction.

In the first section of this chapter we will turn to the estate churches of the Moscow region, erected in the period from 1769 to 1773. Soon after 1763, transformations in the estates could already begin due to the entry into force of the Decree on the freedom of the nobility, prepared under Peter III and supported by the new empress. After a ten-year period, active work began to rebuild Moscow in accordance with the ideals of classicism. And the year 1773, with some degree of convention, can be called, as we will see, the birth of developed classicism in the church architecture of the Moscow region, which marks the upper limit of the first period.

The second section is intended to consider the emergence of new types of churches in the architecture of the Moscow region in the 1770s, the understanding of traditional volumetric-spatial schemes in the spirit of classicism, as well as the emergence and development of the “Gothic” trend in the architecture of manor churches.

Yushchuk, Larisa Anatolyevna

The history of the Russian noble estate goes back about six centuries. The villages of Ancient Rus' were the prototype of the future patrimonial estate; in them the house of the most prosperous owner stood separately. Estate construction developed under Peter I, who donated lands to his associates. The Russian noble estate embodied the dream of their owners to create their own world with special traditions, rituals, morals, a specific type of farming, a schedule of everyday life and holidays. For several centuries, the main events in the life of a nobleman were connected with the estate, so its structure was thought out to the smallest detail. Very often, manor houses were painted yellow and had white columns. This combination spoke of the wealth of the owner (he was personified by the yellow color, reminiscent of gold) and his spirituality (the white columns demonstrated the desire for light). The gray facades indicated that their owner was a philosopher and sought to retire from active life and society. The red color on the facade spoke of the active nature of the owner, his confidence and authority. The greenery of gardens and parks demonstrated joy, health and success. The built world of the noble estate was isolated and separated by a lattice fence, a stone wall, and, when the surrounding landscape allowed, by lakes, ravines and ditches. In addition to the ceremonial elements - the manor house and parks - the noble estates also had “economies” (the term was used since the 18th century and meant the outbuildings of the estate: horse and cattle yards, barns, greenhouses and greenhouses), which were built in the same style as the house and park

“Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility” or “On the Granting of Liberty and Freedom to the Entire Russian Nobility” is a decree of Peter III of February 18 (March 1), 1762, which exempted the nobility from compulsory public service.

The heyday of noble estates occurred in the mid-18th and early 19th centuries. Estates were built around Moscow and in the provinces. After the release of the “Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility,” construction covered almost the entire European part of Russia. As a result, after 1762, owners of large, medium and small estates began to actively develop their estates. In the architecture of the Russian noble estate of Elizabethan times, Baroque aesthetics was popular. The facades were painted in blue, green, red, yellow shades. By the middle of the 18th century, the layout of estates became regular with axial construction and symmetry. An example of a noble estate of that time is Yasenevo, where during the Lopukhins’ time a manor house with outbuildings was built. In Kuskovo, Count Sheremetev decorated the park with pavilions and gazebos, bridges, monuments, and sculptures.

After the release of the manifesto, large estate complexes were built in the suburbs of Moscow: Bratsevo, Vasilyevskoye (Mamonova Dacha), Kuntsevo, Znamenskoye-Sadki, Neskuchnoye, Lyublino, Ostankino, Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo, Ochakovo, Uzkoye, Troekurovo, Cheryomushki, most of which were built in classicism style. Some estates used neo-Gothic elements - for example, in the Mikhalkov estate (the estate was built in the 16th century, then rebuilt), the main entrance to Vorontsovo, and the economic complex in Cheryomushki. The imperial residences - estates - Petrovsky Palace and Tsaritsyno became examples of Russian neo-Gothic.

Gradually, regular French classicism in the design of a noble estate was replaced by English landscape classicism. Sometimes in a Russian noble estate, as, for example, in Kuzminki, landscape and regular design were combined. After the War of 1812, new noble estates were rarely built; the owners of the estates limited themselves to the restoration and repair of old buildings. Some estates were actively being built. For example, Kuzminki, where buildings were built in the Empire style.

But, basically, in the 19th century, the estates were restored and completed in the classicist style, which was reflected in the columns, porticos, sculptures, and facade pediments. Russian noble estates have always formed a single ensemble; in addition, they never had a fortification purpose, since the nobility did not conduct military operations among themselves. Now in fashion is the construction of country residences in the style of a noble estate with houses with classical elements and park or garden areas in a regular or landscape style. As an example of a modern mansion, which can stand alone or be a house in an estate, we can cite the building of a private cottage in Tyumen with elements of a classical style:

Architectural style is a set of characteristic features and attributes of architecture.
Characteristic features of a certain time and place, manifested in the features of the functional, constructive and artistic sides: the purpose of buildings, building materials and structures, methods of architectural composition - form the architectural style.

Architectural styles - full list:

≡ Navigation 40 styles

English façade: solid and durable

A modern English house combines several subtypes of style: Georgian, Victorian, Tudor.
The main features of such buildings are two floors, a steep roof slope, brickwork (usually red), a balcony with a balustrade, lattice windows, the presence of wild stone and forged parts in the decoration.
Signs of a home in English are an indispensable lawn at the entrance, as well as ivy or picturesque grapes on the walls. The British set up garages separately, under awnings. British design style is all about restraint, solidity and durability.

Barnhouse: simple but stylish

Barnhouse (from English - “barn house”) is an architectural style of the 20th-21st centuries.
The fashion for barnhouses originated in Western Europe - at the intersection of minimalism, loft and bio-tech. Externally, such a house looks simple: rectangular, gable roof (often without overhangs), laconic exterior decoration, no frills. At the same time, it is quite practical and convenient for life.

Baroque in the exterior: monumental splendor

Architectural styles: Baroque

Michelangelo is considered the trendsetter of Baroque fashion. In any case, Baroque houses are grandiose and pompous, like his sculptures. The scope, sinuosity, unity of construction and meticulous decoration - this is a brief overview of Baroque architecture.
Such a house requires space and funds, because the style includes bay windows with balconies, pilasters, recessed ceilings, arched openings, and even towers. And also rich decoration: molded rosettes, garlands, wreaths.
Windows in Baroque houses are often semicircular in shape, and the doors are framed by columns.

Victorian style: prestige and elegance

Architecture, popular in the 19th century in Foggy Albion and in the colonies, does not lose ground today.
Victorian houses have 2-3 floors, asymmetry, a complex, multifaceted roof, an attic, often a round turret, a spacious porch, trimmed with carved wood or metal, white or beige.
However, the Victorian style has many variations, depending on the time and place of its penetration into a specific cultural environment.

Gothic in architecture: minted mystery

The style is legendary, historical, reminiscent of knights and fights. It is characterized by pointed, fan vaults, ribbed and vertical lines rushing to the sky, arches turning into pillars, coffered ceilings, elongated, often stained glass windows.
The Gothic style house has a sharp "skeleton"; its colors are yellow, brown, red, blue.
Both stone and wood are used as building materials, because the style was formed in different circumstances.
A house with a Gothic “face” is strict, graphically clear and darkly solemn!

