BUILDINGS BY ARCHITECT V. I. BAZHENOV
ALBUM OF AUTOTYPES MOSCOW - 1950
Introductory article by E. A. Beletskaya

One of the most prominent representatives of the advanced culture and art of the 18th century was the remarkable Russian architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov (1737-1799).
The significance of Bazhenov's work in the history of Russian culture is not limited to the creation of beautiful works of architecture, majestic architectural projects. It is also contained in his deeply patriotic social activities aimed at educating and training domestic artists, at introducing knowledge to the general population. The creative and life path of Bazhenov was illuminated by high ideals of serving his Motherland, his people.
Bazhenov's activities took place in the era of the formation of domestic science and culture. He was the first to raise architecture to the level of an advanced science for his time, gave a deeply substantiated presentation of architectural theory and a generalization of practical experience. He developed the laws of architectural construction and design methodology, introduced innovative engineering and construction techniques, solved the problems of organizing construction and training the younger generation of architects.
Bazhenov was one of the most educated people of his time. Having achieved comprehensive knowledge through hard work in conditions of poverty and deprivation of childhood and adolescence, Bazhenov did not close himself in the circle of personal and purely professional interests. Having achieved world fame at the age of 27, being a member, academician or professor of Russian and three foreign academies, he continued to improve his skills as an architect, artist, civil engineer. Having mastered the art of architecture, he tirelessly sought to pass on his knowledge to others. In this regard, Bazhenov was a direct follower of his great contemporary, Lomonosov. Bazhenov is related to Lomonosov by love for his people, a consistent, deeply principled struggle for the development of Russian culture, against the dominance of foreigners in Russian science, and irreconcilability in upholding creative convictions.
The breadth of Bazhenov's creative interests was also reflected in his creation of an architectural school, where the poor studied for free, and in the proposal to organize an art museum and open a printing house for printing books on art, and in the preparation of a multi-volume edition of drawings of structures and projects of domestic architecture.
A man of bold, often daring dreams for his time, Bazhenov was at the same time a genuine practitioner who understood the urgent need for the tasks put forward by life. So, for example, his note on the reorganization of the Academy of Arts was a scientifically developed program based on vast experience.
Creativity Bazhenov was subordinated to the idea of ​​serving the people. An ardent patriotic feeling, a consciousness of the social significance of the architect’s work, was imbued with his speech at the foundation stone of the Kremlin Palace: “My mind, my heart and my knowledge will not spare either my peace or my health,” he said.
Bazhenov's patriotism was also expressed in a deep respect for the history of his people, love for his rich, diverse creativity. Just as the fiery patriot and revolutionary, the great contemporary of Bazhenov, Radishchev knew and loved the Russian folk song, Bazhenov highly appreciated the works of Russian folk architecture.
Standing firmly on Russian national soil, the architect was able to critically approach the work of the peoples of other countries, highlighting what was of social significance and not accepting alien, distant architectural images.
As an artist of great creative generalizations, Bazhenov could not but reflect in his work the ideas that excited the minds of the progressive people of his era. This is the progressive significance of the activity of the great masters of art in all periods of the development of human history.
The class limitations of Catherine's noble empire, in which Bazhenov lived, narrowed the scope of the architect's activities and created insoluble conflicts between Bazhenov's most magnificent plans and the possibility of their implementation. His inspired creative work was not put into practice - the project of the Kremlin Palace, which has survived to this day in drawings and a grandiose model; not completed and one of the most poetic ensembles - the estate near Moscow Tsaritsyno.
Bazhenov occupies an exceptional place in the history of architecture. Along with Kazakov and Starov, he can be called the founder of Russian architectural classics, who not only influenced the work of his contemporaries, but also indicated the development of architecture for subsequent generations of Russian artists.

