Architect of the Lions Temple. Russian Leonardo: Nikolay Lvov

Lvov Nikolai Alexandrovich is a famous Russian architect, cultural figure, poet, translator, graphic artist, botanist. Lviv member Russian Academy since its founding, honorary member of the Academy of Arts.

Years of life: 1751-1804.

Even as a child, Lvov was enrolled in the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment.

After turning eighteen, the young man headed to St. Petersburg for military service. The Izmailovsky Regiment had a regimental school that trained officers for the army. At this school, Nikolai Lvov became interested in literature. A circle even formed around him where the works of Russian and foreign authors were discussed.

During his studies, the talented young man acquired the skills of a poet, draftsman, and engraver. But his favorite subject was architecture. Nikolai Lvov's first St. Petersburg address is the 11th line of Vasilievsky Island, the house of the Soimonov brothers, his close relatives.

After leaving service in the Izmailovsky Regiment, Nikolai Lvov moved to the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. Thanks to this, the architect began to often travel abroad: to Germany, France, Italy, Spain. During these trips, in addition to performing official duties he became acquainted with European architecture.

Nikolai Lvov's first independent work as an architect was the design of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Mogilev. For this important project, a competition was organized in 1780, which Count A. A. Bezborodko, who knew the architect’s talents, helped Lvov win. In addition, success was accompanied by the desire of Empress Catherine II to promote new trends in architecture. After the project was approved, Lvov was instructed to arrange the entire area around the cathedral.

In the 1780s, Nikolai Lvov actively built private mansions. Among all the private orders in the 1780s was the construction of the Holy Trinity Church, which was popularly nicknamed “Kulich and Easter”. This temple became one of the most notable works of the architect.

In the village of Murino, Lvov built the building of the Church of the Great Martyr Catherine. The most significant project of the architect was the Cathedral of the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok, very close to the Motherland of Lvov.

In 1791-1793, Nikolai Lvov built a mansion for G.R. Derzhavin (118 Fontanka River embankment), which now houses the G.R. Derzhavin Museum-Estate.

The result of Nikolai Lvov’s experiments with new building materials was the earthen castle of Priorat in Gatchina. The Priory Palace became a unique structure, built literally from the ground. It was built in just three months. Lvov founded a school where earth building was taught. However, this method of construction did not take root in Russia. At the same time, the earthen Priory Palace survived even during the Great Patriotic War.

Contemporaries often compared Nikolai Lvov to Leonardo da Vinci. Like the famous Italian, Lvov had many professions: engineer, inventor, geologist, botanist, historian, archaeologist, poet, playwright, prose writer, translator, master of drawing and architect.

In 1799, a criminal case was opened against Lvov regarding expenses for earthworks. This undermined the architect's health. On January 3, 1803, after a series of illnesses, Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov died.

The famous Russian poet and friend of Lvov wrote a poem on the death of his friend:

"Weeping birches howl,
A shadow bends over the blackness,
The sad winds dig the air,
Fog rises every day -
Over whom? - Whose grave is this?
Overgrown with dodder,
Did you hide it under a copper board?
Who is here? Isn’t it a muses, a friend of taste?..”

In 1807, the architect’s wife, M.A., also died. Lvov.

After the death of his parents, he became the guardian of their children.

Lviv wedding story

The architect’s wife was M.A. Dyakova. When they met, N.A. Lvov was a nobleman from an impoverished family. The bride's parents did not give consent to the marriage. The future spouses loved each other and got married secretly. V.V. helped them in this. Kapnist, fiance of M.A.’s younger sister. Dyakova, who was received in his parents’ house and accompanied his sisters to balls. In 1780, they got married in a small wooden church near Galernaya Harbor on Vasilievsky Island.

Four years later, when Lvov became a famous architect, Catherine II noticed him, and he received the Dyakovs’ consent to marry their daughter. At this time, Lvov was 31 years old, and Dyakova was 28 years old. But how to get married a second time?! Preparations for the wedding were underway, and just before the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds informed the guests that they were already married. ON THE. Lvov found serfs in advance - a footman and a maid who wanted to get married. They were married, and both couples accepted congratulations.

ON THE. Lvov liked to repeat that he was “married to happiness.” About himself he will say: Born, Fell in love, Married and lived while he loved.


Projects of Lvov N.A. Church of the Savior Miraculous Image
(gateway) (Boris and Gleb Monastery, )
Kazan Church and bell tower-lighthouse ()
Chapel of Daniel the Stylite (

Russian Leonardo: Nikolay Lvov

Tver undergrowth

Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov lived only fifty-two years. It seems not much, but how fully and beautifully these years were lived! The happy fate of a provincial, success achieved by talent and chance, romantic love, favor of heaven and authorities, prosperity, faithful friends, palaces and churches built according to his designs that will last for centuries - this is so much for any inhabitant of the Earth!

He was born in 1751 near Torzhok, in the village of Cherenchitsy, although the Lvov family nest was nearby, in the village of Arpachevo. His father, a retired provincial prosecutor, did not receive the nest itself as part of the division of inheritance and settled in a neighboring village, which later became the village and estate of Nikolsky. The family was friendly. The boy grew up in freedom, cheerful, restless and extremely inventive...

