Jordan Stairs. Path to glory

The majestic and beautiful Main Staircase of the Winter Palace played a very important representative role in the 18th century, being included in the suite of state halls where ceremonies and court celebrations took place. Along it, ambassadors of foreign states ascended to the central halls for audiences, which is why it was called the Posolskaya. After the revolution, when the palace became a museum, the guides gave it the name Jordanskaya, since on the feast of Epiphany it was descended royal family and other participants in the religious procession, which began from the Great Church and went out to the Jordan - a special ice hole in the frozen Neva, where the ceremony of blessing of water was held.

This staircase is associated with the construction of the New Hermitage - a building created specifically as a museum for the expanded collections of art objects. It was built in 1850 by the architect N. E. Efimov under the direction of V. P. Stasov according to the design of L. von Klenze. The staircase became the main entrance to the New Hermitage building and was similar to the one that led to the Athenian Acropolis. Its entrance from the street is decorated with granite sculptures of ten Atlanteans, created by Academician A.I. Terebenev, hence the other name - Terebenev Staircase. If you look up at the staircase from the first floor landing, you will notice one interesting architectural solution: in each subsequent flight the number of steps is reduced by one, which creates the illusion of an endless road upward.

By Main staircase The first visitors to the museum were walking up to the New Hermitage. However, the museum was not public, intended for a wide range of visitors. Initially, in order to enter the Hermitage, a special permit was required, which was issued only to a select few. So, for example, great poet A. S. Pushkin was able to obtain a permanent museum pass only on the recommendation of V. A. Zhukovsky, his teacher. Even famous Russian artists who needed to work in the halls could not always obtain such permission.

Nothing to do with Soviet Union this staircase does not. The Soviet staircase, built in the mid-19th century by the architect A. I. Stackenschneider, got its name due to the fact that members of the State Council passed through its entrance on their way to meetings chaired by the Tsar. The staircase is also unique in that it connects three buildings of the museum complex at once: it communicates with the Small Hermitage through a transition corridor, on the opposite side along the embankment line is the Old Hermitage, doors in the center (opposite the windows) lead to the halls of the New Hermitage.

October staircase

The name “October” staircase was given in memory of the revolutionary events of October 1917, when detachments of stormers entered the Winter Palace along it. On the night of October 25-26, 1917, the captured ministers of the Provisional Government were taken out along the October Stairs.

You can’t find the exact date of the appearance of this name in any guidebook, and the famous memorial plaque was installed on it after the new name took root. Before that, the staircase was called “Her Imperial Majesty”, since it adjoined directly the apartments of the empresses - the wife (later widow) of Paul I Maria Feodorovna and the wife of Alexander II Maria Alexandrovna.

Church stairs

The church staircase is located in close proximity to the Small Church of the Winter Palace, where services were held with the participation of members of the royal family. A few years ago, an amazing incident occurred in the Hermitage: during scheduled electrical work, a plaster sculpture walled into the wall was discovered on the second floor of the Church Staircase.

The sculpture depicts a slave in a collar and is called “The Fugitive Slave.” During the restoration of the find, it turned out that it was created by the famous sculptor Vladimir Beklemishev at the end of the 19th century. And in 1893 she represented Russia at the World Exhibition in Chicago. How and why she ended up in “captivity” is unknown, but she spent more than 60 years there. There have not been such discoveries in the museum for more than a century.

The interiors of the Winter Palace are famous and have been admired for centuries. They are magnificent not only because they contain treasures in the form of sculptures and paintings, they themselves are treasures that have been witnessed Russian history from the beginning of construction of the palace in 1762. The article lists 10 famous interiors that are usually associated with the Winter Palace.

1. Jordan Stairs. Distinctive feature: grand staircase No. 1 in Russia

The Ambassadorial (Jordanian) Staircase is the main grand staircase in the Winter Palace. It was used by ambassadors of foreign states to ascend to the state halls for audiences, which is why it was initially called the Ambassador's Square.

Later, she was given the name Jordan, since the royal family, on the feast of Epiphany, went down to the Jordan - a special ice hole in the winter Neva, where the ceremony of blessing of water was held.

The decoration of the Ambassadorial Staircase reflects the features of Russian Baroque. The steps and carved balustrade are made of white Carrara marble. The decoration of the walls, their elegant sculpture and gilding are effectively contrasted with smooth columns of gray marble located on the upper balustrade.

The Jordanian staircase leads to a suite of state halls, where ceremonies and court celebrations took place.

2. Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall. Distinctive feature: the hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I

Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall was created in 1833 by Auguste Montferrand and restored after the fire of 1837 by Vasily Stasov. The hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I - the interior decoration includes the emperor’s monogram (two Latin letters “P”), double-headed eagles and crowns.

