Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov was born on August 8, 1761 in St. Petersburg in the family of an admiralty employee, ensign Dmitry Ivanovich Zakharov. The family lived on the outskirts of the city, outside Kolomna.
When Andreyan was six years old, his father sent the boy to an art school at the Academy of Arts. His teachers were A. F. Kokorinov, J. B. Vallin-Delamot, Yu. M. Felten. In 1778, Andreyan Zakharov received a silver medal for the design of a country house, and in 1780, a large silver medal for “an architectural composition representing the house of princes.” In 1782, Andreyan Zakharov graduated from the Academy with a large gold medal. The Academy Council decided to send him" for success and commendable behavior, by virtue of academic privilege... to foreign lands as a pensioner to acquire further success in architecture". [Quoted from: 2, p. 33]
For four years Zakharov studied in France with the largest French architect, court architect Jean Francois Chalgrin. At the Paris Academy of Architecture, he attended lectures and received programs for completing projects. Chalgrin wrote about his student in a review for the Academy of Arts:
“Currently working under my leadership is... Zakharov, whose abilities and behavior I cannot praise enough. Such people always give a high idea of the school that educated them, and allow us to highly appreciate the institution that provides such brilliant assistance to the arts. If , of which I have no doubt, the zeal, perseverance, prudent behavior of this young man will continue, you will, of course, greet him favorably upon his return...
...My intention was to force him to practice large tasks that require all the intensity of his talent in order to develop the wonderful talent that this young man received by nature." [Quoted from: 2, p. 34]
Andreyan Dmitrievich also wanted to visit Italy, about which he wrote to the Academy of Arts. But funds for such a trip were not found.
In 1786, the young architect returned to St. Petersburg. Soon it began teaching activity. By the Council of the Academy of Arts, Andreyan Zakharov was enrolled as an adjunct professor, and then he was given a service apartment.
In 1794, the architect received the title of academician, and in 1797 he became a professor. After the resignation of A. A. Ivanov and Yu. M. Felten, Zakharov remained the only teacher of the architectural class. A year later, he submitted a request for dismissal from his position as an academic architect in order to engage only in teaching. But due to the lack of replacement and plans to reconstruct the academy building, Zakharov was denied this.
Paul I Andreyan Zakharov was appointed architect of Gatchina. In fact, he became the court architect. This freed him from work as an academic architect and allowed him to devote more time to training young architects. In Gatchina, Andreyan Zakharov took part in the reconstruction of the imperial palace and many city and palace and park buildings (Lutheran Church of St. Peter, Lion and Humpback Bridge, "Farm", "Poultry House"). There he also drew up designs for the Admiralty stables, the mausoleum of Paul I and other buildings.
In 1800 new president The Academy of Arts, Count A. S. Stroganov, helped Zakharov obtain the title of sixth-grade official and a place on the Academy Council. The architect became a senior professor and headed the architectural class. From that time on, Zakharov's assistant was the future famous architect A. N. Voronikhin.
A major role in the creative life of the architect was played by his trip to the cities of Russia in 1801-1802. It was undertaken at the direction of Alexander I with the aim of selecting sites for the construction of military schools.
Andreyan Zakharov in 1803-1804 created a project to combine the old buildings of the Academy of Sciences into one, but this plan was not realized. At the same time, the architect was working on a development plan for the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
After the resignation of Charles Cameron from the post of chief architect of the Admiralty Board, Andreyan Zakharov took his place in 1805. Thanks to this appointment, the architect was able to create his most famous work - the Admiralty building. It became the only building of the architect that has survived to this day almost unchanged. In the same position, the architect created a number of projects for Kronstadt, including St. Andrew's Cathedral. For St. Petersburg, he created projects for the reconstruction of food warehouses, the Naval barracks on Galernaya Street, the Marine Hospital and the Galernaya Port.
The talented Russian architect Andreyan (Adrian) Dmitrievich Zakharov was born on August 8 (19), 1761 in St. Petersburg in the family of a minor official of the Admiralty Collegium, ensign Dmitry Ivanovich Zakharov. And although the family was not rich, Zakharov the father still managed to give his two sons a good education. Both of them later became professors and academicians. At the same time, Yakov Zakharov became famous as a major scientist in the field of chemistry and mechanics, and his younger brother Andreyan - as a brilliant architect.
On April 21, 1767, when Andreyan was not yet 6 years old, his father assigned him, at public expense, as a pupil at the art school at the Academy of Arts. From that time on, the entire life of the future architect was closely connected with the Academy. After graduating from the preparatory school, Andreyan Zakharov moved to the Academy and studied there with outstanding Russian architects of that time: professors A.F. Kokorinova, A.A. Ivanov and I.E. Starova. On September 13, 1778, two years after transferring to the architectural class, Zakharov received a small silver medal for the design of a country house, and on September 29, 1780 he was awarded a large silver medal for “an architectural composition representing the house of princes.” In November 1781, Zakharov was given a graduation program - to develop a project for a “fax station” (station), intended for recreation and entertainment. For this project, at the final exam in 1782, Zakharov received a large gold medal, which gave him the right to travel abroad to improve the knowledge acquired at the Academy.
In 1782, after graduating from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Zakharov went to Paris. Here he enters the workshop of one of the leading French architects J.F. Chalgrin. This is how Chalgrin wrote about his student in a review he sent to the Academy of Arts: “Currently working under my leadership is... Zakharov, whose abilities and behavior I cannot praise enough. Such people always give a high idea of the school that their educated, and allow us to highly value an institution that provides such brilliant assistance to the arts ... My intention was to force him to practice large tasks that require all the strain of his talent in order to develop the wonderful talent that this young man received from nature." After four years of work in France in the summer of 1786, A.D. Zakharov returned to St. Petersburg, and from the next year, 1787, he himself taught architecture at the Academy of Arts. His teaching activity did not stop until the end of his life. Almost simultaneously with teaching, Zakharov began designing. For example, it is known that in 1789 he developed a project for a school for the village of Lyubuchi, Ryazan governorship.