Grigory Vasilievich Soroka

He lived in the village for quite a long time and ended up in St. Petersburg, in the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment, only at eighteen years old. Nikolai was lucky here. He ended up not just as a soldier, but in a regimental school, where he significantly expanded his education. Young Lvov seemed like all the young nobles. As his biographer M. N. Muravyov wrote, “he came to the capital in the then glory of a noble son, that is, he babbled a few words in French, could hardly write in Russian, and thus did not complement this [false] glory, which, to Fortunately, he was not rich and, therefore, was not spoiled by various whims.”

The ease of genius

Lvov's biographer meant that young rich provincial nobles, once in the capital, full of temptations, usually began to waste their lives. Lvov, due to his poverty, could not, like them, indulge in all serious things. But still, it was not poverty that helped Nikolai Alexandrovich emerge from the dozens of simply Lvovs and princes Lvovs known in the 18th century.

Look at the portrait of Lvov by his friend Dmitry Levitsky. The artist probably knew his friend well. He accurately conveyed the unusually sympathetic personality of an original, light, cheerful person, somewhat similar to Mozart. On it lies the reflection of a genius, a trace that is left on a person’s brow by an elusive, virtual, capricious creature that does not descend on every head. No wonder they called him “ Russian Leonardo“—so wide was the range of his hobbies, so open was his soul to creativity. “There was no art to which he was indifferent, there was no talent to which he did not pave the path, everything occupied him, everything excited his mind and warmed his heart...” - this is how his biographer M. N. Muravyov wrote about Lvov.

Portrait of Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, Artist Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

At school, Lvov initiated the creation of a small circle of literature lovers. The young men published a handwritten magazine “ Works of four intelligent fellows" The energy of creativity was bursting with Lvov: “ I want to write poetry, but I don’t know what to write" He liked music and painting, from which he moved on to sculpture, but most of all he was drawn to architecture.

Lvov served briefly in the guard, resigned as a captain and went abroad - such rights were granted to the nobles by Catherine II. This journey replaced the university for him. He absorbed the masterpieces of Dresden, Paris, Madrid, Rome, whose architecture became a model for Lvov’s creativity. And he didn’t waste time: “I saw everything everywhere, noticed, wrote down, drew, and wherever I could and had time, everywhere I collected the elegance scattered in external objects.” In a word, he returned to Russia a different person - a mature artist, a creator.

Love story

And then he was overtaken by love, romantic and beautiful, as the love of a creator should be. He lived in the house of his relatives, the Bakunins, where home performances were held. It was then that Nikolai drew attention to Mashenka Dyakova, the daughter of the Chief Prosecutor of the Senate. “How tender is her smile,” wrote the French diplomat Segur, “how charming are her lips, nothing compares with the grace of her appearance, there is more charm in her than a brush could convey, and there is more virtue in her heart than beauty in her face. »

Maria Alekseevna Lvova (née Dyakova; 1755-1807)

Masha also became interested in Lvov - how could it be otherwise? But the girl’s parents rebelled against the groom: who is he, this Lvov, without a place, without a position, without money! Lvov was denied not only from Mashenka’s hand, but also from the chief prosecutor’s house. It was terrible! The lover wandered around Mashenka’s house, sent notes through the maids and suffered desperately...

I can't stand the whole world -

Mashenka is not with me...

No, you can't wait until the end

So that we don't love each other,

You forbade us to speak,

But, you know, you forgot it,

What our hearts say.

Two portraits of Masha by Levitsky have survived. One was written in 1778, the other in 1781. These portraits are amazingly different. From the first, a naive girl, blushing from outside attention, looks at us, and from the second, we see a confident, proud woman. By that time, Masha had already been Lvov’s secret wife for a year...

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky,

Portrait of Maria Alekseevna Lvova (Dyakova) (1755-1807).

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

How did this happen? Unable to see his friend’s suffering, the poet Vasily Kapnist, engaged to Masha’s sister Alexandra, came up with something very original. As a future relative of the chief prosecutor, he took both his bride and Mashenka to balls.

Vasily Vasilievich KapnistV. V. Kapnist. Portrait by V. Borovikovsky. Beginning 1790s

One day Kapnist took the girls to Vasilyevsky Island, to Gavan, to a small wooden church. And in it Lvov and the priest were already waiting for them. Mashenka and Nikolai were quickly married, and the sisters, as if nothing had happened, went to the ball. The participants in the adventure were silent... for several years. Gradually, the romance of secret dates began to get boring. “I’ve been married for four years... it’s easy to imagine, if you please, how much this situation, combined with the almost gypsy life, attracted me worries... How much work and grief to hide from people under the guise of friendship and to keep such a relationship in a reprehensible secret... It wouldn’t be worth it, of course, neither my means nor my patience, if I had not been supported by a woman like Mary. »

And only four years later it was possible to obtain the consent of the parents, broken by the tenacity of the young people. At the very last moment before the wedding, they repented and admitted that they had been husband and wife for a long time. There was nothing to do, and so that the supplies would not be lost, the footman and the maid were married.