Dutch style: unpretentious peace

Dwellings in kingdom of tulips and windmills– real hearths: comfortable, practical and durable. And all thanks to the conditions: unsteady, swampy soil forced the architects to be pedantically thorough, and the lack of space forced them to search for maximum utility and functionality of housing.
The qualities of Dutch house-building are a symmetrical layout, high gables, a sharp roof with wide hip ribs, windows with wooden shutters, light plastered walls and a base trimmed with stone.
The Dutch House is an ideal “haven” for those seeking privacy.

Deconstructivism: not like everyone else

The style of deconstructivism leaves no chance for any of the architectural absolutes. It is introduced into any environment with flashy broken shapes and structures that are difficult for visual perception.
Deconstructivism is not called the direction of architecture, but its negation, however, deconstructivists still have a foothold - constructivism and postmodernism.
Architects deliberately distort the principles and compositional motifs of these styles and end up with a dynamic and individual building project.

European Style: Popular Versatility

Conservative, solid and suitable for any landscape, the European house, for the most part, has a square shape and is built in 2-3 floors.
Features - a hipped, tiled roof, a plinth lined with stone or tiles, not very large, rectangular or arched windows, a balcony or bay window, a door in a contrasting color.
The decor is spare and rational, for example, wrought iron porch and balcony railings...

Italian architectural style: refined drama

Smooth, “swan” lines, arched windows, vaulted ceilings, pretty balconies and a natural palette of the facade (from gray to brown) are the signs of this style.
Italian-style houses are built from stone and wood, and in the budget version - from brick and timber. The number of floors is from one to four.
The courtyard plays a key role in creating the image of a magnificent Italian villa: it must have paved paths, living fences, several sculptures, and a fountain. The fence is usually made of textured stone.

Country style house: warmth and soulfulness

This style has many faces and is based on local customs: for example, in France “rural” houses are made of stone, and in Canada they are made of logs. In any case, country style involves traditional and natural raw materials.
Distinctive touches of such an exterior are rusticity (cladding the external walls with faceted stones), inclusion of objects handmade(this could be forged door handles or a horseshoe at the entrance), the color of the facade, reminiscent of shades of clay, wood, sand. The yard is decorated with appropriate archaic elements: bird nests on poles, flower beds on carts, a model of a mill.

Classic style in the exterior: imitation of the best

Classical architecture is based on ancient canons, on the best examples of the Italian Renaissance, English Georgianism or Russian architecture.
Classicism in the exterior is the symmetry of the building (the main entrance is the axis around which the extensions are located), the presence of columns, triangular pediments, porticoes, balustrades, balusters and other accessories of a particular architectural era.
Classic-type houses are decorated with pilasters and moldings. The preferred material, of course, is stone, however, nowadays decorative elements are well made from plaster or polyurethane.
Classic mansions are often two-story, light in color...

Colonial style exterior: discreet charm

Wealthy immigrants and planters built their households, combining “imported” capital and comfort with local exoticism. This is how the colonial exterior came into being.
Houses in this style are monumental, with two floors. The layout is rectilinear, the entrance is supported by a colonnade. They are built from stone, neutral-colored plaster. The door is massive, wooden. There is almost always a terrace available. The buildings are distinguished by large, panoramic windows that offer views of the garden or wildlife.

Perhaps the most famous subtype of colonial exterior is a bungalow, a one-story or attic mansion, with a spreading veranda along the entire width of the pediment.
Its color is traditionally white, reflective, because bungalows were built in the tropics, combining the features of a traditional English cottage, army tents and oriental tents.

Constructivism in architecture: simplicity as art

Houses in the constructivist style are distinguished by high functionality and artistic expressiveness, which is achieved not through decorative elements, but through shapes and materials.
Laconic geometry and high expediency inherent in constructivism are intertwined today with naturalness, naturalness, and an abundance of light and space in interior spaces.
The main building materials are: concrete, glass, metal, plastic and other modern raw materials.

Loft: fashionable fundamentality

The idea of ​​the style is to transform technological rooms, factory floors, garages or hangars into bohemian, luxury apartments.

A loft-style house is a very spacious, tall, distinctly geometric building, usually with a minimum number of internal partitions.
The main building materials are brick and concrete.
The loft façade does not require any finishing, nor does it require siding.
The roof is often flat, but can be hip, pitched or gable. Panoramic windows.

Art Nouveau house: delightful chic

Once upon a time, this style became the banner of the movement for a new architecture, in defiance of the “boring” classics: with stately, curved lines, a variety of shapes and decorations.
Since then, the contours of the openings in a modern house are necessarily rounded, the windows are decorated with wavy, elaborate grilles or stained glass, glazed tiles, mosaics, paintings are used in the decoration of the facade...
In general, “any whim,” since the goal of Art Nouveau is to show the individuality of the homeowner, emphasizing the originality of his nature.

Minimalism in architecture: freedom and light

Architectural styles: minimalism

Elementary and three-dimensional form, flat roof, huge windows, abundance of glass - this is what a cottage looks like in business, minimalist style.
Glass fragments are even mounted on the roof, and light plaster, stone or wood siding are used to decorate the facade.
Common colors are calm, natural: white, beige, olive, gray.

German-style houses: fabulous originality

These houses seem to have “jumped out” from the fairy tales of Hoffmann and the Brothers Grimm. They are compact and very neat in appearance.
The German style is characterized by laconicism, efficiency, the absence of intricate decoration and the natural color of the facade.
Such a dwelling has a square or rectangular shape, the base is covered with stone, and the gable roof is covered with red tiles.
A German house is decorated with a balcony or attic, as well as tinted boards - elements of half-timbered wood.
An original detail is the windows, separated by lintels and protected by shutters. The door is painted in a color that stands out against the background of the house.

Norwegian style: compact and environmentally friendly

A traditional Norwegian house is usually built from a carriage, that is, from half-hewn logs.
Single-story, squat, with small windows, it is nevertheless spacious inside, helped by the lack of a straight ceiling.
The decor of the exterior is primarily the texture of the building material. Color also makes its contribution to aesthetics: Norwegian houses are painted in bright and rich colors - cherry, orange, rich green.
A common occurrence is a grass roof. This is not only a folklore “twist”, but also additional protection from heat and cold.

Postmodernism in architecture

Irony and paradox, theatricality and complex figurative associations - all this is about postmodernism, whose representatives present familiar forms in an unusual context and advocate that anything can be art.

Architecture in the Provence style: rustic romanticism

Why does this style know no boundaries?
— Because Provence is the embodiment of both brilliance and naivety, and also a symbol of family values. It is believed that the name of the style was given by the French region, but “Provence” means “province”: pastoralism, simplicity, leisurely and measured - these are its main “trump cards”.
In the south of France, houses are mainly built from wild stone, making extensive use of pebbles and slate. In other places they resort to imitation, gypsum panels and slabs. But the roofs are always tiled, often multi-layered, of various levels.
The northern wall is necessarily blank. The windows on the lower floor may differ in size from the rest; they are often supplemented with sashes.
Natural colors are preferred: milky white, grass, straw. Extensions are welcome - verandas, terraces, kitchens, barns. The door is wooden, weighty, with forged hinges and a viewing window. The yard is covered with paving stones.