The first known date dates back to 1792 graphic works architect - a sketch of the ceremonial decoration on the occasion of the conclusion of peace in Iasi in December 1791, which marked the victory of the Russian army and navy over Turkey. In 1794 A.D. Zakharov becomes an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. At the same time he was appointed architect of all academic buildings. Over the next five years (1794-1799), Zakharov designed interior decoration, arranged new apartments for the president of the Academy of Arts, and supervised ongoing renovation work.
At the end of 1799, by order of Paul I A.D. Zakharov, while maintaining the position of professor at the Academy of Arts, became the architect of the city of Gatchina, where the emperor’s country residence was located. It is known that initially they planned to hire Vincenzo Brenna as the Gatchina architect, but in 1799 he was busy with the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, so Zakharov was sent to Gatchina. In fact, he became a court architect, taking an active part in the reconstruction of the Gatchina Palace, the design and construction of numerous city and palace and park structures. Since 1800, A.N. worked for him as an assistant. Voronikhin, who later created such outstanding works of Russian architecture as the Kazan Cathedral and the building of the Mining Institute. Zakharov worked in Gatchina for almost two years. He completed the superstructure of the Kitchen Square, developed a project for a new palace church on the site of the old one and built it. Under his leadership, the construction of the Palace Stables according to the design of V. Brenna was completed. Zakharov designed a number of structures for the park. The most significant was the monastery of St. Harlampius. In the autumn of 1800, work began on its construction, but after the death of Paul I, work was stopped. Zakharov was allowed to complete only those structures that were nearing completion. He managed to create the best bridge in the park - the Humpbacked Bridge, reminiscent of Venetian bridges, as well as Lions Bridge, pavilions "Farm" and "Poultry House".
In 1801-1802, at the direction of Alexander I A.D. Zakharov made trips to various provinces to develop local designs for military schools, draw up projects and estimates for their construction. This trip played big role in the formation of Zakharov’s own architectural style. In 1803, after returning to St. Petersburg, he presented a series of exemplary, or standard, buildings for provincial cities. Among the drawings drawn up by the architect were designs for houses of the governor-general, civil governor, vice-governor, government buildings, prisons, wine and salt warehouses for provincial cities. In accordance with Zakharov’s exemplary designs, numerous buildings for various purposes are being constructed in Poltava, Chernigov, Kazan, Simbirsk, Arkhangelsk and many other cities of Russia.
Since 1797, he was a professor, and since 1803, a leading (senior) professor of the architectural class of the Academy of Arts. At the same time, Zakharov carried out a project for the development of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg with the reconstruction of the building of the Academy of Sciences (1803-1804), carried out in the traditions of the French urban planning school. At the same time, Zakharov was preparing a draft architectural plan for the Nizhny Novgorod Fair. HELL. Zakharov was intensely involved in drawing up projects, but, despite being relieved of his position as an academic architect, he was repeatedly involved in construction work, already as an expert and designer. The most significant of these works includes the project of the Foundry Workshop at the Academy of Arts (1805, not preserved).
In the same 1805, Zakharov was appointed chief architect of the Main Admiralty in St. Petersburg instead of Charles Cameron, who held this position from 1802 to 1805. In mid-July 1805, Zakharov took over all matters from Cameron, including drawings and estimates. From this time until last days In his life he supervised and directed all construction work. To cope with the enormous volume of work, the architect needed a whole staff of assistants, which he constantly lacked. Because of this, Zakharov was forced to spend a lot of time on menial work that did not require high qualifications.
Admiralty building (1806-1823) in St. Petersburg - greatest monument, a masterpiece of Russian architecture. The old Admiralty building was built in 1727-1728 by architect I.K. Korobov. A hundred years later, it was decided to begin work on its reconstruction. A.D. was entrusted with preparing the project and implementing it. Zakharov, "Chief Admiralty Architect". Having received the task of overhauling the Korobov Admiralty, Zakharov set to work with great enthusiasm and energy. The project drawn up by him was approved by the emperor, and on May 25, 1806, the Admiralty Court began again. construction works. The task facing Zakharov was extremely difficult. He had to not only redo the facades, but also remodel hundreds of rooms. The fact is that the shipyard itself needed a radical reconstruction. And in addition, new premises were required for the newly established Ministry of Naval Forces, which included both the Admiralty Board and the newly created Admiralty Department. The Admiralty was still to remain not only the seat of the naval department “with its library, museum and other accessories,” but also manufacturing enterprise with storerooms and forges. Combining an active shipyard with a building that plays a major role in the architectural ensemble was a very unusual task, almost without precedent in the history of world architecture. In addition, Zakharov was constrained by the plan of the old Admiralty, which he studied most carefully and which he decided, as far as possible, not to destroy. The architect treated the creation of his predecessor with exceptional care.
