Hermitage — a park pavilion (belongs to the so-called hermitages (from French — “secluded corner”)) in the Baroque style in the Catherine Park in Tsarskoye Selo.

Here is how in 1743 Elizabeth formulated the “technical assignment” for the construction of the new pavilion: “Opposite the middle chambers, in the center of the perspective at the end of the garden behind the fence, build a stone house called the hermitage and wings at its corners with two apartments… and inside this house make a lifting chair instead of an entrance upstairs as well as a lifting table.” The exquisite architecture of the Hermitage, whose dome was originally crowned by the sculptural group “The Abduction of Proserpina,” richly decorated outside with gilded sculpture and inside with painting, was characteristic of entertainment amusements in Baroque gardens. The decorative design of the Hermitage is close in character to the decoration of the Great Hall of the Catherine Palace. The brightly colored facade with white columns (64 columns around the circumference of the building) is adorned with stucco decorations in the form of garlands, masks, and shells.

The roof of the building was decorated with a stone balustrade with wooden carved gilded figures, which also stood on the railings separating the Hermitage platform, paved with black and white marble slabs, from the canal. All statues were lost during the war.

It served for entertaining gatherings of a small circle of courtiers. It is a two-story octagonal pavilion with four diagonally arranged extensions on its sides. The pavilion stands on an artificial island paved with black and white marble slabs, surrounded on all sides by water and enclosed by a balustrade, which was decorated with statues and vases. Access to the island was only possible via drawbridges over the moat, which have now been replaced by fixed bridges.

Such pavilions became widespread in the regular gardens of the 18th century. They were intended for rest and dining of the estate owner in a close circle of selected guests and were placed in the wild part of the park. To prevent the presence of servants from disturbing the communication between the owners and guests, mechanisms were usually installed in such pavilions to operate lifting tables. The already mentioned chronicler of Tsarskoye Selo, Yakovkin, addressed readers as follows: “Well, gentlemen! Now, having examined all the curiosities on this side, in the former upper and lower gardens, let us go to see the truly royally decorated hermitage, originally called the wild grove.”

The “Hermitage” pavilion in Tsarskoye Selo was originally designed by Zemtsov. In the spring of 1744, foundation laying began, which was completed by autumn of the same year. However, in 1749, the facades of the pavilion, which was then ready, were redone according to a new project by F. Rastrelli. The unique style of the chief architect of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is conveyed through the exceptionally complex perspectives in which the building appears upon close inspection.

Two years later, stucco masters Gianni and Partir installed, according to Rastrelli’s design, 68 large and small capitals on the columns of the Hermitage and 28 on the pilasters. Rastrelli included round sculptures in the pavilion’s exterior decoration: 8 statues stood on the balustrade pedestals at the base of the octagonal dome, 4 crowned the roofs of the four cabinets. The central dome of the pavilion was topped by the group “The Abduction of Proserpina.” Additionally, the building was adorned with 16 statues placed between groups of columns on the facades of the cabinets. They stood on pedestals decorated with rocaille, and judging by images on drawings and engravings, none of them repeated another. Statues of Glory on the large pediments supported a magnificent cartouche with the empress’s monogram.

The dynamic composition of the structure, enhanced by the rhythm of Corinthian columns decorating the facades, and the predominance of vertical divisions over horizontal ones, was clearly conveyed in Makhayev’s depiction of the pavilion. The engraving made after his drawing is an invaluable historical document preserving the appearance of the Hermitage in its festive Baroque attire.

Unfortunately, none of the statues that were part of the original decoration of the building have survived to our time, but rare examples of Russian decorative sculpture of the mid-18th century used in the sculptural decoration of the facades have been preserved and copied — plaster bas-reliefs on the pedestals of the columns. The theme of the 32 bas-reliefs depicting “Games of Cupids” perfectly matched the festive atmosphere reigning in the Hermitage. In addition to the bas-reliefs, the pavilion’s facade is decorated with figures of atlantes supporting balconies, cartouches, mascarons, and other decorative details.

In 1753, the stucco decorations were gilded, and the facades were painted: white columns and casings, gilded stucco details and sculptures stood out especially effectively against the blue-green “celadon” background of the walls. The roof, originally green, was painted white in 1755, and the statues and garlands decorating it sparkled with gold. The decorative design of the Hermitage facades was completed simultaneously with its interior decoration, which began in 1748.

Set on a platform paved with black and white marble slabs, the pavilion was surrounded by a canal of intricate shape with two small bridges; the canal was edged with a balustrade also decorated with statues and vases. The canal and the Wild Grove were intended to evoke a feeling of melancholic seclusion, to set a contemplative mood, and to inspire memories. According to the park art theorist Hirshfeld, “the mysterious gloom and darkness of the place, deep seclusion and solemn silence, majestic objects of nature inevitably bring the soul to a certain feeling and compel it to important reflections.” However, the canal was never filled with water, which was always scarce in Tsarskoye Selo (as archival sources and archaeological research data from 2006 testify), and in 1777, by order of the new mistress of Tsarskoye Selo, Catherine II, it was filled in.

The park around the Hermitage became a favorable backdrop for its rather expressive architecture. The trees were neatly trimmed. The pavilion itself was surrounded by a moat of a form appropriate for Baroque, connected by two bridges to the park. The Hermitage was a favorite place of Russian empresses, intended for rest and entertainment. Inside the Hermitage stood interesting prototypes of modern elevators for guests — small sofas that, using special devices, lifted guests upstairs.

The interior decoration as a whole was very engaging. The windows in the hall let in a huge amount of light, as they simultaneously served as doors to the balcony. Between the windows were large mirrors that reflected and increased the amount of light. Dinners were held in the Hermitage for foreign guests, who were amazed not only by the dishes served but also by various mechanisms. After dinner, the tables in the hall were lowered down into the service room, and the hall was completely cleared.

The “Hermitage” pavilion has not been rebuilt since the mid-18th century, so its interior decoration has reached our time almost unchanged. The central rectangular hall of the pavilion is connected by galleries radiating diagonally from it to four square-plan cabinets. The decoration of the main hall of the Hermitage, created by F. Rastrelli, is interesting. Thanks to the wide windows, which also served as doors to the balconies, the hall was flooded with light. In the wall spaces between the windows were mirrors in carved gilded frames that transitioned into the frames of painted overdoors. Previously, the hall contained dining tables with lifting mechanisms. The purpose of the interior was suggested by the ceiling painting by Valeriani: “Juno and Jupiter invite the gods to a table set and laid with luxurious dishes.” The subjects for the painted panels above the mirrors in the central hall were borrowed by Valeriani from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”: “Bacchus and Ariadne,” “Apollo Pursuing Daphne,” “Bacchus Crowning Daphne with a Starry Crown,” and “The Abduction of Europa.”

The ceiling paintings of the galleries connecting the central hall with the cabinets were painted by Perezinotti. Their content echoed the bas-reliefs on the facades of the Hermitage and depicted cupids with allegorical attributes of the seasons.

During the restoration works of 2005–2006, the canal around the Hermitage was restored based on plans made by Neelov, archaeological research materials, and Makhayev’s drawing. The unique “fortification” structure for park architecture regained its historical appearance and unusual decoration made of boulders and limestone blocks.

Sources:

a-park.rf/32.html

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitage_(Tsarskoye_Selo)

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