St. Petersburg, or, as it was also called, Northern Palmyra, owes its magnificent appearance not least to European architects, whom the Russian monarchs invited for its decoration and arrangement. Among them is the architect Montferrand. Many of his creations today are one of the most famous symbols of the city on the Neva and adorn most tourist avenues.
Auguste Montferrand: biography (childhood)
Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand was born in 1786 in Chaillot (now part of Paris). As the architect himself admitted in the future, his parents came up with a legend about their aristocratic origin, adding to the surname the name of the estate that they actually owned.
After the death of Auguste's father, his mother remarried. The stepfather, who was a well-known architect, immediately fell in love with a smart little boy and did everything to get a decent education.
Youth
In 1806, Auguste Montferrand entered the Paris Academy of Architecture, where his teachers were P. Fontenay, S. Persie and step-father Antoine Commarier. Under the leadership of the latter, he took part in the construction of the church of Mary Magdalene. However, he was soon drafted into the army, and for some time he served in Italy.
Upon returning to Paris, at the age of 26, Auguste Montferrand married, and after a while he himself expressed a desire to enter the Napoleonic Guard. In the battle of Arno, he proved himself a brave warrior and was awarded the Legion of Honor. Perhaps Montferrand would have continued his military career if it had not been for the defeat of Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig, shortly after which the young man resigned.
Meeting with Alexander the First
Today it may seem strange, but in the defeated France, the majority of citizens treated the Russian monarch without any hostility. Moreover, Auguste Montferrand was simply happy when he received an audience with Alexander the First. He presented the Tsar with an album with several architectural projects, on the cover of which was written a dedication to the Russian emperor. Among them were sketches of a colossal obelisk, an equestrian statue, the Arc de Triomphe , etc. The Tsar especially liked the fact that a short list of building materials necessary for the implementation of a project was attached to the drawings, and the approximate cost of expenses was indicated.
Some time after the audience, the architect Montferrand received an official letter in which he was invited to come to St. Petersburg on behalf of Alexander the First.
Relocation to Russia
Auguste Montferrand did not hesitate at all before deciding on the fundamental changes in his life. In 1816, the architect arrived in the Northern capital with a letter of recommendation from Abraham-Louis Breguet to Augustine Betancourt. The latter served as chairman of the city planning committee of St. Petersburg, and his patronage could be extremely useful to the Parisian architect. Betancourt was impressed by the letter to Breguet, who was his business partner in the 1770s, so he cordially received the Frenchman and agreed to read his drawings. He liked the work, and he invited the young man to take the post of head of the draftsmen in the committee he led. However, the architect Montferrand modestly refused and preferred to be enlisted as a senior draftsman. The talented Frenchman officially entered the Russian service on December 21, 1816.
The first building, which the architect Montferrand built in the Russian capital, was the house of Lobanov-Rostovsky. It was located on Admiralteysky Prospekt, and later the Ministry of War was placed there.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Auguste Montferrand was able to quickly establish himself in the new service. More than 7 years have passed since his arrival in Russia, when Alexander the First announced the competition for the construction of a new cathedral on the site of the old Isakievsky. Moreover, a prerequisite for the approval of the project was the preservation of the already consecrated three altars. In 1813, they again began to look for an architect who could cope with such a task. The highest approval was given to the project presented by Montferrand. It was approved on February 20, 1818. Construction lasted more than 40 years, and it was completed only during the reign of Alexander the Second.
The work of the architect was generously rewarded. Montferand received the high rank of a real state councilor and a silver fee of 40,000 rubles. In addition, he was awarded a gold medal decorated with diamonds.
Alexander Column
For the first decade of his stay in Russia, in addition to the already mentioned structures, Montferrand designed the Lyceum Richelieu building in Odessa, the Kochubey Palace, the Industrial Complex in Nizhny Novgorod, the Moscow Manege and others.
In 1829, Nicholas II decided to perpetuate the memory of the victory of his brother. According to his plan, the Alexander Column was to rush upward on Palace Square . Auguste Montferrand was better than other colleagues in the development of her project, especially since for many years he had hatched the idea of such a structure. The construction took 5 years and in 1834 the grand opening of this monument took place in front of the Winter Palace, which today is considered one of the decorations of the city on the Neva. As a sign of gratitude for the work, Montferrand was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the third degree, and his fee was 100,000 rubles in silver.
last years of life
After a divorce from his first wife, Montferrand remained lonely for many years, until in 1835 he married a former actress, Frenchwoman Elise Debonier, who remained with him until the last days of his life. The last work of the architect was the project of the monument to Emperor Nicholas I in St. Petersburg. Death prevented Montferrand from completing this work, and the work was completed by architect D. Efimov.
Now you know the details of the life that the architect who built St. Isaac's Cathedral lived. Auguste Montferrand spent more than 40 years in Russia and is the author of many structures, which even today admire the perfection of forms and originality of design.