Kind fat patron

The condescension of Mashenka’s parents can be understood - Lvov was no longer the same as before. The beginning of the 1780s was generally happy for Nikolai Alexandrovich. He acquired not only a kind genius - Masha, but also a powerful patron - Secretary of State of Catherine II and then Chancellor of Russia Alexander Bezborodko.

Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko, Artist I. B. Lampi, 1792

He appreciated Lvov’s outstanding talent and his human qualities. Bezborodko got him to plan “Alexandra’s Dacha” in Pavlovsk - a special “fairy-tale” pavilion for the Empress’s grandchildren. It was here that Lvov first met Ekaterina. The Empress was delighted with his inventions and gave him a ring worth two thousand rubles, but most importantly, she noticed Lvov.

Unknown artist of the second half of the 18th century. Catherine II with the text "Order". 1770s

G. S. Sergeev. Alexandrova dacha. "View of the House and Grotto in the garden of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich." Early 1790s

A. G. Rudakov (?) from a drawing by N. A. Lvov. View of the temple dedicated to Felitsa, where the Rose without thorns grows, in the garden of Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich. 1793 (on the right side is the preserved Echo Pavilion).

N. Lvov. Temple of Ceres at Alexandrova Dacha. drawing.

G. S. Sergeev. View of the Temple dedicated to Felitsa, where the Rose without thorns grows, in the garden of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. Alexander Pavlovich. Early 1790s

***
And then, thanks to Bezborodko, Lvov was instructed to create a design for a church for Mogilev according to “the appearance in accordance with the rules of the best Greek architecture,” in the style of the Paestum temples. It was so responsible - after all, Lvov never studied at the Academy of Arts. And the empress liked this project, she accepted and treated the self-taught architect kindly. That solved everything! In the same 1780, he created the famous Neva Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress, then began to design and build the St. Petersburg Post Office. Lvov’s government apartment was also located here, in which he lived for more than ten years.

Mogilev, beginning 20th century. Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Icon of St. Joseph the Betrothed from the cathedral iconostasis

St. Joseph / destroyed during a museum fire during the defense of Mogilev in July 1941.

http://mogilewmuseum.iatp.by/history2.html

Virgin and Child

Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich

Icons from the iconostasis of the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Betrothed in Mogilev.

Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich

Icon from the iconostasis of the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Betrothed in Mogilev.

Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich

“Neva Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress” by Benjamin Paterson.

Saint Petersburg. Peter-Pavel's Fortress. Neva Gate

Photo by Andrey Butko

Salon in a government house

In the late 1780s and early 1790s, Lvov’s apartment in the Post Office was known as a literary salon. Wonderful people regularly came here - writers and artists: Borovikovsky, Kapnist, Khemnitser, Levitsky, Olenin. Lvov was a good host; he did not bore his guests, but determined the tone and level of their communication. Everyone recognized his unconditional taste, even called him “ genius of taste" Lvov's talents were numerous and multifaceted. “A skilled draftsman,” wrote Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, - Lvov was a very good engraver, studied music, theater, poetry, as well as mechanics and technology, for which he was elected a member of the Free economic society. His elegant taste and extensive knowledge gathered around him a whole circle of writers familiar with the ancient classics and Western literature; at the same time, he looked for motives for creativity in Russian folk poetry, was a fan of elegant simplicity and an enemy of everything rude and pompous. »

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky portrait by I. S. Bugaevsky-Blagodatny (1825)

Portrait of Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist State Literary Museum

Ivan Ivanovich Khemnitser

Portrait of the artist Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky.

Portrait of the President of the Academy of Arts Alexei Nikolaevich Olenin 1824

Alexander Grigorievich Varnek

A special place in the life of Lvov was occupied by “ my friend, joy"Gavrila Derzhavin, who became his friend and then a relative (they were married to sisters). Here is one of the episodes of their acquaintance. Derzhavin was in charge of the construction of the Senate building and ordered bas-reliefs from Lvov. Prosecutor General Prince Vyazemsky was dissatisfied that Lvov depicted the figure of Truth naked, and ordered her to be covered. Derzhavin got angry, and Lvov laughed: in the Senate the naked truth will always be covered up... Nikolai Alexandrovich corrected Derzhavin’s poems, was the highest judge and standard for the poet. At the same time, he, an easy-going, unenvious and intelligent man, never tried to rise above Derzhavin.

