In the center of Manezhnaya Square, there is a small park with a fountain and benches. In this park, in 2003, busts of Italian architects were installed, gifted by the government of Italy and the city of Milan — a sister city of Saint Petersburg — to commemorate the 300th anniversary of our city. These four great architects largely shaped the face of the city we see today.
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an Italian who came to Petersburg in the mid-18th century with his father, sculptor Carlo Rastrelli, at the invitation of Peter I himself. The first equestrian monument to Peter I in front of the Mikhailovsky Castle is the work of Carlo Rastrelli.
Rastrelli the Younger became the chief court architect under Anna Ioannovna, building palaces for her and her favorite, Duke Biron. The peak of his career came during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. It was then that the Elizabethan Baroque style flourished — the style in which Rastrelli worked.
The Grand Peterhof Palace, the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, the Winter Palace — these are just a few of his works in Petersburg. Also, the ensemble of the Smolny Monastery with the magnificent Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. Today, the square in front of it bears Rastrelli’s name. This was the finale of his work, which, unfortunately, he did not complete. Catherine II, who came to power, did not like Baroque and dismissed the architect. Rastrelli left Russia for Mitava, where he lived until the end of his days.
Rastrelli was succeeded by Antonio Rinaldi, also an Italian. As the architect of the Small Court, he built the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum for the grand dukes Peter Fyodorovich and Ekaterina Alekseyevna (the future Peter III and Catherine II). Rinaldi worked excellently with artificial stone and even had a special team of craftsmen who fulfilled his orders. The Grand Gatchina Palace and the Marble Palace for Count Orlov are also his works. The third St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Prince Vladimir Cathedral were built according to his designs.
While constructing the Grand Stone Theater, erected on Carousel (today Theater) Square, Antonio Rinaldi fell from the scaffolding and was injured; he then resigned and left Russia, moving to Rome.
Giacomo Quarenghi, a native of the glorious town of Bergamo in northern Italy, was an architect and artist. He studied in Rome and came to Russia to work under contract during the reign of Catherine II. Like Peter I before her, Catherine also had agents in Europe who invited masters to work in Russia.
Quarenghi had no students but left behind his works — the Academy of Sciences and the Hermitage Theatre, the palace of the Yusupov princes on Sadovaya Street, the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, the Horse Guards Manege, and the Smolny Institute.
During the war with Napoleon, the King of Italy ordered all Italians to return to their homeland. Quarenghi did not obey the order and was sentenced to death and confiscation of property (in absentia, of course). He was not very troubled by this and happily lived the last 37 years of his life in Russia, passing away in 1817.
Karl Ivanovich Rossi (or Carlo di Giovanni Rossi, to be precise) was born in Italy but came to Russia at the age of two with his mother and stepfather, famous ballet dancers. He graduated from Petrischule (the school at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul), then was fortunate to work as an assistant to architect Vincenzo Brenna on the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle.
The genius of Karl Ivanovich Rossi created the ensembles of all the central squares of Petersburg: Palace Square — with the building of the General Staff; Senate Square — with the buildings of the Senate and Synod; Theater Square — with the Mikhailovsky Palace; and Alexandrinsky Square (today Ostrovsky Square) — with the Alexandrinsky Theatre. And this is only a small part of his works.
Despite his enormous demand and constant workload, Rossi was always in need of money. A large family and a habit of living lavishly left him no choice — at the end of his life, Rossi rented out the box assigned to him in the Alexandrinsky Theatre. The only one among the four, he is buried in Petersburg, in the Necropolis of the Masters of Art at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Sources:
https://www.spbmuzei.ru/italy_zodchie.htm
https://dzen.ru/media/spbmania/kak-4-arhitektora-stroili-peterburg-ili-prikliucheniia-italiancev-v-rossii-5eca6bea5ba0aa528c7eec5c
