Rinaldi Antonio - an outstanding Italian in Russia of the 18th century

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Rinaldi Antonio is an Italian architect who worked in Russia in the second half of the 18th century. Numerous buildings in Gatchina, Oranienbaum, Tsarskoye Selo and, of course, in St. Petersburg itself belong to his authorship. His name is associated with the transition from baroque to classicism in Russian architecture.

Rinaldi Antonio: short biography

Very little is known about the architect's youth. Even the year and place of birth are questionable. Most likely it was Naples. It is generally accepted that it was in the south of Italy that Rinaldi Antonio spent his childhood. His biography is full of white spots, but he probably belonged to a noble family. Such assumptions are based on the fact that the future architect studied with the master L. Vanvitelli (who, by the way, was not much older than him), and he took young men from the vicinity of Naples with a good background into his workshop. The tutor was one of the most famous late Baroque architects in Italy. Under the guidance of a teacher, the young master completed his first work.

Rinaldi came to Russia in 1951. Before that, he had been to England andGermany, and German architecture had a great influence on future buildings. In Russia at that time, classicism had already practically replaced the baroque. Such architects as Sokolov, Rastrelli, Cameron enjoyed popularity. According to the contract, Rinaldi had to spend 7 years in the service of Count Razumovsky, Hetman of Little Russia. It was planned that he would take up the arrangement of the future administrative center of the region - the city of Baturin. The grandiose project was not destined to end. For the hetman, the architect built only one palace, after which he went to St. Petersburg in 1954.

In the capital, the architect is fruitfully working on the orders of Emperor Peter III. He erects a complex of structures in Oranienbaum, builds the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg, and works in Tsarskoye Selo. Rinaldi is engaged in the third, most scandalous, project of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was later rebuilt by Montferrand. One of the last works of the architect is the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, where he was the parish warden for a long time.

The architect was full of creative plans, but a tragic accident prevented them from coming true. During the construction of the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg, he stumbled on the scaffolding and fell. He could no longer work. The master was given a lifetime pension and, when he went home, it was duly transferred through the consul. The last years of his life, the architect systematized and put things in order in his projects and drawings. Rinaldi Antonio died in Rome in 1974.

Italian period

Before going to Russia, the architect spent about 40 years in his homeland. This period was marked by the direct influence of a teacher, Luigi Vanvitelli. Often the learning took place in practice. Rinaldi worked as an apprentice and assistant to the architect. He took part in the design of Caserta Castle, one of the largest palace-type buildings in Europe. It was intended for the king himself. The castle has become one of the finest examples of the late Italian Baroque. At the same time, some features of classicism are already clearly visible in it.

The construction of the monastery of St. Augustine in Rome also took place with the participation of Antonio Rinaldi. The architect here still worked as a team. But he designed the cathedral in the monastery of St. Magdalena in Pesaro on his own. Rinaldi proved himself to be a mature, mature master. It was then that he was noticed and invited to Russia.

Gatchina

Rinaldi Antonio came to Ukraine thanks to the brother of the favorite of Elizaveta Petrovna, Kirill Razumovsky. At that time he was the hetman of Little Russia and a very influential person. They signed a contract with the architect and ordered to start designing the residence of the hetman in Baturyn. It was planned to make this city the capital of the region, erect several more magnificent buildings and redevelop the streets. In parallel with the design of the residence, Rinaldi is building a palace for Razumovsky. Kirill Grigoryevich was a good manager, but he did not shy away from bribes and extortions. In 1754 he was summoned to Moscow to report onentrusted territory, after which the funding and powers of the hetman were significantly limited. Plans for the reorganization of Baturin were curtailed and the services of the architect were abandoned, paying compensation. In the same year he goes to St. Petersburg.

Oranienbaum

In St. Petersburg, Rinaldi was accepted into the service at the court of Peter III. When his reign ended, Catherine II made the master a court architect, and he held this position until 1784. The first imperial order was for the construction of a complex of structures in Oranienbaum. Here Rinaldi erected the Palace of Peter III, the roller coaster pavilion, the Opera House, and later the Chinese Palace. The Petrovsky Palace was not intended for habitation; rather, it was a pavilion for relaxation. A miniature two-story building is very unusual in terms of spatial solution. It is built like a square, one of the corners of which is rounded with a smooth arc. Due to this technique, a small building seems quite impressive. The Chinese Palace was intended for the residence of Catherine II in 1762-1768. At this time, the chinoiserie style, exploiting the Chinese theme, was in vogue, and several interior spaces were decorated according to the fashion trend. After the successful completion of work in Oranienbaum, the architect was assigned to manage the buildings in Tsarskoe Selo.

Tsarskoye Selo

Works on the Tsarskoye Selo buildings are one of the most stressful periods of Rinaldi Antonio's work. The architect builds hereseveral pavilions, obelisks and monuments. He designed and supervised the construction of the Chesmenskaya, Moreiskaya, Crimean columns, the Kagul obelisk, and the monument to Lansky. All memorial structures glorified the power of the Russian fleet and army. The Chinese Pavilion and the Chinese Theater continued the chinoiserie theme. Rinaldi gives the European style a Russian sound. Chinese motifs can be traced both in the interiors and outside - for example, in the design of the curved corners of the roof of the Chinese Theater. Unfortunately, this building was destroyed during the war and can only be seen in photographs.

Petersburg buildings

The marble palace, made in the style of mature classicism, is called the pinnacle of creativity of Rinaldi Antonio. It got its name because of the walls lined with natural stone. At that time it was the only building in St. Petersburg with such decor. Pink marble was used both in exterior decoration and in interiors. The U-shaped palace has become a real decoration of the Neva embankment. Now there is a branch of the Russian Museum.

Other St. Petersburg buildings of the master include the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, the bell tower of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine on Nevsky Prospekt and Tuchkov Buyan - a complex of warehouses.

The architect took part in the work on the third St. Isaac's Cathedral. In the project of Rinaldi, the building was to be crowned with five domes and a slender high bell tower. By the time of the death of Catherine II, it wascompleted to the cornice, but the master could not complete the work due to injury. Rinaldi went to Rome, and a brick dome and a squat bell tower were hastily erected on the marble foundation of the cathedral. The construction caused a great resonance in society, epigrams and witticisms rained down from all sides. The cathedral was later rebuilt in its final form.

Rinaldi Antonio started his life in Italy and finished it there. But the period of life in Russia was the "heart" of his biography, he gave her all his talent and creative powers. Rinaldi made a huge contribution to the formation of the architectural appearance of St. Petersburg and its environs.