1. Pashkov House, now the V. I. Lenin Library, in Moscow. 1784-1786 General form.

2. Pashkov's house. Fragment of the central part of the main facade.

3. Pashkov's house. Fragment of the main facade (side pavilion).

4. Pashkov's house. Yard facade.

5. Pashkov's house. Gates.

6. Pashkov's house. Fragment of the gate.

7. The estate of Tsaritsyno. 1775-1785 "Opera House".

8. The estate of Tsaritsyno. Figured gates.

9. The estate of Tsaritsyno. "Small", or "Semicircular" Palace.

10. The estate of Tsaritsyno. Fragment of the wall of the "Semicircular" palace.

11. Tsaritsyno estate. Gate of the "Bread" house.

12. Tsaritsyno estate. Figured bridge.

13. Tsaritsyno estate. Bridge over the ravine.

14. Church in the village of Znamenka. 1768

15. Manor Mikhalkovo. 1779 Entry.

16. Church in the village of Bykovo. 1789 General view.

(February 1737 - 02. 08. 1799) architecture style: Classicism. national historicism. Main architectural objects: project of the palace building in Yekateringofsky park; arsenal building on the street. Liteiny, St. Petersburg (now the building of judicial institutions); the building of the arsenal and the Senate on Znamenka, Moscow; Pashkov House (Library of the Rumyantsev Museum); palace in Tsaritsyn; Petrovsky Palace; Moscow Kremlin Reconstruction Project; Palace on Kamenny Island, Petersburg. The first "pensioner" of the Academy of Arts. Vice President of the Academy of Arts.

« I venture to mention here that I was already born as an artist. I learned to draw on the sand, on paper, on the walls ... By the way, in the winters I made chambers and statues from the snow, so that even now I would like to see».

The son of a deacon of one of the Kremlin court churches. He discovered a natural talent for art as a child, sketching all kinds of buildings in the ancient capital.

The boy was sent to the choristers in the Passion Monastery. All the same, he uncontrollably wanted to draw: “ I transferred all the saints from the church with my thoughts under the transitions to the walls and made them my composition, for which I was often caught and flogged».

At the age of 15, he himself found a teacher, a seedy painter who used to draw "instead of the right hand or left foot." Soon, both of them became participants in a huge and hasty state construction project - the wooden royal palace in Lefortovo on the outskirts of what was then Moscow burned to the ground, and Empress Elizabeth, who moved into an uncomfortable small building, ordered the palace to be rebuilt immediately. And he grew up again like in a fairy tale - in a little over a month!

At the construction site, his abilities were noticed. prince D.V. Ukhtomsky, the chief Moscow architect, began to entrust him with independent work. A year later, Bazhenov's fate took a new turn: he was admitted to Moscow University. Soon a trustee of the university M.I. Shuvalov demanded that those who were appointed to study "arts" be sent to Petersburg. Obviously, they already pinned hopes on Bazhenov: they settled in the elegant Shuvalov palace, introduced it to the empress herself and gave it to the architect's workshop S.I. Chevakinsky. Here he showed his abilities for architecture to such an extent that the teacher of architecture S. I. Chevakinsky made a talented young man his assistant in the construction of St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. He studies French, mathematics, diligently redraws orders from the book - classical antique columns with their ceilings, the alphabet of the architecture of that time. And in the summer he works at construction sites, which are led by his energetic mentor in St. Petersburg.

« Then I was the first to start the Academy of Arts", Bazhenov proudly asserted. In the Academy founded in the autumn of 1757, he was the eldest of the pupils, who had already mastered a lot, and for the younger ones he probably became not so much a comrade as the first teacher. In September 1759 Bazhenov (together with the painter Anton Losenko) was sent to Paris to develop his talent, becoming the first pensioner of the Academy of Arts to be sent abroad.

In France, Bazhenov for the first time saw not only on engravings and drawings that new architecture taught by academic mentors - Muscovite A.F. Kokorinov and a Parisian J.B. Vallin-Delamot: elegant and at the same time strict buildings of simple rectilinear outlines with uniform, clear rows of slender columns. This style would later be called classicism. The stormy feeling embodied in the dynamic and complex architecture of the Baroque was replaced by a clear mind and calm harmony, based on ancient traditions. The rules of the new style are taught to Bazhenov by the brilliant architect Charles de Vailly. " My comrades, the young French, they stole my projectors from me and greedily copied them”, Bazhenov later boasted. Apparently, even then he stood out among his fellow students with his ingenuity and vivid imagination.

Becoming a student of a professor Duval, Bazhenov started making models of architectural parts from wood and cork and made several models of famous buildings. In Paris, he made, with strict proportionality of parts, a model of the Louvre Gallery, and in Rome, a model of the Cathedral of St. Peter.

