CATHERINE PALACE (Town of Pushkin), an architectural monument of the Baroque period, compositional centre and dominating architecture of the park and palace ensemble of Tsarskoe Selo. In 1717-1723, on this site a small stone palace of Empress Catherine I (architect I.F. Braunstein) was constructed concurrently with the establishment of the Catherine Park. From 1743, work on the palace extension was started (architect M.G. Zemtsov), after his death work continued under the guidance of architects A.V. Kvasov and S.I. Chevakinsky. From late 1748 - architect F. Rastrelli. In May of 1752, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered everything that had been erected earlier to be reconstructed and in 1756 the Catherine Palace was completed. At this stage it consisted only of the western parade court, framed by single-story semicircular buildings - surrounded with splendid wrought railings with gilded details and gates along the central axis of the palace. The facades are decorated with moulded figures of caryatids, cartouche, masks (sculptor I. F. Dunker), marked with ochre colour against the turquoise background (up to the 1770s, the stucco work was gilded). Originally the front staircase was in the south section of the Catherine Palace, on the second floor were also located the "Golden Enfilade", comprising of five "antechambers", double tiered Grand Hall and a number of sitting rooms, their fretwork above the doors created an impression of a gold stream. Among the interiors is the Amber Room. The length of the Catherine palace's facades is over 325 metres. The central part of the building (The Middle House) has retained the parameters of the palace of Catherine I. The side wings that replaced the original open terrace unite the central part with the wings: to the north there is a church (1779-84, architect I.V. Neelov) and to the south - Zubovsky (1778-1784, architect Y.M. Felten). Under Catherine II, in the 1780s, new interiors were added according to the designs of C. Cameron: the Arabesque and the Lyon sitting rooms, the Silver Study and others in the south part of the Catherine Palace, the rooms of the Grand Prince Pavel Petrovich (the Green dining-room, the Bedchamber and others) in the northern part. To the south-eastern side of the Catherine Palace the complex of the so-called Cameron Gallery, the Cold Bath (Agate Pavilion), the hanging garden and the ramp (1780-87; 1792-94) are united. In 1817-20, and in the 1840s architect V.P. Stasov made some changes in the palace's interiors, in 1860-63 architect I. A. Monighetti (Chinese front staircase in the central part). Since 1918, the Catherine Palace has been a palace-museum, in 1941-44, it was practically levelled, restoration following the project of architect A.A. Kedrinsky was launched in 1957. Restoration works continue up to the present. See also "Tsarskoe Selo" article.

A. A. Alexeev. Braunstein Johann Friedrich
Cameron Charles
Catherine I, Empress
Catherine II, Empress
Chevakinsky Savva Ivanovich
Dunker Johann Franz
Elizaveta Petrovna, Empress
Felten Yury (Georg Friedrich) Matveevich
Kedrinsky Alexander Alexandrovich
Kvasov Andrey Vasilievich
Monighetti Ippolito Antonovich
Neelov Ilya Vasilievich
Paul (Pavel) I, Emperor
Rastrelli Francesco de
Stasov Vasily Petrovich
Zemtsov Mikhail Grigorievich

In the Tsarskoye Selo Palace of Tsarina Catherine Alexeyevna at first there was an camp private chapel of St. Catherine the Great Martyr. The main sight of this church was a carved iconostasis of dark blue colour. Building the palace church, being now, was begun in spring of 1746 to the design and under direction of S.I. Chevakinsky. The ceremonial laying of the Church of the Resurrection, performed by the Eminent Theodosius, Archbishop of Saint Petersburg and Schlusselburg, was been on 8 August of the same year in the presence of Empress Elisabeth, Heir Tsesarevich Pyetr Fiodorivich and his wife Catherine Alexeyevna. During bulding Elisabeth Petrovna ordered to remake a piece of done work and continue building under the direction of the chief-architect F.-B. Rastrelli.
Court painters G.-K. Grot, L. Karavak, B. Tarsia, I.Ya. Vishnyakov, A. Perezinotti were recruited to painting icons. In total in the church there were 114 icons, 59 of them were painted and 14 were corrected by famous icon-painter Fedot Kolokolnikov and Mina Kolokolnikov. The painting plafond with the image of the Ascension of Our Lord was painted by the painter G. Valeriani with assistants. Carving work was made by I.F. Dunker. The decoration of the interior was completed and Eminent Sylvester, Archbishop of Saint Petersburg and Schlusselburg, consecrated the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord on 30 July in 1756 .
Religious services in the Palace Church of the Resurrection were performed by the court clergy during staying the Imperial court in Tsarskoye Selo. The Imperial retinue, ministers, diplomats, courtiers, officers of Life Guards regiments are present at the services. On Sundays and holidays the pupil of the Lyceum could be seen near Alexander I during liturgies.
The historian Karamzin with his family visited the church. Weddings of the Imperial family members and courtiers, christening of the Imperial family babies, who were born in Tsarskoye Selo, took place in the church. The future emperors Nicholas I and Nicholas II were among them. The church parish included the palace officials, lived in Tsarskoye Selo permanently. In 1917 public religious services were stopped and the church interior was included in the museum exposition.
The church interior had magnificent forms in the Baroque style. It was not subjected to considerable changes although the building experienced fires in 1820 and 1863. After the first fire the artist V.K. Shebuyev restored the lost in fire plafond, the church domes were restored to the design of the architect V.P. Stasov, their silhouettes were changed. The restoration of the original view of domes in the Baroque style were made by the architect A.F. Vidov after the second fire. During World War II the church inside decoration was plundered and got considerable damages, 97 icons were robbed, only some fragments were survived. After war restored repair of facades was made during 1957-1963 to the design of the architect A.A. Kedrinsky . But the church interior of the Palace Church has not been restored yet. Alexander I, Emperor
Catherine II, Empress
Chevakinsky Savva Ivanovich
Dunker Johann Franz
Elizaveta Petrovna, Empress
Grot, G.-K.
Karamzin Nikolay Mikhailovich
Kedrinsky Alexander Alexandrovich
Kvasov Andrey Vasilievich
Nicholas I, Emperor
Nicholas II, Emperor
Peter III, Emperor
Rastrelli Francesco de
Stasov Vasily Petrovich
Tarsia, B.
Valeriani Giuseppe
Vidov Alexander Fomich