Aspects of Russian Architecture in St. Petersburg in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

This paper intends to analyze Russian architecture aspects in Saint Petersburg during the 18th century, which was marked by the establishment and development of absolutism in Russia and, above all by the strong character of the rulers who contributed to the politico-economic strengthening and the openness of the country to Europe. The foundation of Saint Petersburg by Czar Peter I, in the beginning of the 18th century, had a fundamental role in Russian politics and art, for it is a decisive moment when the rupture of millennial relations with the Byzantine traditions occur, it brutally interrupts the development of Moscow architecture and marks the beginning of relations with Western countries. The location of the new capital; at the extreme north of the country very close to the Gulf of Finland, is intentional, once the desire to narrow the commercial bonds with Western Europe is vital in order to withdraw from its physical, social, political, economic and above all artistic isolation. The power that the Byzantine tradition practiced during centuries in Russia shows that its architectural history does not present the gothic and renaissance movements. The proximity to Europe contributes to the development of a new Russian architecture, presenting buildings inspired by European styles and models, prevailing at that time, such as the baroque, the rococo and the classicism. However, the result is the emergence of a particular architecture where elements of western and Russian cultures mingle. The architectural development of the new capital, Saint Petersburg, thus begins with Peter I and receives valuable contributions during the following reigns with the empresses Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II.