Upon his return to Russia, while living in Moscow, Bazhenov compiled a complete translation of all 10 books of Vitruvius' architecture, published in 1790-1797. Petersburg, in the printing house of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Thoroughly familiar with his art theoretically, Bazhenov was one of the best practical builders of his time, differing as much in the art of planning as in the elegance of the form of the designed buildings, which he showed upon his very return to his fatherland, to the triumph of the "inauguration" of the building of the Academy of Arts (29 June 1765). He owned the decoration of the main facade of the building from the Neva. Later, Catherine II instructed Bazhenov to develop project of the Institute for Noble Maidens at the Smolny Monastery. The architect fulfilled this order in the shortest possible time. The majestic and graceful composition amazed many with its architectural ingenuity, an organic combination of diverse traditional forms of Russian architecture. But, unfortunately, the matter was limited to praises. The project remained unfulfilled. After long delays, preference was given to the architect's project Quarenghi.

Project of the current building palace in Yekateringofsky park, with greenhouses, a menagerie, carousels and other luxury undertakings of that time, was composed by Bazhenov according to the academic program, for the degree of professor. The implementation was recognized by the Council of the Academy as quite worthy, but the author of the project was left with the title of academician, which he received three years earlier, when he was abroad. In addition to damage to self-esteem, such injustice seriously affected the financial situation.

Bazhenov takes a dismissal from the academic service, and the prince G. G. Orlov appointed him to his artillery department as the chief architect, with the rank of captain. In this position, Bazhenov built in St. Petersburg arsenal building on Liteinaya st. (now the building of judicial institutions), and in Moscow, in the Kremlin, the building of the arsenal and the Senate on Znamenka, Pashkov's house(Library of the Rumyantsev Museum), and in the vicinity of the capital - Palace in Tsaritsyn and Petrovsky Palace, built by Kazakov - his assistant.

Count Orlov advised Bazhenov to develop an unusual, daring project, so that through him, Orlov, he would propose to the Empress to begin construction of a building that would arouse general interest. Bazhenov did not promise anything, but he did not refuse the offer. While Kremlin was in extreme desolation and dilapidation, and most importantly, its ancient architecture seemed to enlightened people of the 18th century disorderly and shapeless. Bazhenov dared to offer his version of the palace. But only on a different scale: “... from a simple perestroika, he created a gigantic architectural idea, which boiled down to building the entire Kremlin in one continuous palace, inside which all the Kremlin cathedrals with Ivan the Great were supposed to find themselves.” Bazhenov's idea shocked Orlov, but he doubted the reality of such grandiose plans. By the summer of 1768, Bazhenov completed work on the sketches, began the reconstruction project itself, to create a large model of the Kremlin Palace. Preparations for construction began. In July, a special expedition was already established to build the palace. It was headed by Lieutenant General Izmailov. After a thorough examination of the Kremlin buildings and a detailed development of construction plans, the members of the expedition began to draw up an estimate. According to preliminary estimates, twenty or, in extreme cases, thirty million rubles should have been required. The expedition settled in the Kremlin itself, in the small Poteshny Palace. Here was the architect's apartment, where he soon brought his young wife. And next to it, a wooden one-story building with a vast octagonal hall was hastily built - the Model House. Then they made a huge wooden model of the future Kremlin . The model, according to Bazhenov, is "half of the practice", that is, the finished building, which will allow you to check the correctness of its composition and proportions. The model impressed everyone, even people who were skeptical or distrustful of the Bazhenov project. A lot of things hurt. And the manufacturing technique, and the dimensions of the model themselves. They were such that several people could walk around in the courtyards. In its proportions, the model mathematically exactly matched the dimensions of the future palace. The facade of the main building of the palace conceived by Bazhenov had a complex articulation: the two lower floors were united by a continuous horizontal rustication and a cornice. They separate the upper floors. The first two floors are a kind of pedestal for the top two. They are united by decorative decoration and columns into one whole. The entablature is decorated with sculpture. It is supported by fourteen columns. There are ten columns on both sides of the central ledge. Behind them are two-column ledges. There are graceful vases in the niches of the walls. The entire facade of the central building was a bright image, as if the richest and most beautiful architectural decoration. The inner facade of the main building, overlooking the courtyard, had almost the same richly decorated design. The circumference was impressive - a huge semicircle with a high four-stage plinth, numerous marble columns. The circumference was connected to the main building. In this place - an entrance with three beautiful arches. The richly decorated entrance was framed by columns. From the other end, the circumference was connected to the theater. A special effect was produced by its main entrance, from which wide intersecting staircases ran. The walls of the theater are decorated with Ionic columns. No less impressive is the interior design, especially the central hall of the palace, which is impressive in its size. The model and the unprecedented project were talked about with enthusiasm and envy in the European royal courts. However, in the spring of 1771, work had to be stopped: an epidemic of the plague descended on Moscow. Tough, but little effective measures of the authorities caused discontent among the townspeople. A riot broke out, the Moscow Archbishop Ambrose was killed, the crowd smashed his chambers in the Kremlin, a stone's throw from the Model House. Bazhenov was afraid for the fate of his precious model, built of dry wood. But the rebellion was suppressed in two days, the model survived, while the epidemic subsided only by winter. The following summer, a new stage of work began - they dug a foundation pit for the palace foundation, which was laid a year later in an even more solemn atmosphere. But the years passed, and the construction did not rise above the foundation - there were not enough funds. In the spring of 1775, the Empress ordered that the foundation pit be filled up, which means that work should be stopped. The offended Bazhenov refused to lead the backfilling of the pit: "I leave it to the one who will be elected for the good." In the meantime, he built wooden pavilions outside the city, on the Khodynka field, to celebrate the victory over the Turks. Fanciful buildings of non-classical, relatively oriental architecture symbolize Taganrog, Kerch, Azov and other cities that went to Russia after the victory. Ekaterina liked the elegant unusual buildings. This is how she wanted to see her new estate - Tsaritsyno, just bought near Moscow