A house in the Provencal style is unthinkable without a plot with herbs, simple flowers and lavender in terracotta pots...

Prairie style (Wright style): harmony and functionality

Wright's style in architecture

“Frank Lloyd Wright is an innovative American architect. He had a huge influence on the development of Western architecture in the first half of the 20th century. Created "organic architecture" and promoted open plan architecture."

Wright-style houses blend harmoniously into the surrounding landscape and decorate it.

Ranch style: thrift and thoroughness

This exterior is one of the most popular in “one-story” America. Having absorbed the nuances of other styles, features of bungalows and “prairie buildings,” it finally took shape at the beginning of the last century.
Low-rise ranch houses are “spread out” in width, complicated by extensions, plastered and painted with light colors.
The appearance of a ranch-style house reminds us that farmers began to build such housing: harsh, unpretentious people who value work, but also good rest!

Rococo in architecture: unbridled luxury

Such houses were preferred by French aristocrats. The classical order system on the basis of which they were erected is almost invisible due to the abundant, ornate decor.
The walls of the Rococo house are literally drowning in through patterns and lace details - curls, rocailles, cartouches.
Playful arches, slender colonnades, graceful cornices and railings add idleness to the premises and a pleasant lightness to life. Artistry and mannerism permeate the Rococo building like the sun through a crystal shard.
Traditional colors are soft pastel colors.

Romanesque style in architecture: my home is my fortress

The origins of this trend lie in the Middle Ages, when citadel castles arose everywhere. Their characteristic features are primitiveness silhouette, massiveness and brutality, because protection and shelter were the main task of such monasteries.
The main building material was (and still is) stone. The construction of apses, towers with domes and arched vaults was diversified.
The window openings were narrow, like loopholes.
Of course, in the modern version, the Romanesque mansion does not look as trivial and rude as in ancient engravings.
The windows have become significantly larger, and the wild stone has been replaced by elegant stylization. But the principle remained unshakable: Romanesque-style mansions should be large, bulky and inaccessible in appearance.

Russian architectural style: toy house

Exterior design in the Russian style is not as monotonous as it might seem. These include houses typical of Slavic wooden architecture, mansions in the style of Russian merchants, and noble estates.
Wood, of course, rules the roost.
A house in the Russian style rarely exceeds two floors, the roof is gable, the windows are small, covered with platbands, and a covered porch is highly desirable. Balconies, staircases, and turrets will give the mansion a resemblance to a fairy-tale hut, and intricate carved decoration and an open veranda on figured supports will resemble boyar mansions.

Scandinavian style in the exterior: Nordic character

Among the features of this direction are: natural building materials, minimal decor, glass doors, huge windows (or an entire transparent wall), which is dictated by the lack of sunlight.
Scandinavian houses are covered with either white plaster or wooden paneling, which also fulfills an aesthetic mission: doors and windows are edged with dark wood, walls are sheathed with light wood, or vice versa.
The roof can be either flat or gable.

Mediterranean style house: glamor and bliss

Residences that could only be admired on the warm coast were also included in the design encyclopedia.
Their peculiarity is their light and joyful color (white, cream, pink); flat, tiled roof; half-open verandas covered with greenery; spacious balconies and rotundas; the presence of a swimming pool and, of course, a patio.
The building may consist of several parts flowing into each other. Windows and doorways are often horseshoe-shaped.
Preference is given to natural stone, ceramics, and wood.

Modern architectural style: freedom of choice

Its value lies in democracy. This design accepts any building materials, including the latest ones.
Such a house is distinguished by its simplicity and relevance. It does not need decoration or any stylistic tricks.
A gable roof, sufficient space, panoramic glazing and energy efficiency - perhaps all that is required...

Tudor style: noble heritage

The Tudor house is the material embodiment of a truly English character. He is imposing and a little old-fashioned, like a 100% gentleman.
Formed in the 16th century, combining touches of Gothic and Renaissance, Flemish and Italian motifs, the Tudor style still remains in demand.
Its attributes are thick walls, high chimneys, turrets, lancet openings. Well, of course, half-timbered- outer frame.
In the old days, such houses were built from stone and wood, but today they use aerated concrete, panels and blocks. Beams, cornices and shutters, as before, stand out in a dark color.
The main facade almost always contains a bay window, sometimes in the form of a turret.
It is impossible not to mention the roofing: Tudor roofs are complex, with long hips and high gables, with small dormers.
The entrance is in the form of an arch, lined with stone and decorated with the family coat of arms.
The area around the house is decorated with stone sidewalks, paved paths, wrought-iron fences and, of course, an English lawn.

Half-timbered houses: ancient flavor

Architectural styles: half-timbered

Glimpses of this style appeared in the 15th century in Germany. Several centuries later, half-timbered wood “captured” the whole of Western Europe. They still turn to him today.

In essence, the half-timbered technique is a frame construction method. Its basis is fastenings made of wooden beams, racks, crossbars, and braces. They were once made of oak, intricately joined together with “secret” notches and wooden pins. The voids between the beams were compacted with clay, pebbles, and straw. The walls were plastered, whitewashed, and the frame was painted brown, cherry or black. It served as an ornament to the façade, dividing it into clear segments. Houses lined with wooden patterns are still called half-timbered.

Today, in the construction of modern half-timbered houses, insulated panels, double-glazed windows are used, and large panoramic windows are installed. Thus, combining ancient crafts and new technologies, they create an exclusive image of the home.

Farmhouse style: maximum air

This exterior is a broad category: its English modification differs significantly from the Italian one, and the Italian one from the North American one. Let's look at the general details.
Farm houses are often one-story, light in color, with unobtrusive decor. A notable feature is a large porch or open veranda, which, if space allows, can stretch along the perimeter of the house.
For finishing, either wood or materials imitating it are chosen. The windows are large, with a good view, the door is often also glass...

Finnish style: scent of wood

Another type of wooden exterior.
For façade cladding, Finns use clapboard or planken.
The height is one and a half to two floors. The roof is gable, ceramic tile. There is often a terrace in front of the house, and above it a glazed balcony.
The color of the facade is wood shades or light paints: blue, gray, beige.
The highlight of a Finnish home is, of course, the sauna.

Fusion style: harmony of contradictions

This amazing style sweeps away laws and rules.
The architect and designer are free to use any materials, shapes, textures... And even principles!
Unlike eclecticism, which interweaves individual details of similar exteriors into a whole, fusion is a daring attempt to combine diametrically opposed things. For example, industrial design (loft) and baroque fragments. Or gothic with ethno.
In addition, the style involves the use of a complex color scheme, a variety of decor... And, of course, a subtle artistic flair that will not allow you to slip into architectural cacophony And design heresy.

