Almost every resident of St. Petersburg, when mentioning house No. 23 on Zakharyevskaya Street in St. Petersburg, will immediately say that it is the "Egyptian House." And this is no coincidence; even with a brief glance, you immediately immerse yourself in the world of pharaohs, pyramids, sphinxes, and legends of ancient Egypt.

This building on Zakharyevskaya is the former income house of Larisa Ivanovna Nezhinskaya, wife of the actual state councilor and lawyer Nezhinsky. The Nezhinskaya House is the only vivid example of the Egyptian style in the Northern capital. The concept to build an income house that was original and capable of surprising was realized at the request of the client.

Above the side entrances of the income house, framed by figures of Egyptians, are rectangular bay windows. In the central part of the facade between the windows are 8 massive half-columns. The columns protruding from the walls are crowned with the heads of the four-faced goddess of love, whose image is executed unusually in accordance with the Art Nouveau style in which the project’s architect, Mikhail Songailo, worked. Songailo was a hereditary nobleman. After studying at the Higher Art School at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Petersburg, he went to Italy to perfect his skills. By the time he received the order from Nezhinskaya, he had served as a teacher and dean of the architectural faculty of the Higher Women's Polytechnic Courses.

At that time, many creative figures were interested in mysticism, occultism, and ancient teachings. Songailo was no exception; there is a legend that the architect dedicated the work to his wife, who was fascinated by Egyptian themes. His enthusiasm for innovations in architecture inspired him to create something unusual even for Petersburg — a house with a thoughtful layout, a lift with an automated hoist, and, most importantly, a striking appearance. The work was completed in 1913. Nezhinskaya and her husband's wish was fulfilled — the house delighted the people of Petersburg. The poet Osip Mandelstam wrote in "The Egyptians" in 1913: "I have built myself a house of prosperity."

The window frames and reliefs on the walls are also decorated in the Egyptian style. In the center is an arch leading to the inner courtyard. The ceiling and walls of the arch are entirely decorated with images of flying birds and winged solar disks. The facade, arch, and inner courtyard of Nezhinskaya’s income house are adorned with stylized scarabs, winged solar disks, and lotuses. Experts believe that the main entrance of the house resembles the gates to the temple of the Egyptian goddess Hathor, whose face can be seen above the arch at the level of the 2nd floor. On both sides of the arch are two symmetrical entrances, each door guarded by statues of the sun god Ra wearing loincloths with crossed arms. Each entrance is protected by a sculpture of the sun god Ra holding an ankh — the symbol of life — in crossed hands. The entire facade is richly decorated with bas-reliefs depicting goddesses, scenes from life, mainly agricultural work, disks with mythical creatures, half-columns, and pilasters. To this day, the old decorative elements of the main entrance and the monumental wooden doors painted with Egyptian motifs have been excellently preserved.

For the author Songailo, inspiration came from examples of the burial of Egyptian pharaohs. Bas-reliefs with scenes from the afterlife can be seen on the upper floors. Thanks to the Egyptian theme, the architect managed to create a mansion in the style of strict neoclassicism or Art Nouveau, yet unlike any other house of its style or in the city as a whole.

Thanks to the invaluable array of decorative elements on the ancient Egyptian theme, this house became one of the pinnacles of Russian Art Nouveau architecture. By the number of snakes used in the facade decoration, Nezhinskaya’s house is recognized as the most "snake-filled" building among the interesting places in Petersburg. "This is the most snake-filled house in St. Petersburg, as it is called. Because it has the most images of snakes. Also, there are bas-reliefs depicting the goddess Hathor. This goddess is the guardian of femininity and the sky. The most interesting thing is that during the blockade, a cannon stood on the roof of this house and, probably with the blessing of the goddess Hathor, guarded the Petersburg sky because the house was not damaged.

There is a legend that if you kiss under the arch of this house, somewhere in the center of this arch, you can preserve your love with the one you kiss forever — under the protection of the Egyptian gods." Such is the recipe for eternal love. But perhaps it is worth clarifying that the goddess Hathor, as other townspeople assure, was helped in protecting the Leningrad sky by the turret on the roof, from which aimed fire was directed at fascist bombers. And this turret has been preserved.

Sources:

https://peterburg.center/story/dohodnyy-dom-l-i-nezhinskoy-nepodrazhaemyy-vo-vsyom-gorode-egipetskiy-sankt-peterburg.html

https://saint-petersburg.ru/m/history/emtsov/371618/

https://www.citywalls.ru/house16123.html

https://topspb.tv/news/2019/05/25/progulki-po-peterburgu-legenda-egipetskogo-doma/