Designing Tsaritsyno Palace on the slope of a hill descending to a large pond, Bazhenov arranged, it would seem, in a free order, many relatively small buildings made of red brick. He wanted to decorate them with colored tiles, in the manner of old Moscow buildings. But the empress rejected this idea, and then the red brick was effectively set off by inserts of carved white stone. One felt in the appearance of Tsaritsyn some kind of artificial antiquity, a conditional, almost toy Middle Ages. In those days, all medieval architecture, not yet distinguishing between eras and countries, was called "Gothic". The classicists considered it "wrong", distorted by the ignorance of the previous builders, but it still attracted Bazhenov. True, during the construction of Tsaritsyn, he did not adhere to any particular style: he freely combined the lancet windows of Western European Gothic with the patterned brickwork of Russian buildings of the 17th century, used state symbols in the white stone carving - here is Catherine's monogram and the double-headed state eagle. For ten years Bazhenov built Tsaritsyno. Every spring, he moved there with his family from a recently purchased city house to be constantly at work. Here, unlike the Kremlin, he did everything himself: managed finances, bought materials in advance, hired workers. Construction grew, and money came from St. Petersburg more and more slowly. Vasily Ivanovich now and then turned out to be guilty. In addition, they were tortured by debts, litigation. He was tired, at forty he felt like an old man. In the damp Tsaritsyn, children fell ill, the youngest son died ... In the summer of 1785, the Empress finally arrived and visited the almost finished estate, which she knew only from the drawings. Elegant houses seemed to her small and cramped - everything looked more impressive on paper. She ordered to rebuild Tsaritsyno and transferred the construction to Kazakov. The palace in Tsaritsyn was not destroyed immediately. MM. Izmailov tried to find a way out of the situation, to somehow help Bazhenov. He worried about his friend and Kazakov. Colleagues agreed: Bazhenov, without special permission, will make a new version of the palace and present his own before he does it Kazakov. But nothing came of it, again the work was wasted. Catherine rejected Bazhenov's work. In February 1786, an order came "on the dismantling of the main building in the village of Tsaritsyno to the ground and on the production later (of a new building) according to the plan again confirmed by the architect Kazakov." Kazakov, in his version of the palace, tried to preserve, as far as possible, the style of old Russian architecture chosen by Bazhenov. But he was also unlucky. The palace was designed with three floors, with an emphasis on the central part of the building. However, in the course of construction, much had to be redone, as appropriations were constantly cut. The result is a big difference between the project and the completed building.

Worthy of special mention Pashkov House in Moscow (1780s). The palace flaunts on a high hill opposite the Moscow Kremlin - now it is the old building of the library of the former Rumyantsev Museum. Meanwhile, the task of the architect was difficult: the site is uneven, on the one hand steeply going downhill, and on the other - sharply tapering. However, Bazhenov managed to turn its inconveniences into advantages: he installed elegant gates at the narrow end, through which a view of the house opens, while the facade is widely deployed on the edge of the hill above the garden descending to the city - a decision that not coincidentally echoes the Kremlin's restructuring project. Bazhenov created here in the literal sense of the word a castle-fairy tale. A great connoisseur and connoisseur of Russian architecture I. Grabar wrote: “ It is difficult to find a more perfect ratio of all parts of a single structure, something that has been achieved here.". The opinion of Russians and foreigners was unanimous "Pashkov's house" is a pearl of Russian architecture. Connoisseurs of architecture emphasized that for all the sophistication of compositional techniques, the artist's idea is distinguished by courage, a flight of fantasy and, at the same time, thoughtfulness of the smallest details. This is equally characteristic of the composition as a whole and the internal layout of the premises, as well as the external design.