High-tech in architecture: on the verge of fantasy

Such houses are a challenge to traditions and a demonstration of scientific achievements.
High-tech real estate is noticeable from afar thanks to wind generators and solar panels. The layout assumes significant home sizes and cubic shapes.
The walls are absolutely flat, the structure is smooth, the materials are concrete, glass, metal and plastic.
Color scheme – white, black, silver, shades of various metals.
High-tech houses are also distinguished by a large glass area.
The terrace may be open, but the central door is also glass and sliding. Roofs are often flat, in the form of flat platforms, which are easy to adapt for recreation. The facades are equipped with lighting.

Czech house: a secluded place

The design of Czech cottages echoes European architectural traditions. Czech mansions are distinguished by their regular geometry, squatness, high and multifaceted tiled roofs, and stone foundations.
However, instead of tiles, they are sometimes covered with straw, which harmonizes with the rural landscape. Windows and doors are streamlined, rounded...

Chalet style houses: reliable protection

It's hard to believe that in the past, the chalet was just a shepherd's house at the foot of the mountains. Cut off from civilization, this shelter had to be resilient, invulnerability, have the required level of comfort.
The foundation and first floor were built of stone, the attic was built of logs. The roof of Alpine houses is gable, flat, with significant projections turning into awnings.
The facade faces east, living rooms to the south. The chalet has at least one spacious balcony.

The chalet in its modern form is not only stone and wood, but also brick and concrete, as well as panoramic windows and a large terrace...

Chateau style house: noble nest

Actually, this was the name given to the country estates of French nobles, consisting of a castle, a park and, often, a winery. The famous Versailles is essentially a chateau.

The style of this exterior is determined by classic proportions, a large number of lancet windows decorated with frames, a multi-pitched roof, elegant gables, wide terraces, spacious balconies with forged, filigree railings and bay windows.
The walls can be finished with rusticated stone, brick, or decorated with stucco.
The base is usually made of natural stone, and the roof is made of tiles.
The chateau-style façade is a proud sign of family nobility.

Swedish style: sweet naturalness

Part of the Scandinavian style, Swedish domestic architecture continues the tradition of dramatic simplicity.
The peculiarity of the Swedish cottage is its contrasting color: its walls are painted red, and the corners, window frames and doors are highlighted in relief with white.
The buildings are often wooden, with large windows, because sunlight is especially valued in these parts.

Ethnic style: from tower to wigwam

National style is the soul of ethnic style. This could be a house resembling a Russian log house, built using timber and topped with a ridge on the roof. Or a mansion with an oriental “accent” in the form of Arabic ornaments, Persian grilles and tiles. In other words, there are as many cultures and building traditions as there are sources that feed the diverse ethno-exterior.

Ethnic style, African motifs

Ethno style, Thai motifs

Japanese style in architecture: laconicism and lightness

Japanese country houses can be seen not only in the Land of the Rising Sun. This is because Japanese style is incredibly organic.
Its strengths are clarity, perfection, and unpretentious lines.
The materials are stone, glass and wood, the palette is restrained.
Sliding doors in such a house are on each side; the central entrance is often complemented by a stepped deck, reminiscent of a porch and bridge.
The house can have a covered veranda with a wide view, and an open terrace.
The continuation of the Japanese home is an authentic landscape: a mini-pond, several picturesque boulders and a couple of dwarf pine trees will turn even an ordinary home into a philosopher’s refuge.

31 October 2014, 11:47

What was a classic Russian estate like? First of all, a beautiful place was chosen for it, usually near a river or natural ponds. The hill was dominated by a house, which was often two-story. A front yard was formed in front of the house from the entrance. There were wings on the sides, often connected to the house by covered passages or colonnades. On one side of the front yard there were cattle and horse yards, barns, other outbuildings and an orchard. On the other side, a church was usually built. There was a park nearby. Near the house (on a small plot) it was regular, consisting of rectangular plantings of trees and flower beds, and further away from the house it turned into a landscape garden, occupying most of the estate. The landscape park had alleys, cascading ponds with bridges, pavilions, gazebos, sculptures and other structures reminiscent of different countries and eras.

“In 1917, the agony began... The houses were empty, the white columns collapsed. The paths of the parks were overgrown with grass... The lions on the gates peeled off and fell into shapeless pieces... In ten years a grandiose necropolis was created. It contains the culture of two centuries. Monuments of art and everyday life, thoughts and images that inspired Russian poetry, literature and music, social thought are buried here... And there is no tombstone above the necropolis,” wrote art critic A.N. Grech in 1930, who created the wonderful book “Wreath for Estates” .

During Soviet times, most of the noble estates were destroyed: manor houses and outbuildings were destroyed, thickets, swamps, parks were cut down and built over. Today, noble estates have been completely destroyed in the Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Rostov, Volgograd, Orenburg, Kirov regions, as well as in Karelia, Udmurtia, Chuvashia... In the Moscow region, out of 690 estates, the main houses have survived only in 190, some of them have already become ruins. The wind blows between the remains of the walls of hundreds of noble nests across the country...

It’s good that some of the estates were occupied by sanatoriums and rest houses, and even if in a rebuilt form, they delight us with their harmony, but in the best preserved form there are estate museums.

Arkhangelskoe estate in the Moscow region.

This place has been known since the beginning of the 16th century as Upolozy, the estate of Alexei Ivanovich Upolotsky. Then, at different periods, the estate belonged to the Sheremetevs, Odoevskys, Golitsyns, and from 1810 until the Bolsheviks came to power, the owners of the estate were the Yusupov family. Fortunately, the estate avoided the fate of many other noble estates and was not destroyed.

Dubrovitsy, Podolsky district, Moscow region.

The history of this estate dates back to the 17th century, when it became the property of boyar Ivan Vasilyevich Morozov. After his death, the estate passes into the hands of his daughter, who marries Prince I.A. Golitsyn and therefore then the estate belonged to the Golitsyn family. Despite the fact that this estate passed from hand to hand in the 18th century, it eventually returned to the Golitsyns in the 19th century, who owned it until the revolution.

The estate is famous for its unusual Orthodox church. The church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” in Dubrovitsy was founded in 1690.

Maryino Golitsyn-Stroganov, Leningrad region.

The Maryino estate was founded in 1726. Maryino reached its greatest prosperity under the widow of Count P.A. Stroganova Sofya Vladimirovna Stroganova (nee Princess Golitsyna, 1775-1845).

The building owes its appearance, unusual for Russian estate architecture, to the students of the famous architect Andrei Voronikhin. With the death of the famous mistress, an entire era in the history of the estate ended, and subsequently none of the owners paid as much attention to it. The fate of Maryino after the revolution is typical of many noble buildings in Russia. The richest collections of art objects were transported to the State Hermitage, and the building changed owners several times. All this, including the destruction suffered during the fighting during the Great Patriotic War, made noticeable adjustments to the appearance of the building. The biggest loss was the interior interiors, which have practically not survived to this day. In 2008, the former noble estate of the Maryino Stroganov-Golitsyns in the village of Andrianovo, Tosnensky district, Leningrad region, again became private property.