Zakharov himself established the order of upcoming work, dividing it into several stages. The first is the construction of the building in front Winter Palace; the second - the wings of the main building to the tower; the third is a tower, etc. However, construction moved forward more slowly than planned and estimated. By the way, according to the estimate drawn up by Zakharov, the cost of construction was determined to be 654,232 rubles ("... if you make columns, cornices and other decorations from Pudozh stone, then you still need to add 110,000 rubles"). In fact, 2.5 million rubles were spent. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, sometimes there was a shortage at the construction site work force. Secondly, the matter was slowed down by the personal intervention of the emperor, which was not always reasonable and timely. Construction of the first, eastern building began in 1806. By the autumn of the same year, part of the walls had been erected. The following year, the building was put under the roof, and a year later, Alexander I demanded that its length be reduced (so that the building would not fit close to the Neva), which is why it was necessary to demolish part of the already erected building, redo the design and start construction all over again. In 1811, work on finishing the eastern part of the Admiralty, including the Nevsky Pavilion, was largely completed, but the building as a whole was still far from finished. The struggle for every detail of the Admiralty, the struggle with bureaucratic routine and the resistance of officials endlessly exhausted the strength. The architect was in dire need of a good workshop that could relieve him of menial work and an increase in the number of assistants. In one of his reports, Zakharov wrote that his employees were overworked and “from excessive work they were so exhausted that they constantly fell into obvious illnesses.”
Having preserved the configuration of the plan of the already existing building, Zakharov created a new, grandiose structure, giving it a majestic architectural appearance and emphasizing its central position in the city (the main highways converge towards it in three rays). The architect's predecessors did not have to create such extended facades as the Admiralty has (the main facade is 407 m, and each of the side facades is about 172 m). In the center of the building is a monumental stepped tower with a spire - the famous Admiralty Needle (72.5 m high), which has become a symbol of the city. The best Russian sculptors of that time were brought in to create the sculptural decoration (F.F. Shchedrin, I.I. Terebenev, S.S. Pimenov, V.I. Demut-Malinovsky, etc.). The construction of the Admiralty was the pinnacle of Zakharov’s creative genius, a masterpiece of Russian architecture.
The architect worked without sparing himself, without knowing rest. He literally burned out at work. Andreyan Zakharov died in St. Petersburg on August 27 (September 8), 1811, without having time to complete his great creation, which was destined to become outstanding work not only in the work of the architect himself, but also in all world architecture. He was buried at the Smolensk Orthodox Cemetery, next to his parents - D.V. Zakharov (1732-1810) and E.V. Zakharova (1740-1830). In 1936, their ashes and monument were moved to the 18th-century Necropolis (Lazarevskoye Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra). Only the grave of his brother, Yakov Dmitrievich (1765-1836), chemist, academician, founder of scientific aeronautics, remained at the Smolensk cemetery.
Andreyan Zakharov lived a relatively short but bright life creative life. He devoted himself entirely to architecture, he did not have his own home and family - the architect lived in a bachelor's government apartment provided to him by the Academy. In the year of his death, he had just turned 50 years old, and all the main projects were developed by him over the past ten years. At the beginning of the 19th century. Zakharov became the pioneer of the era of the highest development of Russian classicism, associated with the solution of a number of urban planning problems, and above all the problem of creating a single urban ensemble in the system of already existing streets and squares. This is the main historical merit and greatness of Andreyan Zakharov.
“This year the Academy lost its fellow member, professor of architecture, state councilor Zakharov, which loss, according to his information and talents, is very sensitive for the Academy. The experience of his talents and correct taste in construction can be sufficiently represented by one Admiralty building currently under construction, distinguished by its splendor and beauty."
(From the minutes of a meeting of the Academy of Arts in 1811)
Zakharov Andreyan Dmitrievich
Years of life: 1761 - 1811
Architect
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov is one of the most outstanding architects in the history of world architecture. His work marks the highest flowering of the Russian national architectural school of the era of classicism.
A.D. Zakharov was born on August 8, 1761 on the remote outskirts of St. Petersburg, near the mouth of the Fontanka River, into the poor family of a minor admiralty servant, warrant officer Dmitry Ivanovich Zakharov. On April 21, 1767, when Andreyan was not yet six years old, his father appointed him, at public expense, as a pupil at the art school at the Academy of Arts. From that time on, the entire life of the future architect was closely connected with the Academy.
On September 13, 1778, two years after transferring to the architectural class, Zakharov received a small silver medal for the design of a country house, and on September 29, 1780 he was awarded a large silver medal for “an architectural composition representing the house of princes.”
Closer to graduating from the Academy of Arts, on November 1, 1781, Zakharov was given a program - to develop a project for a “fax station” (station), intended for recreation and entertainment. For this project, at the final exam in 1782, Zakharov received a large gold medal, which entitled him to a pensioner's trip abroad to improve the knowledge acquired at the Academy of Arts.
Zakharov goes to Paris. Here he entered the workshop of one of the leading French architects, J. F. Chalgrin.
Since 1787 he has been teaching at the Academy of Arts.
The first graphic work of the architect known to date dates back to 1792 - a sketch of the ceremonial decoration on the occasion of the conclusion of peace in Iasi in December 1791, which marked the victory of the Russian army and navy over Turkey.
In 1794, Zakharov was appointed architect of all academic buildings.
At the end of 1799, by order of Paul I, he became the architect of the city of Gatchina.
The architect designed a number of structures in Gatchina Park. The most significant of them is the monastery of St. Harlampy.
St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt is the most significant building of all places of worship architect It was conceived as a monument to Russian military glory to commemorate the victory of the Russian fleet over the Swedes.
In accordance with Zakharov’s exemplary designs, numerous buildings for various purposes are being constructed in Poltava, Chernigov, Kazan, Simbirsk and other cities of Russia. They are worthy of special study.
In 1806, the architect was asked to consider the designs of the newly established Admiralty in Astrakhan for the Caspian Flotilla and two hospitals in Kazan and Arkhangelsk. Zakharov thoroughly reworked the rather weak projects drawn up locally and essentially composed new ones.
In 1811, Zakharov proposed a project for rebuilding the provision “shops” with their main facades facing the Neva. He significantly improved their proportions both overall and individual parts, introduced a number of simple but expressive architectural details. If this project were implemented, St. Petersburg would be enriched with another highly artistic work.
