On September 15, 2018, the Chapel – the most romantic pavilion of the Alexander Park – reopened to visitors after restoration. For more than seventy years, the building had been in a state of disrepair. Like other "Gothic" structures in Alexander Park, the Chapel was designed by Adam Menelas. It consists of two square-plan towers, one of which had completely "collapsed," connected by a wide arch. To enhance the "Gothic" image, stained glass was installed in the windows, and the light passing through them illuminated the interior with a ghostly shimmer, featuring figures of angels at the bases of the vaults. These figures were created by Vasily Demut-Malinovsky. The statue of Christ, once housed in the Chapel (now part of the State Hermitage collection), was purchased from the famous German sculptor Johann Heinrich von Dannecker by the widowed Empress Maria Feodorovna and gifted to her son, Emperor Alexander I.

The "Chapel" pavilion (from the French chapelle – chapel) was built between 1825 and 1828 to house a marble statue of Jesus Christ, created by the renowned German sculptor Dannecker, a student of Canova and professor in Stuttgart. Empress Maria Feodorovna purchased the statue for 100,000 rubles intending to place it in one of Moscow’s churches, but later changed her mind and gifted the statue to Emperor Alexander I. The pavilion’s design was by architect Menelas. The building was constructed to resemble a Gothic chapel ruined by time, consisting of two square towers, one of which was deliberately made to appear completely collapsed. They are connected by a beautiful arch; if you shout loudly inside it, you will hear an amazing echo. The chapel’s windows were fitted with stained glass depicting biblical scenes. Sunlight streaming through them illuminated the angel statues standing at the base of the vault. A weather vane in the shape of a rooster crowns the central tower of the intact chapel. Legend has it that Jesus Christ once appeared in a dream to the architect, and since then the image of the Savior occupied his thoughts so much that he began to believe it was a higher power urging him to work. After eight years of trials and errors, Dannecker completed his creation. The statue of the Savior is full of sadness and divine grace: one hand of Jesus is placed on his heart, the other outstretched. While working, the artist constantly read the Bible and the Gospel, and whenever he found a new characteristic trait, he immediately corrected the statue. His work, besides spiritual grandeur and artistic beauty, also bears the mark of piety.

Rumor has it that members of the "Aum Shinrikyo" sect gathered in the chapel, and the secret signs and the mask of Tutankhamun painted on the walls are their handiwork. There is testimony that in 1921 two passages from the tower were bricked up because robbers were hiding there. According to local elders, this chapel was highly respected by Freemasons, who came here at night to pray and engage in spiritual contemplation.

The pavilion "Chapel," built in the 19th century in the form of a Gothic chapel ruined by time, suffered numerous damages during the Great Patriotic War. The tower’s roof was especially affected. In the early post-war years, due to a complete lack of materials and the inability to carry out repairs, the damage worsened. By the late 1940s, as recorded in a historical report, "most of the iron was torn off, the remnants hung down and were further torn off by the wind. Due to prolonged leaks, the rafter system partially rotted; the brickwork of the ruined part and the stone staircase were partially damaged by shells. Window and door frames were completely broken out... the sculpture had partial damage; the stucco angel figures too." The chapel’s interior and the rooster weather vane also suffered.

Specialists carried out a large volume of work: repair and reinforcement of the building’s structural elements; repair and restoration of the tower’s spire; roof repairs; restoration of carpentry fillings; equipping the building with engineering and technical systems; restoration of the chapel’s interior. Inside, the restoration of the stucco Gothic vault and conservation of the original painted decoration were performed. The pavilion’s roof was originally adorned with a copper weather vane in the shape of a rooster – a symbol of the apostle Peter’s denial. The weather vane bore bullet marks from the Great Patriotic War, and its tail was completely lost. A replica of the rooster was installed on the roof, and before its installation in July 2018, museum staff placed a capsule with a message to descendants in its base.

The chapel’s interior is decorated with paintings imitating "Gothic" windows and fabric with a light blue border. Restorers conserved the surviving fragments of the painting and toned the areas of complete loss.

The ceiling of the chapel’s main room features a fan vault characteristic of late English Gothic buildings. During its cleaning, restorers discovered the historical color. Afterwards, it was decided to tone the areas of significant loss in the historical color.

In place of the statue of the Savior, now part of the Hermitage collection, the Chapel houses a sculpture of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna (Adini), daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, by Ivan Vitali. The sculpture comes from the lost Small Chapel, which stood on the shore of the Lamsky Pond; for the last decades, it was kept in the museum’s collections.

Sources:

https://www.tzar.ru/objects/alexandrovskypark/newgarden/shapel

https://pushkin.spb.ru/encycl/parks/shapel.html