Maryino estate of the Baryatinsky princes, Kursk region.

In the Rylsky district of the Kursk region there is a palace and park ensemble, the Maryino estate, the family estate of the Baryatinsky princes. Prince Ivan Baryatinsky is a representative of one of the most ancient and noble Russian families. The three-story palace was built at the beginning of the 19th century in a unique corner of nature.

The estate did not leave the Baryatinsky family until 1917, preserving family heirlooms. In 1918-1919, the palace was plundered by surrounding peasants. In 1919-1922, there was an agricultural technical school in Maryino. The richest library of rare books from the palace was transferred to the Historical Museum in Moscow. Currently, these books are stored in the Russian State Public Historical Library in Moscow. The decoration of the palace rooms was made up of Hermitage exhibitions. Since December 1922, the estate housed a rest house, and then a sanatorium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR.

To this day, the magnificent stucco ceiling, marble fireplaces, original parquet flooring, antique furniture and landscaped park have been preserved here. Now the estate houses the sanatorium of the Administration of the President of Russia.

Serednikovo in the Moscow region

The Serednikovo estate is a famous architectural monument of Russia. The owners of this estate bore the most famous surnames: Cherkassky, Vsevolozhsky, Saltykov, Stolypin. The history of Serednikovo begins in the 16th century. The first owner of this territory is considered to be the Chudov Monastery. In 1623, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gave Serednikovo to Prince Nikita Ivanovich Cherkassky. The main part of the complex began to be built in 1775 under the next owner of the estate, Senator Vsevolod Alekseevich Vsevolozhsky. From 1811 to 1825 the estate was resold several times. In 1825, the brother of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov’s grandmother, Major General Dmitry Alekseevich Stolypin, acquired an estate for his family. From that time on, Serednikovo became the family nest of the Stolypin-Lermontovs.

After the revolution, the “Silence” health resort was opened in the estate for members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. In 1925, the estate was turned into a sanatorium for nervous patients, which was named “Mtsyri”.
In the post-war years, a sanatorium was again organized in the estate - this time for tuberculosis patients who arrived from places of detention. This period had a particularly negative impact on the preservation of the architectural ensemble.

In 1992, Serednikovo was transferred to the Lermontov Heritage Association, and from that moment on, the estate began to be revived. Restoration work was carried out on the initiative of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, a descendant of the famous poet and his full namesake. The pond in the park was cleaned, the central part of the house was restored according to old drawings. The interior of the rooms fully conveys the former splendor of the estate complex. Currently, Serednikovo can be called the most famous park and estate complex of the 18th-19th centuries.

Valuevo, Moscow region.

The owners of the estate at different times were the Valuevs, Tolstoys, Shepelevs, Musins-Pushkins, Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskys. The history of the estate goes back centuries. In 1341, with a Letter of Credence, Grand Duke Semyon confirms the donation of the estate to Timofey Valuy, the former governor of the army of Prince Dmitry Donskoy. Hence the name of the estate. The main entrance, the manor house and some other buildings that have survived to this day were built at the beginning of the 19th century. Of all the owners of an estate near Moscow, the most famous was Count Alexei Ivanovich Musin-Pushkin (1744-1817). It was under him that the main architectural ensemble of the estate was created here.

After the revolution, Valuevo was nationalized, furniture and utensils were removed from the manor's house. A sanatorium and then a holiday home were set up on the estate. From 1960 to the present day, the former estate has been occupied by the Valuevo sanatorium. In 1962-1964, restoration repairs were carried out, during which many buildings were adapted for sanatorium needs.

Russian estates often attracted the attention of filmmakers with the beauty and vastness of their landscapes. At the end of the 1970s, the film “My Affectionate and Gentle Beast” was filmed in Valuevo. The film was released on the screens of the Soviet Union in 1978 and immediately attracted the attention of viewers not only with its plot and the participation of famous actors, but also with the wonderful music that composer E. Doga wrote for this film. The amazing nature of Valuev is imbued with a waltz, in the melodies of which you can hear the noise of centuries-old trees, and the murmuring water of cascading ponds, and the singing of birds, and the echo of the voices of the owners of the estate.

Voronovo in the Moscow region

Forty kilometers southwest of Moscow is one of the most interesting palace and park complexes in the Moscow region - the Voronovo estate, which is both a monument of architecture and Russian culture. The history of Voronovo begins at the end of the 16th century. This ancient estate near Moscow is associated with the names of prominent statesmen, architects, writers and poets. At different times, the estate was owned by A.I. Voronov-Volynsky, the Vorontsovs, D.P. Buturlin, F.V. Rostopchin and his heirs, the Sheremetyevs. The last owner of Voronov was Count A.P. Saburov.

In 1812, the estate was burned by the Moscow mayor Rostopchin after the occupation of Moscow by the French. It is believed that all artistic treasures perished in the fire... But there is a mystery in this story. Witnesses of the death of the palace were surprised that among the ashes and ruins there were no marble and bronze sculptures that were not subject to flame. Probably, some of the estate’s valuables were hidden somewhere in advance. But where? Researchers of the Voronov mystery point to deep underground labyrinths that connected all the estate buildings with each other. Indeed, the remains of some underground structures have been discovered more than once on the territory of the estate, but Voronov’s secret has not yet been revealed... Then the estate is resold several times and, in the end, becomes the property of the Sheremetevs. Then, at the end of the 19th century, its restoration began. The Sheremetyevs built a new house, put the surrounding lands in order, and in this form the estate existed until 1949, when it was rebuilt into a holiday home, which is still in operation.

Vvedenskoye in the Moscow region

Among the historical estates of the Moscow region, the Vvedenskoye estate, mentioned in documents since 1504 and which at different times belonged to the Sheremetevs, Lopukhins, Golitsyns and other representatives of noble Russian families, stands out for its special poetry and excellent preservation.

A two-story cream-colored mansion with columns, a front courtyard bordered by linden trees, an ancient park, and an elegant church on the banks of the Moscow River were built according to the design of the outstanding architect Nikolai Lvov.

It was this place that director Sergei Bondarchuk chose in the middle of the last century to film the epic “War and Peace.” Today the historical estate houses the Zvenigorod sanatorium.

The Gorenki estate (Balashikha) is one of the largest estates near Moscow. Owners: Pleshcheevs (1623-1693), Khilkov P. Yu. (1714), Razumovskys (1747-1812), Yusupov and Volkov, Panteleev (1852), second half of the 19th century. - beginning XX century manufacturer Tretyakov and his heirs, until 1917 - Sevryugov. It has everything - the scope of the territory, the grandeur of the plan, and the impressive architectural and landscape design. She had several enviable roles: the favorite estate of Peter the Great, the first Russian Botanical Society, an exemplary palace and park ensemble in the style of classicism - with an English park, a system of ponds, islands, bridges, gazebos and guardhouses... Alas, traces of its former greatness are gone if there are any left, they are rather pitiful.