A more significant work of the architect than the Admiralty Barracks was the reconstruction of the Naval Hospital on Vyborg side(Vyborgskaya embankment, 1-3, - Klinicheskaya st., 2-4), where the Hospital Settlement arose already in Peter’s time.
Having assumed the position of chief architect in 1805, Zakharov first of all completed the work begun by Cameron and built a separate kitchen wing with a bakery on the side of the eastern building.
Of the entire architectural ensemble of the Marine Hospital, which once occupied a vast territory, the buildings rebuilt in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries have been preserved, and from Zakharov there is only a small fragment along Klinicheskaya Street.
Built in 1807-1811, the Artillery Laboratory existed for a little over ten years. During the great flood of 1824, all its buildings were destroyed.
In addition to design and construction, Zakharov carried out a lot of work in St. Petersburg repair work in New Holland (Moika River embankment, 103), in the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, the School of Naval Architecture, in the Admiralty Printing House on Vasilievsky Island, in the Invalid House on Kamenny Island and other various buildings that were primarily under the jurisdiction of the Naval Ministry.
The new Admiralty building was the pinnacle of Zakharov’s creative genius, a masterpiece of Russian architecture of all times.
The Admiralty plays an extremely important role both in the architecture of St. Petersburg and in Russian history in general.
To summarize, it should first of all be noted that Zakharov lived a relatively short but vibrant creative life. In the year of his death, he had just turned fifty years old, and all his major projects had been developed over the past ten years. He devoted himself entirely to architecture, he did not have his own home and family - the architect lived in a bachelor's government apartment provided to him by the Academy.
To achieve more unprecedented heights architectural creativity, the future great architect followed the path of long daily labor. He knew no rest. Despite the fact that Zakharov’s student works and earliest projects have not survived, it is possible to outline the main stages of his creative path. First of all, these are the years of study (1767-1786), which played a fundamental role in the formation of his professional skills.
1787-1800 - the next stage of Zakharov’s creativity. It is characterized by mastery of the practical side of the activities of an architect and builder. And for the formation of one’s own architectural style, the next stage is very important - 1800-1805. After a brief fascination with romanticism while working as the chief architect of the city of Gatchina, Zakharov returned to strict classicism in its transitional stage to high classicism. On at this stage It is noteworthy that Zakharov was influenced by the work of his senior contemporary, the architect F. I. Volkov, who gave the first examples of combining entire blocks of urban development with a single façade. This was a significant step on the path from strict to high classicism.
And finally, the most important and brightest stage creative biography architect - 1805-1811, when he was the chief architect of the Admiralty and implemented urban planning policies in all port cities Russian Empire. At this stage, the creativity of Zakharov the city planner unfolded to its full extent. Unfortunately, not all of the architect’s architectural and engineering ideas, which were far ahead of the era of classicism, were able to come to life, but they contributed to the further progressive development of human thought.
Zakharov at the beginning of the 19th century. becomes the pioneer of the era of the highest development of Russian classicism, associated with the solution of a number of urban planning problems, and above all the problem of creating a single urban ensemble in the system of already existing streets and squares. This is the main historical merit and greatness of Andreyan Zakharov.
Andreyan Zakharov
Did this man think that after many decades his name would become the personification of the Russian genius in architecture? Indeed, in the opinion of even other experts, he is the author of only one architectural monument, although his projects were carried out in many cities of Russia. A significant part of the plans were not realized either during the life or after the death of the master. How did the architect feel when he saw his best projects being destroyed by the ignorance and stupidity of officials? One can only guess about this...
HELL. Zakharov
Adrian (Andreyan) Dmitrievich Zakharov was born in 1761 into the family of an officer - a commoner by birth. From the age of five to twenty he studied at the Academy of Arts and, having received a large gold medal, was sent to Paris to continue his education with Professor Chalgrin. The exceptionally high assessment that the French architect gave to his Russian brother is well known.
Rice. V.G. Isachenko. "Poultry house" in Gatchina
Church in Malye Kolpany near Gatchina. Dimensional drawing V.G. Isachenko
The speed of Zakharov’s professional growth is amazing. Since 1794 - academician, since 1796 - professor at the Academy of Arts, at the end of the 18th century he became the city architect of Gatchina. For this St. Petersburg suburb, Adrian Dmitrievich performed a lot of work: he supervised the reconstruction of the palace, created designs for the monastery of St. Harlampius, a church and barracks in the area of Ekaterinverder, the Gatchina educational village for children (two options). Already here, his characteristic urban planning approach to design, sense of ensemble, and special attention to the general plan and layout of buildings were evident. Appearance of these unrealized structures is extremely modest, but noble.
On the banks of the Kolpanka River in Gatchina Park, Zakharov erected the “Farm” and “Poultry House” buildings (late 18th century). Roughly textured limestone slabs, Pudost stone, and high roofing give the “Farm” a special charm. The one-story building of the Poultry House with a Doric portico, balustrade and mezzanine facing the river is perfectly integrated into the landscape of “Sylvia” (the name of part of the park). The breadth of the master’s range is evidenced by the three-arched Lion’s Bridge spanning Karpin Pond (25 October Avenue). Zakharov’s handwriting is typical for the “Salt Stores” building located at 48 Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt. Despite the late distortions, one can see here the “Zakharov” proportions of the openings. One of the earliest buildings of the architect is a church built from a limestone slab in Malye Kolpany near Gatchina with “Gothic” lancet windows (the spire and bell towers, alas, were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and have not yet been restored). Along with N.A. Lvov Zakharov played a vital role in the formation of Gatchina at the turn of the 18th–19th centuries.