Portrait of Gavril Romanovich Derzhavin

Portrait of D.A. Derzhavina (1767-1842), nee Dyakova, second wife of G.R. Derzhavina

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky

Meanwhile, the architect himself was also endowed with literary talent. In an age of pomp and mannerism in literature, he stood for simplicity and naturalness, which was then unusual, knew the value of the Russian language, and collected Russian folk songs. In 1787, Lvov wrote the comic opera " Coachmen on a stand" There is no love affair in it, no idealized shepherdesses and shepherdesses, but there are rude people, coachmen, peasants, drunkards. For the first time, the common people were brought onto the stage. Here is Lvov’s remark for the conductor: “Start little by little, like a coachman, as if he’s riding from afar, not singing, but dancing, and then, so that he doesn’t fall asleep, do it in a smarter way, like a good fellow... the guys will pick you up.” And here is the first phenomenon of the opera: “A bell was heard from a distance and the song “Like a priest in a green garden...” Previously, Russian songs were heard only during intermissions of Italian operas performed on the stage of the Opera House. Until the time of Glinka and the “Mighty Handful,” Russian music did not know such a nationality...

Bolshoi Kamenny Theater. B. Patersen. 1806

A. O. Orlovsky, Troika Courier 1812

Orlovsky A. O. “Coachman, don’t drive the horses...”

Father of the Russian estate

But still, Russia is grateful to Lvov not for operas and poems, which, in general, did not stand the test of time, but for the Russian estate, of which he, in essence, became the father. The architect managed to adapt the Italian rotunda - a round domed hall - to the conditions of Russia. The rotunda church, created by Lvov on his estate in Nikolskoye, stands on a hill and has its own charming secret. From a distance it can be seen that first the evening sun gilds the dome with its rays, and then, as it were, “enters” for the night into its “dwelling” - the Temple of the Sun.

Estate of N. A. Lvov Nikolskoe-Cherenchitsy. Church of the Resurrection with the ancestral tomb

Thanks to Lvov, large but uncomfortable houses similar to peasant houses were replaced by noble mansions in the classicist style with graceful porticos, pilasters, and columns. Situated on a hill, they were skillfully framed by gardens and parks, laid out with grace and a sense of proportion. Reflected in the still surface of ponds or quiet rivers, noble mansions looked welcomingly at the world, bringing harmony and peace, demonstrating how human structures can be a continuation of nature. It is not surprising that such estates became the favorite nests of thousands of nobles who hurried along the road in their carriages, eagerly waiting for the white columns of their home to sparkle on the hill in the distance, an openwork elegant gazebo to appear in the park above the pond and float up from behind the treetops church dome. This is the image of the Motherland.

Znamenskoye-Rayok - an estate in the Tver region (Maryinskoye rural settlement, Torzhok district),

The architect N. A. Lvov, as well as K. Butsi, A. Trofimov, the Englishman V. Irven, and the Italian F. Rusca worked on the design and construction of the estate.

Main hall. Watercolor by an unknown artist. 18th century

Manor Znamenskoye-Rayok. 1790s

Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov

Boudoir in the Moscow palace of Count A.A. Bezborodko.

Last quarter of the 18th century

Enjoying life

Noble manor houses, built according to Lvov designs, were very comfortable for living. Guests at Nikolskoye were amazed by the architect’s extraordinary inventions, such as air heating. The fireplace worked like an air conditioner. The air heated in it entered the pipes, went through them into special vases with rose water and, rising up through the water, became fragrant.

Manor house in the Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy estate

This is how it spread through the rooms. And all this (as, indeed, much more) in Lvov’s house was done for the main thing - for the sake of enjoying life:

Let's get ready to relax on a summer evening

Under the linden tree on the meadow,

Surrounded by home life,

A healthy bunch of children,

A cheerful group of people who love us.

He (God - E. A.) will say: how blessed they are...

Portrait of the Lvov family

From left to right: Leonid (eldest son), Nikolai Alexandrovich, Alexander,

Elizaveta, Marya Alekseevna, Praskovya (in arms) and Vera

Miniature. Watercolor gray 1790s??. Private collection

Fountain of ideas

Lvov was bursting with ideas. He was constantly inventing something. So he came up with “earth breaking” - a special technique for constructing buildings from compacted earth with layers of lime. Earth is an economical, accessible material, and we have a lot of land!.. The Priory Castle in Gatchina was built using this technology - and it still stands beautifully! And there is a secret in the castle design itself: Lvov encrypted a whole geometric message in it.

Priory Palace. Colorized lithograph

He was constantly involved in commercial projects, hoping to get rich. But alas! It is known that the business of the Russian intelligentsia usually consists of buying high and selling low. The place where Lvov tried to implement his projects was his dacha on the banks of the Neva (now Sinopskaya embankment). In general, vacationing at the dacha encourages Russian people to project. This was the case with Lvov. He decided to build the Torzhok tavern next to the dacha, but the tavern did not bring him any income either. Then he got excited about the idea of improving the Russian bathhouse. Nothing good came of this either, but the book “Russian Pyrostatics” was written on its own about improving the heating of public baths, in which everything is so ridiculous: on the shelf it is incredibly hot, and on the floor your feet are freezing. The project turned out to be one of the discoveries of Leskovsky Lefty: “ Tell the sovereign not to clean guns with bricks!»

Here, at the dacha, a huge load of stone (then they said earthen) coal was stored, discovered by Lvov near Borovichi. He even wrote a book “On the benefits and use of Russian earthen coal.” I brought coal to St. Petersburg, I wanted to get rich, but I failed! Then the coal accidentally caught fire and, despite the efforts of firefighters, burned... for two years, annoying the whole of St. Petersburg with smoke.