In a niche designed as a triumphal arch, there is a painting “Peter I with the allegorical figure of Glory”. At the top of the walls there are paintings representing Peter the Great in the battles of the Northern War (P. Scotti and B. Medici).

The throne was made in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. The hall is decorated with silver-embroidered panels made of Lyon velvet and silverware made in St. Petersburg.

3. Pavilion hall with the Peacock clock. Distinctive feature: the Peacock watch and

The pavilion hall was decorated in the building of the Small Hermitage in 1858 according to the design of the architect Andrei Stackenschneider. It combines Renaissance, Gothic and Oriental motifs. The hall faces the Hanging Garden and the Neva.

The ceiling and arcade framing the hall are rich in gilded stucco ornaments. The combination of light marble with gilded stucco decoration and the shine of crystal chandeliers give the interior a special effect.

The Peacock Clock was created by British master James Cox in the 1770s and purchased by Catherine II. This is the only large automatic machine from the 18th century in the world that has survived to this day unchanged and in working condition.

The figures of a peacock, a rooster and an owl, included in the composition of the clock machine, are equipped with mechanisms that set these birds in motion.

The daughter of the architect Stackenschneider wrote in her diary on April 24, 1856: “ The other day dad took us to the Hermitage and showed us the hall that he had just graduated from. Absolutely magical room. It's amazing how good she is!!»

Distinctive feature: repetition of Raphael's Vatican frescoes

Catherine II– the founder of the Hermitage collection knew about painting and wanted to have all the best in Russia. Despite the fact that she had not traveled outside her country, she wished to have a copy of the Vatican

Raphael's workshop began painting the Vatican Loggias in 1518. Long gallery ( 65 meters) divided into 13 parts. Each of them depicts 4 episodes each of the Old and New Testaments. The Vatican loggias were painted by Raphael's students based on sketches and under the supervision of the artist himself.

Three and a half centuries later, by order of the Russian Empress architects and artists measured and copied the original loggias and over time there was a copy of part of the Papal Palace in the Vatican was made.

It should be noted that the part of the Papal Palace where the Raphael's loggias are currently closed to tourists. In the Hermitage, anyone who has purchased a ticket to the museum can enjoy the lightness and grace of the gallery, copying the design and creation of Raphael.

5. St. George's Hall. Distinctive feature: the main throne of the Winter Palace is located here

The St. George (Great Throne) Hall of the Winter Palace was created in the early 1840s by Vasily Stasov, who preserved compositional solution his predecessor Giacomo Quarenghi. The double-height columned hall is decorated with Carrara marble and gilded bronze.

Above the Throne Place there is a bas-relief “St. George Slaying the Dragon with a Spear.” The large imperial throne was commissioned by Empress Anna Ioannovna in London(N. Clausen, 1731-1732). Magnificent inlaid parquet, created from 16 types of wood. The ceremonial decoration of the hall corresponds to its purpose: official ceremonies and receptions took place here.

6. Military gallery of 1812. Distinctive feature: built in honor of the Russian victory over Napoleonic France

The Military Gallery of the Winter Palace was created according to the design of Carlo Rossi in 1826 in honor of Russia's victory over Napoleonic France. On its walls are 332 portraits of generals who took part in the War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of 1813-1814.

The paintings were created by the English artist George Dow with the participation of A. V. Polyakov and V. A. Golike. A place of honor is occupied by ceremonial portraits of the allied sovereigns: Russian Emperor Alexander I and King of Prussia Frederick William III (artist F. Kruger) and Emperor of Austria Franz I (P. Kraft). Portraits of four field marshals are located on the sides of the doors leading to the St. George and Armorial Halls.

7. Armorial Hall. Distinctive feature: golden columns of the hall

The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, intended for ceremonial receptions, was created by Vasily Stasov in the late 1830s. At the entrances to the hall there are sculptural groups of ancient Russian warriors with banners, on the shafts of which shields with the coats of arms of Russian provinces were attached, which determined the name of the hall.

Images of provincial coats of arms are preserved on chandeliers. A slender colonnade supporting a balcony with a balustrade, a frieze with an ornament of acanthus leaves, as well as a combination of gold and white create an impression of grandeur and solemnity. In the center of the hall is an aventurine bowl made by Yekaterinburg stone-cutters of the 19th century.

8. Alexander Hall. Distinctive feature: interior with elegant white stucco

The Alexander Hall of the Winter Palace was created by Alexander Bryullov (elder brother of the artist Karl Bryullov) after the fire of 1837. The architectural design of the hall, dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander I and the Patriotic War of 1812, is based on a combination of stylistic variations of Gothic and classicism.