Bazhenov did not receive another appointment, and, left without sufficient means of subsistence, he opened an art institution and took up private buildings. The change in his official career and the disfavor of Catherine the Great is explained by his relations with the Novikov circle, which instructed him to report to the heir to the Tsarevich about his choice by the Moscow Masons as the supreme master. In these relations with the Tsarevich, Catherine suspected political goals, and her anger fell on Bazhenov earlier than on others, but things did not go beyond exclusion from the service, and in 1792 he was again accepted into the service of the Admiralty Board and transferred his activities to Petersburg. Bazhenov built a palace and a church for his heir on Kamenny Island and designed various special buildings for the fleet in Kronstadt.

Palace on Stone Island. Bazhenov quickly fulfilled this order. The palace was built in the style of classicism. It was later rebuilt. But there is evidence of a French traveler who saw the building in its original version: “It is very beautiful, especially due to its location (on the banks of the Neva). The lower floor is raised by several steps. Here we see, firstly, a large hall decorated with arabesques, then an oval-shaped hall, which, with its great length, seems a little narrow; the decorative part in it is very simple. To the right - a room from which the door leads to a small theater, quite beautiful ... The facade to the garden is decorated with columns. At the end of the garden is a small chapel built of brick: the Gothic style, which was tried to be imitated in its construction, produces a beautiful effect.

Upon accession to the throne, Paul I appointed him vice-president of the Academy of Arts and instructed him to draw up a project for the Mikhailovsky Castle, prepare a collection of drawings of Russian buildings for the historical study of Russian architecture, and, finally, provide an explanation on the question: what should be done to inform the proper course development of the talents of Russian artists at the Academy of Arts. Bazhenov eagerly began to carry out the gracious orders of the monarch, the patron of Russian art, and, no doubt, he could have done a lot if death had not stopped him.

Bazhenov Vasily Ivanovich (March 1 (12), 1738 - August 2 (13), 1799) - artist, architect, teacher, founder of Russian pseudo-Gothic, the brightest representative of classicism, a freemason, and since 1784 a member of the Russian Academy, a real state councilor, Vice President of the Academy of Arts.

early years

Vasily Ivanovich was born into the family of Ivan Fyodorovich Bazhenov, a deacon in the Kremlin court church. The artistic abilities he discovered in early childhood drew the attention of the architect D.V. to the little Bazhenov. Ukhtomsky, who in 1754 was the chief architect at Moscow University. It was on his recommendation that Vasily Ivanovich was enrolled in the art class of the gymnasium of Moscow University in 1754.

Based on the results of his studies in 1756, Bazhenov was among the top nine graduates of the class and was transferred to the St. Petersburg gymnasium, and after the Academy of Arts opened in 1758, he was enrolled in it.

Very quickly, the talent of the future famous architect was revealed to such an extent that the teacher S. I. Chevakinsky attracted Bazhenov to work on the construction of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, and in September 1760, together with A. P. Losenko, Vasily Ivanovich was sent to Paris to improve his talents.

Completed projects

In France, under the guidance of Professor Charles Devailly, Bazhenov studied engraving, and also made copies of such famous buildings from cork and wood as the Louvre Gallery and St. Peter's Cathedral.

Returning to Moscow, Bazhenov became one of the best practical builders. His works were distinguished by the elegance of forms and skillful planning. The so-called French taste was vividly expressed in a building called the Pashkov House.

Figure 2. Pashkov house. replicas of famous buildings. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

And without waiting for the post of "professor of the complex of entertainment facilities" from Empress Catherine, Bazhenov left the academic service. Soon, Prince G. G. Orlov appoints Bazhenov to the Artillery Department and grants him the rank of captain. It was at that time that Pashkov's house was built in Moscow, and in its environs - the Tsaritsyno palace complex. In the same place, in the estate of Tsaritsyno, Bazhenov is building an elegant bridge across the ravine.