His merits in the development of other cities are also great. At the beginning of the century, the architect created many “exemplary projects” - military schools, residential buildings, government offices, governor’s houses, food warehouses for provincial cities. Zakharov himself considered their main properties to be economical and artistic expressiveness. These were two-story, sparsely decorated buildings, the appearance of which had a strong influence on the development of classicism in Russia and Ukraine. One of the most characteristic buildings is the governor's house in the center of Kaluga. There is no doubt that Zakharov influenced (if not directly participated in) the planning of Round Square in Poltava.
Adrian Dmitrievich participated in the compilation of the album “Russian Architecture” (as conceived by V.I. Bazhenov), created drawings of many masterpieces of architecture in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In the 1800s, Zakharov enjoyed unquestioned authority as an engineer, an expert in construction in the broadest sense of these words. He devoted a lot of time to consultations, designer supervision, examinations, drawing up calculations, estimates, and detailed explanatory notes. The architect supervised the construction of barracks on the Fontanka River embankment, 90, and the renovation of St. Nicholas Cathedral and its bell tower. And how many projects of other architects, corrected by Zakharov, were distributed throughout Russian cities! Adrian Dmitrievich himself traveled a lot around Russia, thoroughly becoming acquainted with the architecture of different eras.
Most of Zakharov's works have not survived to this day. However, without them it is impossible to get an idea of the gigantic work of the architect; a number of his buildings, especially in the provinces, are still waiting for their researchers. Unfortunately, the Admiralty Barracks (located on the site of the current Palace of Labor) have not survived: from the large complex of the Naval Hospital, rebuilt by him, only the kitchen building has survived; a number of his buildings, especially in the provinces, are still waiting for their researchers. The project of monumental, despite the low height, provision stores on the Neva embankment opposite the Mining Institute was not implemented. The originality of the author's style was manifested here in the special purity of forms, clarity of proportions, and the combination of narrow openings and wide partitions inherent only to this architect. Sculpture at the entrances, masks on the key stones are elements of Zakharov’s fundamental synthesis of arts.
Working as the chief architect of the Naval Department, Zakharov supervised many buildings in the country's admiralties. In St. Petersburg, he created wooden Admiralty stables on a stone foundation on Proviantsky Island, on the banks of the Moika at the mouth of the Neva. This group of projects includes plans Cadet Corps in Nikolaev, a hospital for Kazan and the unpreserved Black Sea hospital in Kherson - a whole complex of buildings with a courtyard-garden, with a compact layout of buildings.
Zakharov’s many-sided talent was appreciated by his contemporaries. The St. Petersburg Admiralty was admired by Pushkin, Batyushkov, Grigorovich, and many artists. This building is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a dominant feature of the city center, the main link in the system of its ensembles. It completes the perspectives of three streets, defining the famous three-ray layout of St. Petersburg. Without the Admiralty it is impossible to imagine the panorama of the Neva banks. The creation of Adrian Dmitrievich became the architectural symbol of the city on the Neva.
Admiralty
Admiralty
He received the order to rebuild the building erected by Ivan Korobov, becoming the chief architect of the Admiralty in 1805. In terms of the scope of the compositional concept, little can be compared with this work not only in Russian, but also in European architecture classicism. In it, Zakharov expressed not so much the symbol of the noble empire as the spiritual power of his people.
The three-axis composition is formed by a tower and two wings with twelve-column porticoes. Central four-tier tower with triumphal arch The gate is somewhat reminiscent of the gate towers of ancient Russian architecture.
The architect constantly varies the motif of the cube, including in the pavilions overlooking the Neva. The main facade, despite its length (more than four hundred meters), does not seem monotonous thanks to the precisely found proportions of the three-part composition, decorative flair, and a combination of creative inspiration and sober calculation.
Admiralty. Fragments of the facade
Zakharov showed respect for the works of his predecessor, one of the “chicks of Petrov’s nest,” Korobov (an example worthy of attention!), preserved the spire, tower, partially walls and even the axes of some openings created by him, but his work acquired a completely different sound. Windows and entrances are placed sparingly, the partitions are much wider than they were before, and this again evokes ancient Russian monuments, although similar techniques are also found in French architecture. The almost smooth walls of Zakharov’s creation with a minimum of decor evoke the feeling of powerful stonework. There are undoubtedly romantic elements in the appearance of the tower, which we see in a number of other works by the master. The Zakharov order is amazingly strict and noble - the main means plastic characteristics buildings. The drawing of the profiles is brilliant. The Admiralty forms “breathe” so widely and freely that even many monuments of the Classical era seem overly decorative in comparison with this building, and the neoclassical architecture of the early 20th century seems sham and pompous.
Admiralty Lobby
The Admiralty is not just a monument of classicism or empire style. Like all truly great creations of human genius, it is above the boundaries and canons of style. For its creator, the main thing was the artistic balance of the masses, the unity of urban planning, space planning, as well as social tasks. Every detail here is subordinated to the whole; thanks to the clarity of the author’s thinking, the gigantic building does not suppress a person, because everything is proportionate to him.
Adrian Dmitrievich died in 1811, when he was only fifty years old... The completion of work on the Admiralty was supervised by the assistants and employees of the architect - A.G. Bezhanov, D.I. Kalashnikov, I.G. Gomzin. But this monument of Russian glory, worthy to stand next to the best of the ancient kremlins and monasteries of Russia, has not reached us the way its creator wanted to see it. Even under Nicholas I, in place of the frieze, the windows of the third floor were broken through (however, this was done quite tactfully): in the 1860s, some of the statues were destroyed, in the 1870s, the canals inside the complex were filled up. In the second half of the century, the urban planning plan of the architect was violated by the construction of buildings that covered the facade of the Admiralty from the Neva with the exception of two pavilions.