"Let me live a little"

Alexander Roslin - Portrait of Catherine II

Portrait of Alexander Andreevich Bezborodko (1747-1799). GMZ Pavlovsk

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

Annunciation tomb of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Bezborodko, Alexander Andreevich (1747-1799). Sculptural monument. Sk. J. D. Rachette, architect. N. A. Lvov, 1803. Bronze multi-figure composition on a marble pedestal. In the center on the column is a portrait bust of Bezborodko, behind him is the winged genius of the World with an olive branch. On the sides are two allegorical female figures: on the left, a figurine of a rooster sitting on a stack of books next to her; on the right is winged, resting on a column. Inscriptions are carved on the column and pedestal. The tombstone of A. A. Bezborodko is installed in a tent, in a niche in the southern wall. The base of the monument with the inscription and date was hidden under the raised floor and was discovered during the museumification of the Annunciation burial vault in the 1930s.

TO early XIX century, new times have come - Empress Catherine died. Then Lvov’s patron, Chancellor Bezborodko, passed away. Lvov began to get sick a lot, thoughts about earning money poisoned his life. But still he continued to create. Houses, churches and postal stations, bridges, the milestones we all know on the road from St. Petersburg to Moscow - all this was his work. And the lovely church in Murin! And the architectural joke is the church and bell tower “Kulich and Easter”!

Saint Petersburg. Trinity Church "Kulich and Easter".

It seemed to him that he had managed to do so little, and therefore he asked God in verse:

Let me live a little

After all, everyone has their own path.

But no! Did not give! In 1803, Nikolai Alexandrovich died, and Masha followed him. The faithful Derzhavin took three orphans - the Lvov girls - into his home and raised them as his children, watching how over the years either the graceful mischief of their father or the soft charm of Masha appeared in them more and more clearly...

Main buildings:

in St. Petersburg:

Temple of St. Elijah the Prophet (Porokhovye)

Southern facade of the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet

Saint Petersburg. Trinity Church "Kulich and Easter".

Estate of Derzhavin G.R. (St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, St. Petersburg, Fontanka embankment, 118)

Estate G.R. Derzhavina.

Estate G.R. Derzhavina. Fence.

In the vicinity of St. Petersburg:

Priory Palace

Amphitheater in Gatchina

One of the entrances to the Amphitheater in the Palace Park of Gatchina

Amphitheater in the Gatchina Museum-Reserve

Painting “Tsarskoye Selo Carousel” by O. Vernet, 1842

“Naumakhia” is a swimming pool on the banks of the Kolpanka River on the northern border of Silvia Park in the city of Gatchina, Leningrad Region. The building was built at the end of the 18th century according to the design of Nikolai Lvov.

Church of St. Great Martyr Catherine in Murino

In the city of Torzhok (Tver region)

Borisoglebsky Monastery is a large monastery in the city of Torzhok; considered the oldest in the Tver region.

photo by S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky,

Cathedral of the Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok

S.M.Prokudin-Gorsky

Vozdvizhenskaya rotunda-chapel in Torzhok

The main house with a colonnade and outbuildings in the Znamenskoye-Rayok estate in the village of Rayok, Torzhok district, Tver region

Chapel of Daniel the Stylite in the village of Vasileva Gora

Trinity Church in the village of Pryamukhino, Kuvshinovsky district, Tver region

Resurrection Church, a manor house and a cellar-pyramid in the own estate of the architect Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy in the village of Nikolskoye, Torzhok district, Tver region

Kazan Church and bell tower in the village of Arpachevo, Torzhok district, Tver region

Vladimir Church in the village of Gornitsy, Kuvshinovsky district, Tver region (in the estate of P. V. Beklemishev),

http://pav-leg.livejournal.com/4019.html

Church of the Great Martyr Catherine (Novgorod region, Valdai).

The main house of the estate of A. N. Simonov

N. A. Lvov is credited with the abbot’s corps with the Savior Church in the Nativity of Christ Monastery in Tver

Vvedenskoe estate near Moscow

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Orthodox) in Vyborg.

Nicholas Church in Dikanka

Trinity Church in Dikanka

Monument to N.A. Lvov in Torzhok

http://www.nnre.ru/istorija/dvorcovye_tainy/p30.php

http://ru.convdocs.org/docs/index-43230.html

http://ocean-marina.livejournal.com/8482.html

http://tversvod.ru/page92/?full=1

http://pav-leg.livejournal.com/16664.html

http://tata-cheshuina.livejournal.com/287223.html?thread=2116599

http://www.clubqashqai.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=14143&page=10

Nikolai Lvov was a man of his time: as a true representative of the Enlightenment, he devoted his entire life to science and art. Lvov tried himself in painting, music, poetry, but became famous primarily as an architect. "Kultura.RF" recalls the main creations of the talented architect.