Bazhenov is trying to organize his academy and recruit students into it, but unfortunately, as Vasily Ivanovich himself said: "There are very many obstacles to my intention."

The Mason, a member of the Laton lodge, and also a member of the Deucalion lodge, was left without a livelihood, but nevertheless began to engage in private buildings.

In 1792, Vasily Ivanovich was again taken to serve in the Admiralty in St. Petersburg.

Remark 1

After Paul I ascended the throne, Bazhenov was appointed vice-president of the Academy of Arts. While holding his post, Bazhenov, on behalf of the emperor, prepared a collection of drawings of Russian buildings for further study of the architecture of the Fatherland.

Unrealized projects

The grandiose project was planned to be implemented by Vasily Ivanovich on the site of the fortress walls of the Moscow Kremlin from the Moskva River. The complex was called the Grand Kremlin Palace on Borovitsky Hill or "Forum of the Great Empire". It was supposed to be made in the form of a public center with a square, to which all the streets of the Kremlin were to be drawn. There was also a grandiose theater in the building. Perhaps the project would have been implemented if cracks had not appeared on the walls of ancient temples during the dismantling of the Kremlin walls. Construction was postponed, and then, in 1775, it was stopped for good.

The same fate befell the architectural ensemble in Tsaritsyno, which was a combination of the Gothic decor of Western Europe and the Naryshkin baroque of the late 17th century. This combination was tested by Bazhenov not for the first time: he used it back in 1775, collaborating with M.F. Kazakov over the entertainment pavilions on the Khodynka field, on the occasion of the conclusion of peace with the Turks.

Most likely, Bazhenov has nothing to do with the monument attributed to him and the lost monument in St. Petersburg - the Old Arsenal on Liteinaya Street. The Palace on Kamenny Island (Kamennoostrovsky Palace) and the Gatchina Palace are also unsubstantiatedly attributed to the works of Vasily Ivanovich. The documents confirmed the participation of Vasily Ivanovich in the design of the Mikhailovsky Castle. The project was edited several times by various architects, but the last version was built under the editorship of V. Brenn.

Remark 2

Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov died and was buried in St. Petersburg, but in 1800 his remains were transferred to his homeland, to the village of Glazovo, in the Tula region.

The most famous creations of the architect

Projects by V. I. Bazhenov:

• Mikhailovsky Castle - 1792, with further processing by V. Brenna;
• Khodynka field - 1775, decoration for the holiday in honor of peace in the Russian-Turkish war;
• Several buildings not demolished by Catherine II in the Tsaritsyno Ensemble - 1776-1786;
• Pashkov House - 1784-1786, debatable with the architect Legranu;
• Yushkov's house - 1780s - possibly the work of Bazhenov;
• Kamennosstrovsky Palace - presumably, the construction was carried out under the leadership of Quarenghi and Felten;
• The building of the Arsenal (St. Petersburg) - the authorship of Bazhenov is unlikely;
• House of Dolgov L.I.;
• Yermolov's estate - the village of Krasnoye -1780 - the possible authorship of Bazhenov;
• Manor of Tutolomin-Yaroshenko - 1788-1901 - together with Kazakov;
• Works in the Pavlovsk and Gatchina palaces - 1793-1796 - are not confirmed;
• Sorrowful Church on Bolshaya Ordynka - 1783-1791 - built by Beauvais;
• Rumyantsev's estate - 1782 - together with Kazakov;
• Estate of Gendrikov I.S. - 1775, together with Legrand;
• Church of Our Lady of Vladimir - 1789

Publications in the Architecture section

5 main buildings of Vasily Bazhenov

The works of the architect Vasily Bazhenov are one of the mysteries in the history of Russian art. He built a lot, carried out orders mainly from the imperial family, and researchers know for sure only a few buildings of his authorship. "Culture.RF" recalled five iconic buildings of the architect Bazhenov in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Grand Kremlin Palace

Karl Lopyalo. View of the Grand Kremlin Palace V.I. Bazhenov. Reconstruction. 20th century

Vasily Bazhenov's Grand Kremlin Palace is considered one of the most majestic architectural projects of the Classical era. Back in 1769, Catherine the Second drew attention to the fact that the Kremlin began to deteriorate, and instructed Bazhenov to create a project for a global redevelopment. On the one hand, the architect had to preserve all the ancient buildings, and on the other hand, to make the Kremlin more European: with squares and straight streets.

