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Entries / Sheremetev Palace

Sheremetev Palace


Categories / Architecture/Architectural Monuments/Palaces

Sheremetev Palace (Fountain House) (34 Fontanka River Embankment), monument of Baroque architecture, family residence of the Sheremetev Counts. The lot was granted in 1712, by Tsar Peter the Great to Field Marshall, Count B.P. Sheremetev, who built a clay-walled house on it in the mid-1710s. His son, Count P.B. Sheremetev constructed a two-storied Baroque stone building with an attic, richly decorated by modelling in the late 1740s (architect thought to be S.I. Chevakinsky); plafonds in the front suite of rooms were painted by artist Legren. Behind the palace, a regular garden with a grotto, Hermitage pavilion, Chinese summer house (1750-60s, architect F.S. Argunov) were situated. The interiors of the Sheremetev Palace were reconstructed in 1795-96 (architect I.E. Starov), 1798-1801 (architect G. Quarenghi and A.N. Voronikhin), 1830s (architect I.D. Corsini). In 1811-13, two auxiliary wings were built (architect K. Meyer), in 1821-23 - Pevchesky (architect D. Quadri), in 1845 - Sadovy (architect I.D. Corsini) wings. According to Corsini's design, in 1838, a cast-iron patterned fence was installed at the side of the embankment. In 1867, a single-storey wing with the Sheremetev coat of arms over the gates was added to the palace on the left side (architect N.L. Benois). Since the early 19th century, Sheremetev Palace was one of centres of St. Petersburg’s cultural life. The concerts, in which the Counts Sheremetev chapel under the guidance of S.A. Degtyarev and G.Y. Lomakin took part, and literary soirees with participation of V.A. Zhukovsky, A.I. Turgenev, A.P. Bartenev and others were often held here. The Society of Ancient Literature Amateurs was situated in the palace, sessions of Russian Genealogic Society and Archeographic Committee, of which Count S.D. Sheremetev was a member, took place there. Count S.D. Sheremetev gave Sheremetev Palace with its art collections to the Soviet Government in 1918 (until 1929, the Museum of private life was located there). In 1940-88, the Arctic and Antarctic Institutes were situated in the palace; in 1990, the building was given to the Museum of Theatre and Musical Arts, which restored the front suite. In 1924-52, A.A. Akhmatova lived in one wing of the Sheremetev Palace in the apartment of her husband N.N. Punin (since 1989, it has been converted into a literary and memorial museum to Anna Akhmatova).

Reference: Матвеев Б. М., Краско А. В. Фонтанный дом. СПб., 1996; Попова Н. И., Рубинчик О. Е. Анна Ахматова и Фонтанный дом. СПб., 2000.

V. V. Antonov.

Persons
Akhmatova Anna Andreevna
Argunov Fedor Semenovich
Bartenev Peter Ivanovich
Benois Nikolay Leontievich
Chevakinsky Savva Ivanovich
Corsini Jeronim Domenikovich
Degtyarev Stepan Anikievich
Lomakin Gavriil Yakimovich (Ioakimovich)
Meyer Christian Filippovich
Peter I, Emperor
Punin Nikolay Nikolaevich
Quadri Domenico
Quarenghi Giacomo
Sheremetev Boris Petrovich, Count
Sheremetev Peter Borisovich, Count
Sheremetev Sergey Dmitrievich, Count
Starov Ivan Egorovich
Turgenev Alexander Ivanovich
Voronikhin Andrey Nikiforovich
Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich

Addresses
Fontanka River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 34

Bibliographies
Матвеев Б. М., Краско А. В. Фонтанный дом. СПб., 1996
Рубинчик О. Е., Попова Н. И. Анна Ахматова и Фонтанный дом. СПб., 2000

The subject Index
Archaeographical Committee
Arctic and Antarctic Institute
Museum of Theatre and Music Art
Anna Akhmatova Literary and Memorial Museum

Chronograph
1750
1935


Akhmatova A.A. (1889-1966), poet

AKHMATOVA Anna Andreevna (nee Gorenko) (1889-1966), poet, Honorary Doctor of Oxford University (1965). She spent her childhood (until 1905) in Tsarskoe Selo (the corner of Shirokaya Street and Bezymyanny Lane

Anna Akhmatova Literary and Memorial Museum

ANNA AKHMATOVA LITERARY AND MEMORIAL MUSEUM, located at 34 Fontanka River Embankment, was opened in 1989 in Fountain House (see Sheremetev Palace) as a branch of the Dostoevsky Literary and Memorial Museum. The museum became independent in 1990. A

Arctic and Antarctic Institute

ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC INSTITUTE of the Russian Hydrometeorological Service, situated at 38 Beringa Street. It was founded in 1920 as the Northern Fishery Research Expedition of the Scientific and Technical Department of the All-Russian Council for

Benois N.L.(1813-1898), architect

Benois Nikolay Leontyevich (1813, St. Petersburg - 1898, at the same place), architect, artist (decorative arts), full State Advisor (1873). Coming from the family of French descendents. He was the farther of Albert N. Benois, L. N. Benois and A. N

Chevakinsky S. I. (1713-1783), architect

CHEVAKINSKY Savva Ivanovich (1713-1783), architect, representative of the Baroque. From 1729, studied at the Moscow Preparatory School of the St. Petersburg Naval Academy, in 1732-38 apprenticed in architecture with I.K

Concert Halls (entry)

CONCERT HALLS appeared in St. Petersburg in the late 18th century. Earlier, musicians arranged paid concerts in palaces of grandees, theatres, and taverns. The first documented series of public concerts refers to the concerts given by G

Eropkin P.M. (about 1698-1740), architect.

EROPKIN Peter Mikhailovich (about 1698-1740, St. Petersburg), architect, urban planner, architecture theorist. In 1716-24 on the order of the Tsar Peter the Great he was trained in Italy, in 1725 he was conferred a title of architect

Fontanka, river

FONTANKA (known as Bezymyanny Erik until 1712-14), river, a branch in the Neva river delta, which crosses the central part of the city. The river flows from the Neva on the left, beside the Summer Garden

Free Music School

FREE MUSIC SCHOOL was organised by M. A. Balakirev and G. Y. Lomakin to teach singing and organise concerts. It taught choral classes to adults, singing mainly church music

Grilles (entry)

GRILLES. St. Petersburg boasts a number of unique metal grilles, created in the course of three centuries. Wrought grilles of bars with (sometimes gilded) decorative figures made from flat iron bars (the grille of the Ekaterininsky (Catherine)

Museum of Music

MUSEUM OF MUSIC (34 Fontanka River Embankment) is a branch of the Museum of Theatre and Music Art. The Museum of Music is housed in Sheremetev Palace which was given to the museum in 1990

Public Halls (entry)

PUBLIC HALLS, a special premise for informal mass events. The first public hall was arranged in banker A.A. Ral's house (On the Moika River Embankment, beside Red Bridge; not preserved)

Punin N.N., (1888-1953), art historian

PUNIN Nikolay Nikolaevich (1888-1953), art theorist, historian, and museum worker. He lived in Pavlovsk and Tsarskoe Selo from the early 1900s. In 1907-14, he studied at the law faculty and faculty of history and philosophy of Petersburg University

Sheremetev Family

SHEREMETEV FAMILY, noble family, known since the 14th century (in 1706, the senior branch of the family was conferred the title of Counts). Several family members are closely connected with St. Petersburg