Priory Castle in Gatchina

Priory Castle. Gatchina. Architect Nikolay Lvov. 1798–1799. Photo: diletant.media

Priory Castle is the only building built from crushed earth that has survived to this day. Lvov used this ancient technology - a mixture of compressed soil with lime mortar - to build the hut of Ekaterina Nelidova, the favorite of Paul I, but the Priory Castle was its most majestic building. The earthen castle cost the customer 10 times less than a similar stone one. Lvov built it at the request of Paul I for the prior of the Order of Malta, the Prince of Condé, which is why the castle got its name. During his work, the architect was inspired by Gothic monuments - he used lancet windows, pointed roofs, and a high spire. After the death of Paul I, a Lutheran church was located in the castle, art exhibitions were held, during the war there was a military hospital here, and after that a museum began operating.

"Kulich and Easter" in St. Petersburg

Trinity Church "Kulich and Easter". Saint Petersburg. Architect Nikolay Lvov. 1785–1790. Photo: 2do2go.ru

Derzhavin Estate in St. Petersburg

Derzhavin's estate. Saint Petersburg. Architect Nikolay Lvov. Photo: tournavigator.net

Nikolai Lvov was friends with many famous people of his time, including with the poet Gavriil Derzhavin. In 1791, he turned to the architect with a request to complete the two-story mansion he had purchased on the Fontanka. In addition to building the house, Lvov was also involved in arranging the garden: “This garden, being located in the middle of a large city,” he wrote, “should not only correspond to its greatness, but also serve as a rich frame for a magnificent house.”

Derzhavin dedicated a poem to Lvov’s work:

After the death of Derzhavin and his wife, the house was empty for some time, and later it housed the archives of the Roman Catholic Theological College. This required restructuring, but not as drastic as in the Soviet years, when Derzhavin’s estate was turned into a residential building. Due to numerous redevelopments, the artistic decoration of the mansion was almost completely destroyed. Today the building houses the Museum of Derzhavin and Russian literature of his time.

Buildings of Lvov in Torzhok

Cathedral of the Transfiguration. Torzhok. Architect Nikolay Lvov. 1815–1822. Photo: bankgorodov.ru

Nikolai Lvov was born near Torzhok and often built on native land. He built a family estate in Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy: today only a cellar in the form of a three-story pyramid, a church-tomb of the Lvov family, a forge and one outbuilding from a large manor house have survived. Another estate he built was Znamenskoye-Raek. Lviv erected a classic palace ensemble and numerous park buildings - grottoes, bridges, a cellar in the form of a rotunda. Among other buildings created by Lvov in the vicinity of Torzhok are the arched boulder bridge in the Vasilevo estate, the cathedral of the Boriso-Gleb Monastery in Torzhok and others.

Lvov Nikolai Alexandrovich (1751-1803/04), Russian writer, musicologist, scientist and inventor, architect and graphic artist, one of the most versatile talents of the Russian “age of Enlightenment”.

Born in the village of Cherenchitsy (Novotorzhsky district, Tver province) on March 4 (15), 1751 in the family of a retired warrant officer. Arriving in St. Petersburg (most likely in 1769), he joined the bombardment company of the Izmailovsky regiment, but already in the early 1770s he switched to civil service. In 1771 he published his first poetic experiments in the handwritten journal “Proceedings of Four Communists.” Traveled throughout Western Europe, visiting, in particular, France and Italy (1777; traveled to Italy for the second time in 1781). Upon returning to St. Petersburg, he served in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, and from 1782 in the Postal Department. He lived in St. Petersburg and his family estate Cherenchitsy-Nikolskoye.

For many years he was a member of a poetry circle, whose members also included G.R. Derzhavin, V.V. Kapnist, I.I. Khemnitser, I.I. Dmitriev and others. He wrote epigrams, fables, cantatas, odes, elegies, satires, poems (Russian 1791), including in the genre of scientific poem (Botanical journey to Dudorov Mountain 1792, May 8th). Over time, he moved from sentimentalism (Idyll. Evening of 1780, November 8th) to romanticism (Night in a Chukhonsky hut on a vacant lot, 1797). Published a collection of interlinear translations of Anacreon (1794). The most historically significant are those of his literary works that are thematically or stagedly related to music (ode to Music, 1780s; unfinished poem Dobrynya, heroic song - published posthumously in 1804).

Being a gifted musician, the soul of home concerts and performances, Lvov (according to Derzhavin) “especially loved Russian natural poetry,” i.e. peasant song. Song folklore with colorful splashes of folk argot forms the speech basis of his comic opera Coachmen on a Stand (music by E.I. Fomin; 1787) - the first choral opera in Russia.

Among Lvov’s other texts intended for musical performance, the “heroic game” (or “heroic-comic opera”) of Paris’s Judgment (1796) stands out, combining ancient mythology with features of the Russian “common” pastoral. Of great importance for folklore studies was the Collection of Russian folk songs with their voices set to music by Ivan Prach (1790), published by him together with the Czech composer I. Prach, accompanied by the Lvov treatise On Russian Folk Singing, where the author first pointed out the polyphonic nature of Russian singing . The melodies of this collection were later reflected in the works of a number of composers, including Beethoven and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

He also published ancient chronicles (Russian Chronicler from the coming of Rurik to the death of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, 1792; Detailed Chronicle of Russia before the Battle of Poltava, 1798), at the same time he decided to create a Dictionary of Artists and Arts, which would become the first Russian art encyclopedia, but remained simply by design).