Now almost all the buildings in Gorenki have survived, but their condition is depressing. The architectural complex was irreparably damaged by ill-conceived economic activities of the Red Rose anti-tuberculosis sanatorium located here. The dilapidated park is half cut down. Small architectural forms have long since disappeared without a trace, just like the bronze eagles from the park staircase.

Znamenskoye-Rayok, Tver region

The ensemble of the Znamenskoye-Rayok estate is the pinnacle of creativity of the nugget architect N.A. Lvov. Its core consists of a manor house, four wings, and a triumphal gate, united by colonnades.

The palace and park ensemble was created at the end of the 18th century, when the estate belonged to a prominent nobleman of Catherine's time, senator, general-in-chief F.I. Glebov-Streshnev. An elevated location in a bend of the Logovezh River was chosen for construction. Construction began in 1787 and continued for several years.

Probably, the house was designed for high society receptions, as evidenced by its layout: an oval entrance vestibule, a main staircase, a central hall covered with a double dome. According to legend, Catherine II visited the estate; there was a place of honor in the dining room, above which her portrait hung. A magnificent landscape park with gazebos, pavilions, ponds, baths, and a grotto was planned. Now the palace ensemble, which is in the process of slow restoration, is quietly deteriorating. Park buildings are being destroyed, ponds are overgrown and look like forest lakes.

Restored outbuilding, which now houses hotel apartments:

Ostafyevo in the Moscow region

The architectural and park ensemble of the estate was finally formed under Andrei Ivanovich Vyazemsky. A. I. Turgenev, V. L. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, K. N. Batyushkov, V. K. Kuchelbecker, A. S. Griboedov, D. V. Davydov, A. S. Pushkin came to Ostafyevo , A. Mickiewicz. By the way, they say that it was in Ostafyev that Pushkin first read the last chapters of Eugene Onegin. In 1898, Ostafyevo was acquired by Sergei Dmitrievich Sheremetev. He sets up a museum in Ostafyevo, restores the main house and erects monuments to those with whom the history of the estate is connected.

The son of Sergei Dmitrievich, Pavel Sergeevich Sheremetev, after the nationalization of the estate in 1918, became the director of the Ostafyevo Museum, until in 1928 he was fired and evicted from the estate. In 1931, the museum was turned into a recreation center, but in 1989 Ostafyevo again became a museum. Restoration work is currently underway at the estate.

Sukhanovo

The Sukhanovo estate is one of those once luxurious estates that are now in decline and neglect.

Having replaced several prominent owners in its lifetime, Sukhanovo gained fame as the estate of the Volkonsky princes, who owned it for quite a long time and shaped the appearance of the estate in which it has partially survived to this day.

The beginning of the Soviet period was marked by decline for the estate: during the Revolution and Civil War, individual buildings were destroyed and looted. In Soviet times, as in many other estates, various institutions huddled here, but now there is a lyceum and a holiday home for the Union of Architects.

Stepanovskoe-Pavlishchevo, Kaluga region

The estate was founded on Tue. floor. XVIII century, by the boyars Stepanovs. One of the last representatives of the family who owned the estate was Elizaveta Platonovna. She married engineer V.A. Yaroshenko, brother of the famous Itinerant artist N.A. Yaroshenko.
“The Yaroshenko spouses called their estate “Lesnaya Dacha” and came to Stepanovskoye-Pavlishchevo only in the summer. Vasily Aleksandrovich Yaroshenko took an active part in the reconstruction of the estate, who, being a civil engineer by training, may also have been an architect - the author of the project for the famous estate house-palace, built in the period 1895-1899.

After the revolution, the Stepanovskoye-Pavlishchevo estate was nationalized. Paintings were removed from the main house in Pavlishchevo and entered the Kaluga Art Museum, which had been opened the year before. During Soviet times, the estate was occupied by a sanatorium and a pioneer camp. In the 1980s, attempts were made to preserve the state of the manor house, but after a severe fire it was abandoned and destroyed. Today, the estate is, according to unverified data, privately owned and completely abandoned. At some point, reconstruction was carried out, but was never completed.

This is what the estate looked like before:

Abandoned estate of Count Orlov Semyonovskoye-Otrada, Moscow region

During the Soviet Union, the estate was used as a KGB sanatorium and was considered one of the most prosperous and closed. Today it is included in the list of “100 unique monuments of the world that are in danger of destruction.” Despite its ruined state, the Orlovs' estate amazes with its splendor and scope.

In the 1770s, Count Vladimir Orlov decided to settle in the village of Semenovskoye and gave it the name Otrada. He wanted his estates to be similar to the estates of English lords, which is why the architecture and scope of the estate is so majestic.

After the death of Count Orlov, the estate became the property of his grandson. After Orlov's death, the estate did not cease to exist. Here for 150 years the library and telescope of M.V. Lomonosov were kept, in addition, F.I. Tyutchev, A.T. Bolotov, A.P. Chekhov, I.A. Bunin came to the delight. and many others.

In the mid-80s of the last century, restoration work began here: parquet floors were restored, ancient paintings were uncovered, and tiled stoves were restored. But nowadays the estate is abandoned again and is gradually being destroyed.

Grebnevo in the Moscow region

Grebnevo is one of the most grandiose estate ensembles of the late 17th – first third of the 19th centuries. A real noble nest, where the Trubetskoys, Bibikovs, and Golitsyns managed to live. Famous Russian writers visited the estate: poets Derzhavin and Zhukovsky, revolutionary writer Radishchev, journalist and book publisher Novikov.

The estate gate is designed in the form of a classic triumphal arch.

In 1919, the estate was nationalized and a sanatorium was established. N. Semashko for tuberculosis patients. In 1960, the estate was declared a historical and architectural monument of republican significance. For a long time there was the Shchelkovo Technical School of Electrovacuum Devices, then a subsidiary farm of the Platan Research Institute. The estate was restored several times. In the late 1980s - early 1990s. in the eastern wing of the estate there was a Historical and Cultural Center, which included an exhibition hall, a school of aesthetic education and an art studio. During this short but happy time, the estate hosted concerts by masters of art and exhibitions of paintings by N. Roerich and K. Vasiliev, and crowded festive festivities were held on the shore of the pond. The restoration of the palace was nearing completion when in 1991, under unclear circumstances, a fire occurred in it, destroying not only the interiors, but also the floors and roof, leaving only bare, burnt walls...

In 2007, a new fire occurred in the estate, as a result of which part of the estate suffered even more damage. Since 2008, it was planned to restore the estate by private investors, but due to various bureaucratic difficulties it was never possible to find anyone willing to do so.