In 1805, Zakharov built the Foundry Yard on the corner of Bolshoy Prospekt and the 4th line - one of the main attractions of the then capital (later it was rebuilt into apartments for employees of the Academy of Arts). Many monuments were cast here. Five years later, he rebuilt the Church of Our Lady at the Smolensk cemetery (erected in the 1780s by A. A. Ivanov).
The buildings of the barracks of the Izmailovsky Regiment at the intersection of Izmailovsky Prospekt and present-day Krasnoarmeyskiye streets have been preserved in a reconstructed form.
Two more significant works by Zakharov have been preserved in Leningrad. The well-known residential building of the Academy of Sciences on Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, 1, was rebuilt in 1808–1809 from a building erected according to the design of S.I. Chevakinsky. The construction was supervised by A.G. Bezhanov. The facades are laconic; the main one is decorated with a portico of Doric columns. The house, with many memorial plaques dedicated to the scientists who lived here, occupies important place in the development of Neva embankments.
Grave A.D. Zakharova
The clarity and rigor of the solution characteristic of Zakharov was also evident in house No. 26 on the embankment of the Fontanka River, the best building on the site between the Belinsky and Pestel bridges, with exquisite proportions in the forms of mature classicism.
As a member of the commission for the construction of the Exchange. Adrian Dmitrievich actively participated in the creation of the master plan for the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, the project for the buildings of the Academy of Sciences on the Neva embankment, including the work of D. Quarenghi in the complex. His comments were taken into account by T. de Thomon, erecting the rostral columns.
Unfortunately, St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt and the Church of Peter and Paul near St. Petersburg (in the village of Aleksandrovskoye) have not survived to this day. Zakharov also rebuilt the Invalid House on the banks of the Bolshaya Nevka near the Kamennoostrovsky Bridge (in the 1970s the building was rebuilt again).
In my own way imaginative thinking Zakharov is a deeply national architect. The fruitful influence of his art is felt in the works of A.A. Mikhailova, A.I. Melnikova, V.P. Stasova, N.I. Martos, D.I. Kalashnikov. However, the legacy of the great master not only lives in the creations of his students, but is itself an enduring value. Zakharov can be ranked among the greatest representatives not only of Russian architecture, but of Russian culture as a whole. The architects of post-war Leningrad were inspired by his work.
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov (1761-1811)
Architect Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov, the famous architect of Russian classicism-empire, immortalized himself with the construction of the unique Admiralty building in Leningrad. A.D. Zakharov entered Russian architecture as one of its most gifted representatives, as a talented urban planner who boldly solved the most difficult architectural problems of his time. He paid great attention to the organization of construction, issues of planning individual villages, reconstruction of previously built structures, architecturally complete solutions for small, utilitarian buildings, etc. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of A.D. Zakharov for Russian architecture at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. With the Admiralty he created, he summed up a significant stage in the development of Russian architecture and urban planning and determined their further development for decades.
Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov was born on August 19, 1761 in the family of a minor employee of the Admiralty Collegium, ensign Dmitry Ivanovich Zakharov. For six years he was sent to school at the Academy of Arts. Thus, his future path to art and architecture was, as it were, predetermined. After graduating from college, he moved to the “architectural classes” of the Academy, where he continued his education. Awards for successful course projects, testifying to his great talent, follow one after another.
In 1778 for the project " Country house"he received a second silver medal, and two years later, in 1780, for the project "The House of Princes" - the first silver medal. In the fall of the following year, he graduated from the Academy with a large gold medal. He received it for thesis, depicting the "Pleasure House" (Foxal). This difference gave A.D. Zakharov the right to retire abroad.
Following the established tradition, in the fall of the same year A.D. Zakharov went to France along with other students of the Academy who distinguished themselves in the final exams.
Arriving in Paris, A.D. Zakharov tried to get into the workshop of the famous French architect de Vally, who once taught Bazhenov. “I was introduced to him,” Zakharov wrote to the Academy, “but he could not take me as his student, ... he did not have a place, but he allowed me to bring my work, which he never refused to anyone...”
A.D. Zakharov had to look for another leader who could complete his education with his advice and instructions. After working for six months with the little-known architect Belicar, A.D. Zakharov, not satisfied with him, moved to Chalgrin, under whose leadership he worked until the end of his retirement.
A.D. Zakharov regularly reported to the Academy about his studies: “I continue to go to the Royal Academy for lectures,” he wrote, “I take the program when asked at the Academy, and from time to time I copy from the master’s works” (report dated December 27, 1783) . In July of the following year, 1784, he reported sending one of his projects to St. Petersburg: “I compiled and drew the program that was given by Mr. Chalgrin... under whose supervision I worked on it.”
Despite complete satisfaction with his leader and his advice, A.D. Zakharov, however, sought to go to Italy, this promised land of all people art XVIII V. A visit to the famous monuments of Rome and northern Italy, their study and sketching, as it were, completed the completed course of study. On April 20, 1785, he officially informed the Academy of his “intolerant and cruel” desire to visit Italy with its artistic and architectural treasures. "No matter how glorious the masters are in architecture school in France,” wrote Zakharov, “however, the assistance that an artist can have is always very superior to those that Italy will give him, where art was raised to a high degree of perfection.” The Academy of Arts did not object to A. D. Zakharov’s trip to Italy , but did not release the money for it. The young architect did not have his own funds, and his ardent desire remained unfulfilled. In May 1786, A.D. Zakharov returned to his homeland.
