In this album I would like to show you the architectural
ensemble in Pushkin created by Charles Cameron.
It consists of: Cameron's Gallery, Agate Rooms, Hanging Garden and The
Ramp.
This is the general view from the
opposite side of the Big Pond.
On the right side we can see a part of
Catherine Palace - Zubov wing (yellow). In the way the Cameron's
ensemble is its extension into the park.
The complex was created in 1780-1794; the
idea was to separate the regular -French (on the right) and landscape-
English (on the left) parts of the park.
The most prominent part of an
ensemble is The Cameron's Gallery (on the picture)
The view towards The Gallery from the
Palace and French park.
This staircase will take us to the top
terrace, but not today…
The view from the English park.
Lets turn around.
The complex is the great example of the
Classicistic Stile. Catherine wrote about it:
" I would like to see
the project of classical stile house, built accordingly to the proper
ancient rules… I desire to have the real peace of ancient Greece and
Rome in my park in Tsarskoe Selo…"
And about the architect:
"Now I
eventually have got hold of the master Cameron; Scotsman by berth, the
great draftsman by trade, the highly reputable scholar of antiquity, the
author of the famous book " About the Ancient Thermaes". We are together
constructing here in Tsarskoe Selo a garden with terraces, thermae
downstairs and gallery upstairs. It is going to be absolutely
delightful…"
Now lets look at the Ramp.
The existence of the Ramp was dictated by
the Catherine's wish to walk strait from the hanging garden into the
park. So, Cameron came up with an idea of the gently sloping long ramp.
The construction began in 1792 and finished in 1794, the architect
I.Neelov was assisting C.Cameron in supervision of its progress.
In 1811 the Ramp was moved in order to perfectly unite it with The
Ramp Alley in the park.
Unfortunately now it is forbidden
to walk on the Ramp, at list in my memory I never even witnessed anyone
walking on it…
On the sides of ramp's arches we can see
masks of mythological Gods: Jupiter, Minerva, Junona, Mercury…
Instead of torches use to stand statues
of Muses, but in 1798 Paul I (Catherine's son) wished to move them to
Pavlovsk.
The torches (by V. Stasov's project) were installed in
1815-1826.
The Cameron's complex together with other
palaces was an Empyreal Family property until 1917, after
nationalization it was open as a museum in 1918.
The Cameron Gallery
was almost destroyed by Nazis, who used it as a stable and workshop. It
was restored and open again in 1948.
The big yellow building behind the
Gallery is the Zubov's wing of the Catherine Palace, mentioned in the
album 180.