Zubrilovka, Penza region

The main house of the estate of the princes Golitsyn-Prozorovsky. 1780s One of the finest 18th century manors has been reduced to ruins in recent years.

Pushchino-on-Nara, Moscow region

The main house of the estate of the princes Vyazemsky. These romantic ruins were back in the 1970s. were an active holiday home.

Aleksino in the Smolensk region.

"Fifth Mountain", Leningrad region

Built in 1820, the estate of Jacob Bruce, a famous associate of Peter, was destroyed almost to the ground - only the round Trinity Church, the gate from the old park and the remains of outbuildings were well preserved. The rotunda church rises very impressively above the deserted space of the former estate.

Here is just a small part of these impressive structures that have survived to this day. But even in such a dilapidated state they amaze with their majestic beauty and harmony.

Art critic and researcher of Russian estates Andrei Chekmarev about the past and present of aristocratic estates.

Andrey Chekmarev. Meeting within the framework of the project “House from the Picture”. .

For a year now, the Yaroslavl Art Museum has been hosting research meetings as part of the “House from a Painting” project. Each is dedicated to a specific house, which can be seen in one of the works included in the museum’s collection. Andrey Chekmarev, an art historian, senior researcher at the Research Institute for the Theory and History of Architecture and Urban Planning, one of the active participants and board member of the Society for the Study of Russian Estates, talks about the unique fate of noble estates.
Andrey Chekmarev graduated from the Surikov Art Institute. He studies the architecture of Russian regions - its little-known and unknown pages associated with the work of major architects, as well as searching for works of capital masters in the provinces and attributing monuments. In the field of scientific interests: Russian XVIII century, fine arts and architecture of this time, architecture of the Russian province, the influence of capital samples on regional architecture.
Since 1997 he has been collaborating with the Society for the Study of Russian Estates. This public organization, created in the 1920s and destroyed in the 1930s, was revived in 1992. Today it is a kind of club, which includes architects, restorers, art historians, artists - all those who are passionate about the theme of the Russian estate.

Andrey, how did you come up with the idea for the “House from a Painting” project, in which the study of a Russian estate was quite organically combined with the history of fine art?
I have long been familiar with the collection of the Yaroslavl Art Museum - very good and high quality - which contains several works directly related to the estate theme and are some of the best examples of Russian painting. This or that picture, by the will of fate, ended up in Yaroslavl. The house depicted on it remains in the same place. Or maybe he moves, that happens. But at the same time, the park, lake, and church depicted by the artist remain. People once lived here, whose destinies could be happy or tragic... This is the beginning of a whole story! I have always liked to connect places, people, different stories, to tell what is hidden behind some landscape or the interior of a house. Any museum object is a window, a portal with which you can move at any time, open this endless world, understand how the country works. I want people to see that the heritage of Russian painting is directly related to the land on which they live. In my opinion, this approach to art is underestimated in our country. Everything here is very fragmented. Just as roads end after leaving the federal highway, so often the cultural existence of a region is limited to its local territory. But today, thanks also to the Internet, the scope of cultural exchange, friendship and human contacts can be limitless! It is a pity that such communications are not yet sufficiently developed.

Where did your interest in the Russian estate begin?
As usually happens, everything is connected with childhood impressions, which are recorded in memory and remain forever. My grandmother lived in a village outside Volokolamsk, and when visiting her, we always drove past the village of Yaropolets, where my attention was attracted by a church with an unusual silhouette and an estate owned by the Goncharovs, which looked like a toy town. At the age of thirteen, I made a special trip to Yaropolets to take a closer look at this old architecture and photograph what was preserved. This was one of the brightest events of childhood. It was the architecture of Yaropolets that became the subject of my first research - first the topic of my thesis, and then scientific articles and, finally, a book.

On the ruins of a church in the Rudnevo estate, Tula region. 2006.

What have you personally discovered through studying the Russian estate?
In the Russian estate, which in some ways was inferior to the highly artistic Italian or French estates, there was more fullness of life, more variety and more personal. A noble estate is not only a manor house with an adjacent park and buildings. Owners of large estates often implemented grandiose projects - they built roads, alleys, bridges, redeveloped villages and hamlets, erected stone houses for peasants according to developed standard designs... On the lands they owned, landowners often created a state within a state, where the way of life was formed at their own discretion.

That is, the estate provided an opportunity for self-realization?
Undoubtedly. The estate is the first space in Russia for the realization of personality, which in our country has always been strictly regulated. The life of the Russian aristocracy was highly dependent on the will of the monarch and was significantly limited in the manifestations of its own political and any other independence. Hence the special significance of the estate as the first opportunity to creatively create one’s own model of the world, “a world for oneself.” It is curious that, despite the regimentation of life, the opportunity for free self-expression remained. The vast territories did not allow control of each individual section of the state. In addition, according to Karamzin, the severity of Russian laws has always been compensated by their non-enforcement. Many things were overlooked, and the landowners created amazing things - sometimes bizarre, sometimes very nice. In some places it was high culture, in others it was curious imitations.

Since when did this arrangement of private life begin?
The key date in the history of the Russian estate is 1762, when Peter III’s manifesto “On Freedom for the Nobility” was published, confirmed by Catherine II immediately after her accession to the throne in the summer of that year. The manifesto freed the nobles from compulsory service, giving them the opportunity to live a private life. For the first time in Russian history, an entire privileged class appeared, left to itself, with time, means and the thirst for useful activity characteristic of people of the Enlightenment. It was from this moment that the mass construction of estates began, which reflected the ambitions of the owners, their wealth, occupation, level of outlook, and taste. At the same time, the court nobility was guided by the style of imperial residences, for which European monarchical courts, in turn, served as a model.

Can we say that imitation of everything European influenced not only architecture, but also changes in the very way of Russian life?
In many ways, yes. Fashion included not only French gardens and English parks, decoration and furnishing of houses, but also European life, etiquette, entertainment - assemblies, balls, festive celebrations... At the same time, architectural projects were always borrowed with some deviations. This could be influenced by personal family circumstances, the desire to capture historical events in which the owner of the estate was involved. For example, in the estate of a participant in the next Russian-Turkish war one could see a monument reminiscent of the victory of Russian weapons - some kind of fake fortress imitating Turkish fortifications (the owner’s horse yard or household utensils were usually located inside). The architectural design could also be influenced by impressions from some kind of travel - and as a result, such masterpieces appeared as, say, the round Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the village of Podmoklovo, Moscow region. This temple on the estate of Prince Grigory Dolgorukov seems to have come out of Italian paintings of the Renaissance. It would seem, what is the connection? Very simple: Prince Dolgorukov was the Russian ambassador to European courts for many years and borrowed architectural forms from there.