In the same year, on December 1, A.D. Zakharov was recognized as “appointed” to compete for the title of academician. He was given a topic: "House for public entertainment." As can be seen, public buildings increasingly won a place in the competitive tests of the Academy of Arts. A.D. Zakharov completed the project on the proposed topic only eight years later - in 1794, when he was awarded the title of academician. Such a long delay in the execution of the project was caused by a lot of teaching work, to which the young architect was invited. He began this work at the Academy of Arts already in 1787 and did not interrupt it until his death. He led it both during the years of the most intensive work on the project and during the construction of the Admiralty, when this colossal building absorbed all his attention and energy.
The first work known to us by A. D. Zakharov should be considered the design of the ceremonial decoration in connection with the conclusion of peace with Turkey in Iasi in December 1791. This early architectural work of A. D. Zakharov was made in the typical manner of the 18th century, with its passion for allegories. An “explanation of the drawing” by the author himself has been preserved, which figuratively reveals to us the thoughts that formed the basis of this project: “The temple of Russian prosperity is depicted in solemn decoration. In the middle of the temple there is an altar with a flame lit on it... Along the entrance to the temple there are land and sea trophies signifying victories last war... At the ends of the entrance, two obelisks were erected, on which are the coats of arms of the Russian provinces. To one Genius they add a medallion with the inscription: Ochakov and along the Dniester... The temple and monuments are based on a stone mountain. The mountain signifies firmness and steadfastness."
In this architectural decoration, much has not yet found a final solution, there is an excessive abundance of all kinds of architectural forms, not to mention some inconsistency in the scales of individual parts of the composition. But even in this early project of A.D. Zakharov we find those techniques and that monumentalism that would later be developed by the master in his subsequent works.
The practical activity of A. D. Zakharov as an architect began only in recent years XVIII century. In 1800 he was appointed architect of the city of Gatchina. Here he carries out work on the palace, draws up, according to the extravagant thoughts of Emperor Paul, a design for the Kharlampy monastery, which was supposed to be built not far from the palace, and builds a number of park pavilions. Of these works, the most interesting is the building of the "poultry house" or "pheasant house". The building, like the palace, is made of local, natural stone. The central part is especially attractive. Its columns and pilasters, covered with longitudinal flutes, stand out especially favorably against the background of the shaded walls of the loggia (a type of indentation in the mass of the building). The central part is topped with a balustrade made of heavy cabinets with balls and beautiful figured balusters. The windows of the second floor under the loggia and the side wings end with arches. This technique, like the hewn seams between the stones, enhances the meaning of the material - the stone from which the building is made. The round towers on the side facades are no less monumental than the central part.
In this early building of A.D. Zakharov one can already discern those characteristic features of the master’s architecture that would later become the leitmotifs of his works. Strict simplicity and monumentality of forms are what attracts A.D. Zakharov, what he strives for and what he achieves with such perfection.
After Pavel's death, work in Gatchina was interrupted. A.D. Zakharov went to a number of provincial cities, where he had to choose places for the construction of military school buildings. At the same time, he drew up a design for the church at the Alexander Manufactory, which was built in 1804. Despite the fact that the architectural traditions of the 18th century. here are still quite clearly visible, yet individual parts of the building, such as the columned portico, the treatment of the walls of the temple, etc., allow us to see the features in this work new architecture, which later received the name Empire style. The construction of this temple, as well as the drafting of standard buildings government agencies for provincial and district cities, it was, as it were, a preparation for that enormous work that was supposed to absorb all the forces of the architect.
On May 25, 1805, A.D. Zakharov was appointed “Chief Admiralty Architect.” This date is significant in the life of the architect. He embarks on a path of intense architectural activity, the result of which is the construction of a new Admiralty building, which brought him world fame.
Even during the time of Peter, the architect Korobov, on his order, built the wooden building of the first Admiralty. It served not only as a place where the administration of the Russian fleet was located, but was mainly intended for the repair and construction of Russian warships. Long, low buildings, surrounded in case of military danger by ditches and earthen bastions, formed a figure in plan that resembled a large, somewhat elongated letter P. Only in the center of these buildings stood a hundred-meter tower, topped with a spire with a boat at the top, this symbol of the Admiralty. Initially, this building had almost nothing to do with the architectural landscape of the new capital, especially since the central part of the city, with all the palaces and government buildings, was supposed to be located on Vasilyevsky Island. The rest of the city was supposed to be located on the opposite, right, bank of the Neva. Only the tall tower with a spire seemed to echo the slender bell tower of the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress, crowned with the same spire - a needle.
But over time, the position of the Admiralty in the city changed greatly. From a building that stood on the edge of the city, it turned into almost its main structure. In any case, by the time of A.D. Zakharov, it played, even in its unassuming form, a prominent role in the city. Through the efforts of Russian architects - Zakharov, Eropkin and Obukhov - in mid-18th century V. The layout of St. Petersburg was streamlined. Three avenues, which were the main streets of the capital, decorated with wonderful palaces, private houses, temples and government buildings, converged at the base of the Admiralty Tower. Contrary to the original plan, the city began to be built on the left bank of the Neva, on the so-called Admiralty side. The best and most important buildings of the city were concentrated here. Thanks to this, the Admiralty occupied a very special place in the city and its architecture. From a practical, industrial structure, it turned into a building that played a huge architectural and organizational role in the city.
But to early XIX century, when St. Petersburg was decorated with buildings of exceptional craftsmanship and beauty, the old Admiralty of Korobov could no longer fulfill the role that it was now endowed with through the efforts of many architects of the 18th century. Naturally, the building had to be radically rebuilt according to the new position it occupied in the city. This difficult but honorable task fell to the lot of A.D. Zakharov.