24 medallions with allegorical images of the most significant events located in the frieze Patriotic War 1812 and the foreign campaigns of 1813–1814, the medals of the sculptor F.P. are reproduced in enlarged form. Tolstoy.

In the lunette of the end wall there is a medallion with a bas-relief image of Alexander I in the image of the ancient Slavic deity Rodomysl. The hall houses an exhibition of European artistic silver from the 16th – 19th centuries. Products from Germany, France, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Lithuania are presented.

9. Hall of the Great Bowl. Distinctive feature: a huge bowl created in the Altai region

She is often called the “Queen of Vases”. The largest stone vase in the world weighs more than nineteen tons, its outer diameter reaches 5.04 meters, and its inner diameter is 3.22 meters, the total height with the pedestal is 2.57 meters. Since the discovery of a huge block of green-wavy jasper Thirty long years passed before the Great Kolyvan Vase was placed in the building of the New Hermitage.

Back in 1815, at quarries in the Altai region, miners discovered a cliff of green-wavy jasper. The stone turned out to be good quality and suitable for craft work. The next find was a stone that was 8.5 meters long. This monolith of jasper had a defect due to which the piece had to be divided. After a thorough examination of the resulting debris, most of it was taken into work: its length was 5.6 meters.

The author of the project for the ellipse-shaped bowl, which was ordered to be made from a monolith, was Abraham Melnikov. In February 1828, preparatory work began. With the help of 230 workers, the stone was moved to the stone shed and raised slightly. Here, workers were engaged in pre-processing of the monolith for more than two years. In 1830, the hewn block was transferred to the courtyards, and 567 people manually pushed it 30 versts to a stone-cutting factory in the village of Kolyvan .

There are the following for eleven years, skilled stonemasons created the inside of the bowl, applied carved patterns, and polished the surface . At this time, a stone worthy of becoming a pedestal for the bowl had already been discovered. With great care, a hole was made in it for the rod, which should connect the pedestal to the bowl. Jasper is a hard stone, but very fragile and difficult to process. Small cracks that appeared during the work were repaired by Russian craftsmen with great skill: even with a detailed examination they are difficult to detect.

By February 1843, the bowl was completely ready. Almost 200 horses harnessed to specially equipped sleighs were used to transport it to Barnaul. Then the convoy proceeded to Yekaterinburg to the Utkinskaya pier, from where the river route to Moscow and St. Petersburg began. The barge sailed along the rivers of Russia for six months, and finally, in August 1843, the bowl arrived in the capital. It took another four long years to build the foundation for the Kolyvan queen: it was decided to locate this miracle in the building of the New Hermitage. The hall in which the product was placed is now called the Hall of the Great Vase.

10. Boudoir. Distinctive feature: elegant interior decoration in burgundy color

The boudoir was part of the chambers of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II. The elegant decoration of the room was created in 1853 by the architect Harald Bosse, a virtuoso master of interior design in the “second Rococo” style. The bright color of silk fabric - brocatelli (silk with metallic thread), elegant patterns of ornaments, and upholstered gilded furniture create a feeling of sophistication and comfort. A magnificent bronze gilded chandelier, reflected in the mirrors, complements the spectacular interior decoration.

Come to St. Petersburg, wander through the halls of the Winter Palace. See you at the museum :)

Let's imagine ourselves as ambassadors going to an audience with the Russian emperor. This staircase is called the Ambassadorial Staircase, it was created to amaze the imagination of foreign guests of the royal court. Another name for the staircase is Jordan, since during the feast of the Epiphany the procession of the cross descended to the Neva. On the Neva, a hole was cut in the ice for the blessing of water - Jordan.

The main decoration of the Ambassadorial Staircase is gilded molding (1). More than 5 kilograms of gold were used here. The sculpture depicting ancient gods and heroes allegorically symbolizes the virtues inherent in Russian emperors: wisdom, loyalty, justice (2). On one side of the staircase there are windows, on the other there are mirrors that reflect these windows and make the space larger than it actually is (3). On the ceiling is a painting painted on canvas on the theme “Olympus” (4). The abundance of gold, a picturesque canvas on the ceiling (the so-called “plafond”), mirrors, the dominance of curvilinear outlines - all these are elements of the “Russian Baroque” style.

Initially, all the halls of the palace were planned like this. After all, it was built under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who, as contemporaries claimed, did not wear the same dress twice. However, built in 1754-1762, less than a century later, in 1837, the palace burned down. Emperor Nicholas I, who was reigning at that time, ordered the building to be restored by Easter next year, i.e. in just 16 months.

As a result, only the facades and the Ambassadorial Staircase were recreated in the Baroque style; in other rooms we will see completely different styles. So the palace was unlucky, but modern visitors are the opposite. They can trace the entire history of the Russian palace interior of the imperial period.