Orientation towards Europe ultimately changed the Russian aristocracy itself - its views, ideals?
In an empire that was poorly developed in terms of communications, noble estates essentially became a source of new forms of culture and life. Very qualified specialists, often from Europe, were invited to work on the estates. From abroad, landowners ordered and brought rare varieties of agricultural crops, magazines with guides to various activities, furnishings and, of course, works of art. In the estate environment, many innovations appeared much earlier than in district and even provincial towns! The estate connected the most remote corners of the Russian province with St. Petersburg, Moscow and European capitals. And then, as if in circles on water, innovations - theaters, orchestras, a rare type of building or a rare breed of cattle - spread everywhere.
The estate developed its own forms of leisure, formed its own system of values, and realized one’s own “I”, one’s role and the role of the family in Russian history. Hence - family portrait galleries in the houses of aristocrats, monuments to monarchs and colleagues on the territory of estates... Many estates could boast of rich and outstanding art collections and libraries. Works of art were not only collected, but also specially ordered for the ensemble of the estate itself - sculptural cycles, huge furniture sets, series of tapestries, and so on.
Among other things, a special system of relationships developed in the estate between people of different classes and status - the nobleman communicated directly with servants, serf artists, musicians and artists, with the priests of the local church. The estate impressions shaped the worldview of many classics of Russian literature and influenced the formation of the ideas of Slavophilism and Narodism.

How widespread was estate construction in the Russian style?
Manor architecture went through all the same stages as other architecture - imperial palaces, temples... In the 18th century, classicism with antique forms and motifs dominated. The Russian estate in its classic version is from that time. This is a house with columns, surrounded by a park, ponds, and gazebos. This entire textbook set is described in detail in our classical literature.
Classicism was replaced by eclecticism, stylization of different trends of the past, including the style of Russian architecture. Especially the Russian style began to develop with the advent of wooden country houses - carved, fabulous in appearance, which, as the owners believed, interpreted the Russian hut, some mythical folk towers. In fact, their image was invented by St. Petersburg architects, and the original peasant buildings were much more austere, simpler and more functional. Stone houses were also built in the Russian style - in the spirit of the chambers of pre-Petrine times, with platbands, tents, and elements borrowed from church buildings.
There were many variations in the Russian style itself. Moreover, much does not even fit into our ideas about the customer’s personality, his views and worldview. For example, industrialist and entrepreneur Savva Mamontov built wooden buildings in the form of Russian towers on the acquired Abramtsevo estate. And the Slavophile Alexey Khomyakov built a copy of the Venetian bell tower of San Marco on his estate near Tula, next to the church in the classicist style...

Despite the fact that art reflected not only the poetic image of landowner life, but also all the dark sides of the serf life, noble nests, even centuries later, are perceived as a semblance of an earthly paradise. Why did not the populists, the Bolsheviks, or anyone manage to destroy this cultural myth?
Moreover, the myth of the Russian estate, having outlived the estate itself, went into Soviet cinema, which wonderfully and very convincingly filmed the works of the classics. At the same time, the idea of ​​the estate as a world of beauty and peace was reflected in the lifestyle of Soviet sanatoriums and holiday homes, often in former noble estates and located…
The poeticization of the image of the Russian estate as one of the symbols of Russia began in Pushkin’s times. In Russian literature of the 19th century, the estate is described most vividly, with all its diversity, color, and the inconsistency of the light and dark sides of life. Closer to the beginning of the new century, the motif of extinction and nostalgia for the past, superimposed on the heightened sensuality of symbolism and the entire reflective worldview of the Silver Age, began to dominate in the interpretation of the estate theme. The estates of past times were perceived as evidence of a bygone - different, brilliant and full - life, like Antiquity. The greatness, valor, bright destinies of the ancestors, their houses and gardens seemed to be signs of the great past - unlike the present time, which was crushed and devoid of the inner core. That is why at the beginning of the twentieth century, the theme of a dilapidated and deserted estate surrounded by wild parks was so acutely experienced by Russian culture. Along with longing and sadness for the past, there was an invariable admiration for the beauty of old noble nests, a subtle sense of the special aura of noble houses and their ghosts. All this worked to mythologize the image of the Russian estate.

Why during the Soviet years were some estates preserved and others not? Was there any logic in these decisions - say, they did not touch the estate of a “progressive writer” or a building of historical value?
Initially there was no logic. The Russian revolt revealed its senselessness and mercilessness. Somewhere there were some pretty bloody stories. Somewhere it was possible to obtain some kind of safe conduct by enlisting the support of Lunacharsky or Grabar. Somewhere, masterpieces of the past were saved by artists - for example, thanks to Stanislav Zhukovsky, a unique collection of porcelain was preserved in the Kuskovo estate of the Sheremetev counts. Estate assets and libraries were nationalized. And art collections formed the basis of the collections of almost all of our museums, especially regional and district ones... Gradually, the process of adaptation and real estate began - the surviving strong manor houses began to be used as administrative buildings (offices, schools, hospitals, boarding schools) or holiday homes.
After the war, a new wave of interest in Russian culture began. Literary museum-reserves appeared. But there was no talk of museumizing the houses of the Russian aristocracy, so they looked for different options, for example, in Kuskovo the complex for a long time bore the name of the museum-estate of the creativity of serfs (the Argunovs and other artists). But there were few such examples.

You are familiar with foreign experience in preserving architectural heritage. What happened to aristocratic estates in other countries?
Their fates were different. Of course, such a defeat as befell the Russian estate was not observed in other cultures; there was no such fierce ideological struggle with their own past. But much was destroyed as a result of two world wars. And, of course, the owners went bankrupt and sold their estates. There were cases when buildings were scrapped - in England, for example, entire estates were destroyed, although they were recognized as historical monuments. Therefore, special legislative restrictions were adopted on the destruction of property, even if it belongs to a private person. Public, private or private-state structures have been created that are involved in the maintenance of such estates. These include trusts, foundations, and various trustee organizations. As a rule, the former possessions of aristocrats are used for tourism purposes. But in general, in few places the state is ready to pay much attention and spend a lot of money on the preservation of private estates. In France, for example, owners are often forced to attract tourists themselves with projects that are far from cultural goals - to set up hotels, restaurants, equestrian clubs.

Do you think a similar development of manor history is possible in our country?
Today the law allows the acquisition of estate complexes into private hands. But business is not very keen on this kind of investment. A significant part of architectural monuments requires restoration. It is very difficult to raise such real estate, and most importantly, it is not clear how to use it. What is your place of personal residence? It is more pleasant to buy a house on the resort coast. Develop as a tourist attraction? But you need something to attract people. And all the mahogany furniture and paintings of the old masters have long been lost or belong to museums. Putting together a new collection is incredibly expensive. Make hotels? Ride horses?.. There are still more questions than answers, especially if we take into account the conditions of our life in the regions - the climate with long winters and off-seasons, roads, infrastructure, tourism development, personnel issues, profitability.
An architectural monument must live. And it lives when it is used, when it is included in everyday life, in the cycle of life, when people need it. If a building is restored and then locked, it will fall apart in a few years. It is important to find a use for cultural heritage. Today this is the most pressing problem in the matter of preserving noble estates.