Vasily Bazhenov proposed to build a huge palace on the territory of the entire Kremlin, which would include all architectural monuments. The length of its facade was to be 639 meters. The grand imperial halls, as well as a number of office premises, were planned on four floors of the building. Such a project required considerable sacrifice - part of the Kremlin wall was dismantled, the monastery courtyards located on the territory, the gallery of the Armory and a number of other buildings were destroyed. When construction began in 1773, it turned out that the soil near the Archangel Cathedral could not stand it and the temple began to crack. The work was stopped, and the dismantled fortress wall was restored. The monumental project of Bazhenov remained on paper and in the form of a wooden model, which today can be seen in the Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Shchusev.

Palace and park ensemble in Tsaritsyno

Photo: Elena Koromyslova / photo bank "Lori"

It all started in the best possible way: the order for the ensemble in Tsaritsyno came from Catherine II herself. The architect Bazhenov designed the landscape park and the palace complex in an unusual "Gothic" style for that time. He also chose atypical materials for construction. The architect abandoned the use of plaster, preferring raw red brick and white stone. According to Bazhenov's plan, palaces for Catherine II and Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich were to appear in the estate, surrounded by buildings for the court nobility, decorative pavilions and bridges.

The architect was so “sick” with this project that when the treasury did not have enough money for a grandiose construction, he invested his own funds in the building and even sold the house. When the money ran out, the architect got into huge debts and went bankrupt.

Catherine II did not appreciate his efforts. The empress said that the money was wasted: the ceilings of the palace seemed to her heavy, the stairs narrow, the rooms cramped. She handed over the work on her residence to Matvey Kazakov. But he, too, could not finish the construction. Over time, the park and the palace began to fall into disrepair, and only at the beginning of the 21st century the estate was reconstructed.

Vladimirskaya Church in Bykovo

The temple in Bykovo was built by order of the owner of the estate - Mikhail Izmailov. The architect Bazhenov erected a white-stone Gothic church with turrets, richly decorated with sculptures, on the site of an old wooden church. Its appearance was atypical for Russian architecture in general and for church architecture in particular. The shape of the building was also unusual - oval.

We can say that it was not even one temple, but two. The church was two-story: the upper floor, consecrated in honor of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, was used for worship in the summer, and the lower church of the Nativity was used for services in the winter. In Soviet times, the building was a garment factory, and today the temple again belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Mikhailovsky Castle

Photo: Alexander Alekseev / photobank "Lori"

Pashkov House

Photo: lana1501 / photo bank "Lori"

The house of the Captain-Lieutenant of the Life Guards of the Semenovsky Regiment Pyotr Pashkov, Mikhail Bulgakov, in The Master and Margarita, called one of the most beautiful mansions in Moscow. Researchers have been arguing for a long time who was the author of the building. Among the versions are Matvey Kazakov and Nicolas Legrand, but it is most likely that Vasily Bazhenov built the Pashkov house.

The architect designed a typical city estate - a central building with two side wings and a front yard open towards the entrance. At the same time, Bazhenov came up with an original move - he placed the entrance itself on the side, in the alley, and not from the side of the main facade.

According to some sources, the original mansion was orange and its dome was crowned by a Roman statue. However, today we see not quite the Pashkov house that Bazhenov built: the building was badly damaged after the Moscow fire of 1812. During the restoration, the architect Osip Bove abandoned the use of the statue, replaced the Corinthian columns with Ionic ones, and repainted the building white. At various times, the Moscow Noble Institute, the Fourth City Gymnasium, and the Rumyantsev Museum were located in Pashkov's house. Today the building belongs to the Russian State Library. Manuscripts, notes and cartographic publications are kept there.

Timofey Timofeevich Bazhenov is a journalist, naturalist, zoologist, author and host of programs about wildlife, telling about amazing facts, adventurous adventures and incredible experiments.

With his participation, more than five hundred unique stories were filmed, including one-of-a-kind shots of the birth of a lynx, a snake bite, and communication with polar bears. Many viewers admire the courage and ingenuity of the presenter, the ease of dealing with wild animals, but there are those who call him a liar, using deceit and forgery in programs.

The childhood of Timofey Bazhenov

The future TV presenter was born in Moscow on January 25, 1976 in a family of journalists. His mother and grandmother, a former doctor, were engaged in his upbringing. The father left the family when Tim was still a child. Moreover, this happened after his mother got into a car accident, in which her face was severely disfigured: her nose was torn off. Therefore, this act the son cannot forgive his father to this day.