The Ambassadorial Staircase of the Hermitage is the main main staircase of the Winter Palace. Ambassadors of foreign states ascended it to the palace. The staircase received the name “Jordanian” because on the feast of the Epiphany the royal family descended along it to the Jordan - a special ice hole in the frozen Neva, where the ceremony took place.
The staircase was made by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the Baroque style. The main staircase was restored after the fire of 1837 by V.P. Stasov, who preserved in general terms the plan of F.B. Rastrelli.

2 White marble of sculptures and balustrades, gray marble of columns, luxurious gilding of plaster stucco molding - everything evokes admiration. Let's walk through it?

3 The white marble staircase branches in different directions: to the right and to the left, diverging into two wide solemn flights, which reunite at the upper platform. It occupies the entire height of the building (height 22 meters). A wide staircase with comfortable, low steps - great for climbing up in chic ball gowns

4 During the restoration of the staircase after the fire, Stasov replaced the gilded carved balusters with a heavy marble balustrade. The balusters are made of Carrara marble by sculptors F. Triscorni and E. Moderni

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6 The walls are decorated with decorative sculptures from the era Ancient Rome. Atlant

7 Caryatid

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9 Sculptures "Justice" and "Mercy"

10 On the upper landing of the staircase there are monolithic columns made of gray (Serdobol) granite - St. Petersburg stone. Ten monolithic columns of the Corinthian order decorate and support the vaults of the staircase

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13 In the central niche there is a statue of the “Mistress”, brought from the Tauride Palace

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16 The central ceiling of the staircase has an area of ​​about 200 square meters. It depicts pictorial composition"Olympus" by the Italian artist of the 18th century Gasparo Diziani, which rests on pads decorated with figurative and ornamental paintings in the "grisaille" style. Having chosen an 18th-century lampshade with an image of Olympus from the Hermitage storerooms, Stasov included it in the composition of the ceiling, and since the new lampshade turned out to be somewhat smaller than the old one, the remaining space was left by the artist A.I. Solovyov painted according to Stasov’s sketches

17 In 1898-1901, electric lighting devices in the form of chandeliers and sconces made of non-ferrous metal, plated with gold, were used to illuminate the staircase

18 They were made in the neo-Baroque style under the direction of the architect L.N. Benois based on a drawing by the artist V. Emme at the St. Petersburg factory of A. Moran

History of the Jordan Stairs

The Jordan Staircase was built in the Baroque style Russian architect, Italian by birth, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. But in 1837 there was a terrible fire, which destroyed almost the entire interior of the Winter Palace, and, of course, did not spare the staircase.

The restoration of the Main Staircase was entrusted to V.P. Stasov, who for a year and a half tried to restore the staircase in a completely old way, as ordered by Emperor Nicholas I. The architect was very attentive to the restoration of the Jordan Staircase, trying to preserve all the beauty and luxury that he gave it to her Rastrelli.

The staircase is currently

Today, the staircase is presented to visitors in almost its original form and causes delight. White marble sculptures, gray marble columns, gilded stucco moldings - all this delights and makes you fall in love at first sight.

The best materials were used to decorate the staircase. For the manufacture of the balustrade, floor and steps - white Carrara marble. And for the walls - artificial marble, also white. The columns on the second level are made of Serdobol granite.

Gray granite dilutes the overall white and gold color scheme, noting the grandeur and monumentality of the interior. The Fontebasso lampshade, which burned down in the fire, was replaced by Stasov with the Olympus lampshade found in the Hermitage storage rooms. It was also created in the 18th century in Gasparo Diziani.

The statues to decorate the staircase were obtained from the Summer Garden and the Tauride Palace. They were brought from Italy back in the time of Peter the Great. The statue “Power” was brought from the Tauride Castle, which adorns the central niche. An interesting and curious fact is that the statue “Power”, installed on the Jordan Staircase in the Hermitage, soon acquired the name “Mistress”, indicating in some way the time of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II.

How to find the Jordan Staircase in the Hermitage

You probably won't have to look for it. As a rule, a tour of the Palace begins with a walk through the lobby, which leads to the Main Staircase. The lobby, as it were, prepares visitors to perceive the lush, graceful beauty of the Jordan Staircase. When you get here, you immediately feel its size, spaciousness, and abundance of light, which comes not only from the huge windows, but also through reflection in large mirrors.

The magnificent appearance of the Winter Palace and, in particular, the Ambassadorial Staircase was supposed to demonstrate the position of the new city on the Neva. Interestingly, in 1844 Nicholas I signed a decree that stated that It is prohibited to erect civil buildings higher than the Winter Palace.