A self-taught architect, he made a great contribution to the architecture of Russian classicism. From the time of Lvov’s visits to Italy, the work of A. Palladio had a basic meaning for him; in 1798 he published the first volume of Four Books on Architecture in his own translation and with his own preface and notes. He strove to spread the pristine “Palladian taste” in his buildings, with its harmonious combination of beauty and practical use.

Among his completed projects are the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Mogilev (1781-1797; destroyed in the 1930s), the St. Petersburg post office (1782-1789), the Neva Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress (1784-1787), the Trinity Church in the village of Aleksandrovskoye, now within the boundaries of St. Petersburg (Kulich and Easter, 1785-1797), Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Torzhok (built by architect F.I. Butsi; 1785-1796), Catherine’s rotunda church in the town of Valdai (1793), estates in Znamensky (“Raek”), Arpachevo , Mitino-Vasilevo, Premukhino in the Tver region, Voronovo and Vvedensky in the Moscow region (all - 1780-1790s; only more or less large fragments of the former ensembles have survived). Residential and outbuildings, as well as a family burial vault in Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy, date back to 1789-1804. Often standing out - like the Nevsky Gate or "Kulich and Easter" (a temple rotunda with a pyramidal bell tower) - with an original expressiveness of composition and silhouette, Lvov's architectural ideas had at the same time great type-forming significance, primarily in estate architecture. In addition, he constantly combined his buildings with innovative engineering developments (such, in particular, the water supply system in Torzhok, decorated with a rotunda-well on Torgovaya Square, 1802).

He also acted more than once as a park designer: he outlined the principles of constructing a landscape park with elements of a regular layout in numerous notes and drawings in the margins of K. Hirschfeld’s book on gardening (a copy in the collection of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts), as well as in an album with projects park in the Moscow estate of his patron, Chancellor A.A. Bezborodko (1797-1799).

Having discovered coal deposits in the area of the Valdai Hills and the city of Borovichi in 1786, he actively contributed to its development, simultaneously exploring new possibilities for its heating and industrial applications (for the production of ship tar, sulfur, coke and “stone cardboard”, i.e. roofing felt). In 1795 he published the treatise Russian Pyrostatics, or the use of already tested air stoves and fireplaces with his own engraved drawings of new heating and ventilation devices (the first work of this kind in Russia), and in 1799 - an essay On the benefits and use of Russian earthen coal.

During the same period, he invented a method of constructing buildings from compacted earth reinforced with lime mortar, and established a school of earthen construction in Nikolskoye. An example of this kind of building was the residence of the prior of the Order of Malta (Priory) in Gatchina (1798-1799). From 1799, the center of his experiments was the Tyufelev dacha near the Simonov Monastery near Moscow (at that time), which became a unique Institute of Technology. In 1803 he undertook a local history trip to the southern Russian provinces, the Crimea and the Caucasus.

The architecture of the St. Petersburg Trinity Church, which is popularly called “Kulich and Easter,” is amazing. It is uncharacteristic of the Orthodox tradition. The temple is in the form of a rotunda, the bell tower is a pyramid. Some kind of Freemasonry!

It turns out that this church was built according to the design of the outstanding Russian architect of the 18th century Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who was really associated with Freemasonry.

And I think it’s no coincidence that he built several pyramids in his “small homeland” - in the Tver province. Obviously, he knew about some of the magical properties of such buildings.

There are three known pyramids built by N.A. Lvov in the Tver province: in his own estate Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy, in the estate of his relative in the village of Mitino and the estate of F.I. Glebova-Streshneva Znamenskoye-Raek. The latter has not survived to this day.

But the eleven-meter pyramid in the Lvov family estate turned out to be the most durable building. It has been standing for more than 100 years, however, to the surprise of the specialists who examined it, no cracks or traces of corrosion appeared on its edges. They decided that it was all about the material, skillfully selected by the architect.

In terms of their proportions, the Tver buildings are similar to the Tsarskoye Selo “Egyptian Pyramid”, rebuilt by Charles Cameron in 1783. Lvov could become familiar with it in detail when he participated in the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral, the main architect of which was Cameron.

Freemasons Laboratory

All three Tver pyramids were used as cellars for storing wine and food. However, some researchers believe that their purpose was somewhat different, especially the main one, located on the Nikolskoye-Cherenchitsy estate.

Perhaps this pyramid was a secret laboratory in which Russian Freemasons carried out their experiments. Judging by the surviving records of N.A. Lvov, they tried to control the flows of some invisible energy.

It was believed that 13 members of the lodge, casting special spells during a ritual inside the pyramid, could influence the consciousness of people no less. It is difficult to say how successful these experiments were, but the architect himself enjoyed considerable authority in the Masonic community. It is not for nothing that it was he who was entrusted by the most mystical of the Russian crown bearers, Paul I, with the task of erecting a palace in Gatchina for the prior of the Order of Malta.