According to Timofei, he studied poorly at school, felt like in prison, and, according to him, "the fascism of his teachers was comparable only to fascism in the dungeons of the NKVD."

Until the third grade, he had no friends at all due to the fact that the teacher called him the smallest in the class and promised to give him a pacifier. But he loved physical labor, especially carpentry. In particular, at the age of 9, he allegedly independently built a steam room in a bathhouse in the country.

Despite the allegedly poor academic performance and the terrible cruelty of teachers, after school the young man successfully entered the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, however, in the evening department, which he graduated in 1998 with honors. At the same time, he studied at the Faculty of Biology of this prestigious university, where he did not become an excellent student.

The beginning of the career of Timofey Bazhenov

As a student, Bazhenov worked as a trainer, hosted a music program on the radio, was a special correspondent for Radio Russia and an employee of the Voice of Russia news service. After graduating from the faculty of journalism, he was accepted to the NTV channel.

On television, Timofey mastered many professions - administrator, prompter, announcer, assistant director. He took part in the creation of the programs "The Other Day", "Results", "To Print", "Press Rating" and others.

For the program "Today" the correspondent filmed reports in hot spots, was wounded, was taken prisoner. Subsequently, in an interview, he enthusiastically talked about the war, called it "male entertainment" and refuted the existing belief that participation in hostilities, the proximity of death leaves an imprint on the psyche and makes people "crazy."

The television journalist considers the director general of the NTV television company Vladimir Kulistikov, the editor-in-chief of the Information Service of this channel Tatyana Mitkova, the general director of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Oleg Dobrodeev to be his teachers.

Timofey Bazhenov and programs about animals

Since the mid-2000s, the journalist has devoted himself to creating television programs and documentaries about animals. Since 2003, for seven years, in a series of programs on NTN "Wild World", he provided an opportunity for viewers to observe the life of birds and animals. For example, to see how a bear sucks its paw, a bear feeds cubs, a newborn lynx is born.

Fascinating video material allowed the Russians to become witnesses of the expedition's stay in the wild, enjoy its beauties untouched by civilization, and receive recommendations on how to survive in extreme conditions. Each of about 300 films produced during this period told about the fauna of various parts of our Motherland.

At the same time, until 2010, Bazhenov led the author's project for children "Bazhenov's Tales", which also enjoyed continued popularity with many viewers. His heroes were wounded animals, which he brought from expeditions to his dacha. There he was engaged in their treatment and training.

The scripts for fairy tales were written by Tatyana Ivanova, Timofey's mother. After the program was closed, the journalist handed over most of the animals to zoos, but Timofey left the crow Varya, who knows how to imitate the voice of his mother, for himself.

Personal life of Timofey Bazhenov

The journalist is not married. He explains the reason for the absence of a stamp in his passport by the fact that he is very freedom-loving, and admits the existence of a frequent “rotation” of women in his life.

Due to Timothy's busyness, there is usually no period of courtship and romantic dates in his relationship with the chosen ones. He prefers to go straight to physical intimacy.

Moreover, he starts romances only with beautiful, educated and intelligent female representatives, but not necessarily younger than him. According to Bazhenov, a woman can be ten years older than him.

Timofey loves to repair cars, carve wood, and make tattoos. He believes that tattoos make him much more attractive, multiplying the number of beauties who want to sleep with him.

The whole truth about Timofey Bazhenov's tattoos

In the future, he intends to connect his fate once and for all with a woman who will meet certain criteria. He preferred to keep their content a secret.

Timofey Bazhenov now

In 2010, the journalist stopped working with NTV and returned to the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, where he continued his career as the host of a new adventure, full of extreme, educational program Timofey Bazhenov's Rating.

The TV show, positioned as a dangerous game for adults, includes 6 cycles of films dedicated to human survival, experiments on the human body, interaction with dangerous animals, in particular, vipers, man-eating tigers, and polar bears.

The author of the project demonstrates various unique, life-threatening stunts, doing incredible experiments like walking on hot coals, getting out of limbo or a closed tank, surviving in the forest, explaining the mysteries of nature from a scientific point of view, impressing the audience with his abilities and numerous tattoos on body.

In October 2015, Timofey attended the opening of squirrel feeders at VDNKh, which are designed to help increase the population of these animals. He talked with their first guest, a squirrel, told those present about the products that squirrels love, like other rodents: lard, meat, cottage cheese, honey.