A.D. Zakharov approached its resolution primarily as an architect and urban planner. He realized that he had to build not a separate beautiful building, but the main building of the capital of Russia. And he built this building. The great plans of Bazhenov, who dreamed of rebuilding the center of Moscow in the form of one grandiose structure, came to life again in the projects of A.D. Zakharov in St. Petersburg.
One of the great merits of A.D. Zakharov was that he preserved the tower with the Korobov spire, dressing it only in a new outfit that suited it. Thus, continuity was maintained with the building that was once built by order of Peter. But A.D. Zakharov gave his building much more higher value than it had before. His Admiralty became a monument to the great act of founding St. Petersburg as a capital, as a port, as a “window to Europe.” The Admiralty became the symbol of the city.
A.D. Zakharov retained the diagram of the previous plan in the form of the letter P. The tower, as before, was the node of the entire architectural composition. The architect put all his talent into it. The tower became the personification of the strength of the Russian fleet. The bottom of the tower is a mighty cube in the form of a single mass. In its thickness there are arched gates leading to the courtyard of the Admiralty. The rows of keystones above the double arch indicate its load. Trumpets of “glory” on its sides, a bas-relief “for the establishment of a fleet in Russia” and graces carrying the earthly sphere complement the decoration of this part of the tower. At the same time, these sculptures, with their composition and their main lines, echoed the architectural lines, thereby creating a deep unity connecting sculpture with architecture. In addition, the theme of the sculptures revealed the meaning of Peter’s greatest deeds.
Over this heavy mighty foundation there is a light tower, framed like a wreath by a colonnade and decorated with numerous sculptures. A golden spire with a golden boat at the top easily and swiftly rises into the sky, completing the dome of this majestic structure. Considering usually cloudy sky above the capital, A.D. Zakharov used not only gold (the spire), but also painted the entire building yellow and white. Therefore, even on the darkest days of bad weather, the Admiralty always seems joyful, light, bright, shining, as if bathed in the rays of the bright sun.
It was much more difficult to solve the buildings that stretched out on both sides of the tower. In total, they form a façade that is up to 400 meters long. Such a length of the facade threatened that the building could visually easily fall apart into separate parts that were almost unrelated to each other or look boring, “official.” But A.D. Zakharov overcame this difficulty. By skillfully arranging columned porticos or individual projections of the building, alternating them with the laconically processed walls of the main buildings and skillfully subordinating them to the tower, he avoided possible shortcomings. The Admiralty building does not fall apart into its individual parts; on the contrary, it looks like a single, mighty mass, occupying a huge block of the city. The overall unity and grandiose scale secured for it the role and significance in the architecture of the city that the architect gave it.
The side buildings on the Neva side are no less brilliantly completed. Both of them end in paired pavilions. In the center of these pavilions are arches that once blocked the canal leading to the courtyard of the Admiralty. Small ships entered this channel for repairs in the Admiralty workshops. On the sides of the arches, crossed anchors are fixed on pedestals - these are symbols of the fleet. The pavilions are topped with low cylinders on which flagpoles are mounted in the intertwined tails of dolphin sculptures. On both sides of the central parts of the pavilions with their arches there are columned porticoes, architecturally connecting these parts of the building with the rest of the Admiralty building.
The Admiralty, like no other building of that era, is richly decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs made by the best Russian sculptors of that time. Decorative stucco molding, figured bas-reliefs, pediments, and individual sculptures adorn the work of A.D. Zakharov in exceptional abundance. Thanks to this, despite the severity of architectural forms and lines, the building as a whole looks extremely plastic, devoid of dryness and monotony.
Despite the fact that the Admiralty was completed after the death of its author, despite the fact that it has undergone a number, sometimes even significant, changes, it still makes a strong impression on the viewer. The Admiralty personifies the city, and it is not for nothing that its image is embossed on the medal dedicated to the great defense of the city from the fascist hordes that dreamed of capturing it in 1941-1942. It stands among the greatest architectural works of the world. One can be amazed at how the architect could, within six years, not only design this colossal structure, but also complete all its main details. Despite this enormous work, A.D. Zakharov also performed a number of other works related to his position as an architect of the Naval Department. So, simultaneously with the implementation of the first version of the Admiralty, he designs and builds a cathedral in Kronstadt, many of the details and parts of which are very close to the corresponding parts of the Admiralty.
Among these works, the project “Marine Provision Stores” stands out, where the style of the master, which so attracted us to the Admiralty, seemed to be reflected even more fully. The enormous building is designed in calm, laconic and monumental forms. Not a single column, so beloved by Empire style architects, adorns the “shop” building. Nevertheless, it attracts us with the grace and nobility of its forms, the measured rhythm of windows and entrances. Only here and there sculptural bas-reliefs modestly decorate this monumental structure.
In addition to this project, A.D. Zakharov created a project for a hospital built in Kherson, the Gatchina educational settlement, etc. But all these works, no matter how interesting they are, cannot compare with the Admiralty, which is a true unsurpassed jewel of the architecture of Russian classicism -empire
The Academy of Arts noted this sudden and so difficult loss. In the report for 1811 we read: “This year the Academy lost its fellow member, professor of architecture, state councilor Zakharov, which loss, according to his information and talents, is very sensitive for the Academy. One can sufficiently imagine the experience of his talents and correct taste in buildings The Admiralty building now under construction, distinguished by its splendor and beauty."
About A. D. Zakharov: Grabar I., History of Russian Art, vol. III; Historical exhibition of architecture 1911, St. Petersburg, 1912; Lansere N., Zakharov and his Admiralty, "Old Years", St. Petersburg, 1912; His, the Main Admiralty and the history of its creation, "Maritime Collection", L., 1926, No. 8-9; Grimm G. G., Architect Andreyan Zakharov. Life and creativity, M., 1940.