Mysterious epigram

However, Nikolai Alexandrovich’s attitude towards the secret mysteries was quite contradictory. A mysterious epigram was found in his archive:

“Despite reason and offend eternity,
And the smart ones laugh
Built it - so that it will not be forgotten -
A pyramid made of dust."

It is dedicated, perhaps, to the same Cameron and his “Egyptian Pyramid”. Why such disrespect for your patron? It is possible that Lvov learned the secret identity of Cameron, who, as has now been proven, spent his entire life pretending to be another person, and his true origin is still a matter of debate.

But why was this structure erected “to offend eternity”? Perhaps he knew that the plan of part of the Tsarskoye Selo parks in the area of the Chinese village, drawn by Cameron, is a map of the starry sky, and the “Egyptian Pyramid” takes the place of Sirius in it, the alpha of the constellation Canis Major.

But ironically (or the empress herself), this structure was intended for the burial of Catherine II’s beloved dogs. It seems that Lvov knew a lot - much more than he said. And his attitude towards Freemasonry was a mixture of respect and irony.

Three-tier pyramid

So, most likely, the pyramids built by Lvov had primarily a utilitarian purpose: they were used as cellars in which wine and food could be stored. Their design itself speaks to this.

The author of this article had a chance to visit Nikolsky-Cherenchitsy and get inside the pyramid. It stands on a slight slope and is partially submerged in the ground. In the underground part of the pyramid there is a glacier into which ice cut from the river was loaded before spring. This room is entered from the utility yard. It has a fortified vault made of cobblestones.

Walking through a small passage into the lower ice storage, you can see in the ceiling, right in the center, a round hole through which light penetrates. And the wine cellar and food warehouse were located higher, in the central part of the pyramid. Another entrance leads there, located on the opposite side of the pyramid.

This room has a hemispherical shape. In the ceiling of the central part of the pyramid there is also a cylindrical hole, which has a larger diameter than the hole in the floor. There is the upper, third cavity of the pyramid, which allows, on the one hand, to ensure proper ventilation (ventilation holes are made in the four faces of the pyramid in the upper tier), as well as to organize natural lighting: the light penetrating through the holes is reflected from the dome and fills it with an even dim light in the central part of the storage. Essentially, there is twilight here, but there is still enough lighting to notice the hole in the floor and not fall into the glacier.

By the way, Nikolai Alexandrovich also used this method of lighting in churches. The double dome is a kind of “ business card"architect.

The magical properties of the pyramids

Everything suggests that N.A. Lvov was well aware of the magical properties of the pyramids and skillfully applied them in practice. For example, his wines, aged and stored in a cellar inside the pyramid, were famous for their excellent quality not only in Tverskaya, but also in neighboring provinces.

Already today, scientists have proven that dry wines aged in a pyramid (9-12%), especially red ones, have medicinal properties: have a beneficial effect on the immune system and the condition of the walls of blood vessels, improving blood circulation and restoring the biorhythms of the vascular system. When exposed to a pyramid of strong alcoholic drinks, the effect of fusel oils is neutralized, and people who consume them do not experience a hangover.

Seed grain stored in the pyramid gave excellent yields: 30-70% more than grain stored in ordinary barns. However, the limited area of the warehouse did not allow a lot of grain to be poured there, and besides, Lvov, a person far from agriculture, did not strive for this, focusing his main attention on winemaking, which brought in good income.

It must also be said that inside the pyramid, vegetables and fruits were not only perfectly preserved, but also acquired special qualities. The energy fields of the pyramid improved the structure of products, making them more useful and digestible for the body, and also giving them additional medicinal properties.

Pyramid in Catherine Park. Pushkin

And now pyramids are starting to be built for completely utilitarian purposes - storing and “synchronizing” food. Bioenergy rhythms of food products play a huge role in the proper functioning of the body. The maximum benefit for the body, especially for children, comes from vegetables and fruits grown in the area where you were born and raised or live long time Human.

The bioenergy rhythms of such products are synchronized with the bioenergy rhythms local residents. And vegetables and fruits grown in other countries have different energy characteristics. Therefore, they should be exhibited in a pyramid to synchronize their bioenergy rhythms with the energy rhythms of the area of the Earth on which we live, and the bioenergy rhythms of our body.

In addition, the pyramids have a structuring field that has a beneficial effect on natural objects located outside it. For example, fruit trees in the Lviv garden produced consistently high yields. Even grapes ripened on his estate, which were used to make wine.

Near the pyramid, even people who do not have extrasensory abilities feel a special aura. It is not known whether medical experiments were carried out in Nikolsky-Cherenchitsy, but in some Russian medical institutions, placing patients in the pyramid field had a positive effect in the treatment of ulcers, gastritis and other diseases gastrointestinal tract And genitourinary system, promoted wound healing.

In general, the range of possible uses of pyramids in national economy quite extensive. And it is gratifying that their magical properties are increasingly being used by science to serve people.