Rastrelli’s legacy was remembered in St. Petersburg

Saint Petersburg. A round table was held in St. Petersburg dedicated to the legacy of one of the main architects of the city – Francesco Rastrelli. The discussion was timed to coincide with the 253rd anniversary of the great architect, and one of its central topics was the possibility of realizing the master’s unrealized project – the bell tower of the Smolny Cathedral.

Photo: ABN24

Participation in the round table “Architect from God. Rastrelli Temples in St. Petersburg” was received by representatives of the architectural community and experts in the city protection field. The event took place in the House of Journalists on April 25 with the assistance of the Union of Architects of St. Petersburg and the Mamoshin Architectural Studio.

In total, six specialists made presentations at the round table. Other experts took part in the discussions.

The meeting opened with the screening of a video telling about the role of Rastrelli in shaping the appearance of St. Petersburg. The Italian architect really made a significant contribution to the image of the imperial capital. It was thanks to him that St. Petersburg acquired its main architectural treasures – the Winter Palace, the Great Palace in Peterhof, the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, the Stroganov and Vorontsov palaces, as well as the ensemble of the Smolny Monastery were built according to Rastrelli’s designs.

“This city has a certain phenomenon. In general, Russian culture differs from world culture in its pace, conventional stages and results of development. This also applies to the culture of St. Petersburg. Suffice it to say that in 300 years Russia has done what European countries have been doing for thousands of years. I would call St. Petersburg the most European city. This is an amazing fusion of Russian sensuality, mentality and spirituality,” said Vladimir Grigoriev, President of the St. Petersburg Union of Architects, Honored Architect of the Russian Federation, in his opening remarks.

Most of the round table speeches were dedicated to the Smolny Monastery. The central theme was the reconstruction of its bell tower according to Rastrelli’s design. The belfry, which, according to the architect’s plan, was to become the tallest in the world, was never fully erected, and what had already been built was dismantled.

As the head of the department of St. Petersburg State Agrarian University Sergei Sementsov noted in his report, the Smolny Monastery created by the architect became not only an important architectural ensemble, but also a sacred place of the city. A member of the expert council for the preservation of historical heritage, Dmitry Shatilov, outlined the terminological discussions that today accompany the idea of ​​reviving the bell tower. And Kirill Yakovlev, associate professor of environmental design at the Stieglitz Academy, spoke about the difficulties he had to face when creating a scaled-down copy of the Smolny Monastery model.

Experts began to study the belfry project in detail back in 2010, noted Mikhail Mamoshin, vice-president of the St. Petersburg Union of Architects, in his speech. Excavations at the site where the bell tower was supposed to grow showed that the foundation had already been laid and the first tier, as high as the cell buildings, had been built.

If Rastrelli’s idea can be realized, the belfry will rise 174.5 meters, thus becoming the tallest in the world. Experts performed the calculations using an original wooden model stored at the Academy of Arts.

At the same time, it is unlikely that it will be possible to recreate the bell tower on a historical site, Mikhail Mamoshin emphasized. The fact is that there are monuments of federal significance nearby, and any work inside it could cause harm. Therefore, the only option is to move the belfry to another place – Rastrelli Square or the alignment of Orlovskaya Street and the Neva embankment.

Following the round table, a discussion was held on the reconstruction of the bell tower of the Smolny Monastery. Anna Khmeleva, the moderator of the meeting and the secretary of the board of trustees of the Foundation for the Promotion of Historical and Cultural Objects, answered all the questions from the discussion participants.

According to the expert, the existence of the Smolny Monastery belfry project and its construction up to the second tier is a proven historical fact. Moreover, the author did not abandon the idea. Anna Khmeleva recalled that Francesco Rastrelli was forced to leave Russia in 1764, and the construction of the bell tower according to his plan continued until 1767. More than 50 years later, the erected tier was dismantled.