Abram or Avraam Melnikov (Авраам Иванович Мельников; 1784—1854) was a Russian Neoclassical architect associated with the late phase of the

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 duri ...

. His teachers at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

included

Andreyan Zakharov Andreyan Zakharov (; 19 August 1761 – 8 September 1811) was a Russian architect and representative of the Empire style. His designs also alternated neoclassicism with eclecticism.George Heard Hamilton. ''The Art and Architecture of Russia''. Yale ...

. He graduated with a gold medal and went to further his studies in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Melnikov became de facto Dean of the Academy in 1831 but was not officially appointed until 1843. Melnikov collaborated with sculptor

Ivan Martos Ivan Petrovich Martos (; ; 1754 – 5 April 1835) was a Russian sculptor and art teacher of Ukrainian origin who helped awaken Russian interest in Neoclassical sculpture. Biography Martos was born between Chernigov and Poltava in city of ...

on the pedestals for his statues of Minin and Pozharsky in

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

and Duc de Richelieu at the top of the

Potemkin Stairs The Potemkin Stairs, Potemkin Steps (, ), or, officially, Primorsky Stairs are a giant stairway in Odesa, Ukraine. They are considered a formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea and are the best known symbol of Odesa. (hardcov ...

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. Apart from the

Imperial School of Jurisprudence The Imperial School of Jurisprudence () was, along with the Page Corps, a school for boys in Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. The school for would-be imperial administrators was founded by Duke Peter of Oldenburg in 1835. T ...

and the Old Believer Church of St. Nicholas (later converted into the

Arctic and Antarctic Museum The Russian State Arctic and Antarctic Museum () is a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was established in November 1930 as part of the Soviet Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, but was not opened until six years later. Exhibits The m ...

), Melnikov's major buildings are in

New Russia Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...

and the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

provinces. The Saviour Cathedral in

Rybinsk Rybinsk (, ) is the second-largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna rivers, north-north-east of Moscow. Population: It was previously known as '' ...

is based on Melnikov's design that had won the architectural competition for St. Isaac's Cathedral in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. It was also Melnikov who won the competition for the

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (, ) is a Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few hundred metres southwest of the Kremlin. With an overall height of , it is the ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Neither design was approved by

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

.The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
/ref> His successor, Nicholas I, also preferred the Russo-Byzantine designs of

Konstantin Thon Konstantin Andreyevich Thon or Ton (; October 26, 1794 – January 25, 1881) was a Russian architect who was one of the most notable architects during the reign Nicholas I. His major works include the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Grand ...

to the supposedly ponderous Late Neoclassical style espoused by Melnikov.

Major buildings

, Odessa * Nativity Cathedral, Chişinău * Transfiguration Cathedral,

Bolgrad Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the administrative center of Bolhrad Raion (district) and hosts the administration of Bolhrad urban hromada, one of ...

* Saviour Cathedral, Bolhrad.Одеса та Бессарабія архітектора Мельникова. - Одеса майбутнього, 09.05.2022
/ref> * Semicircular Square, Odessa * Kazan Cathedral, Yaroslavl * Saviour Cathedral,

Demidov Lyceum The Yaroslavl Demidov State University (Russian: ''Ярославский государственный университет имени П. Г. Демидова'') is an institution of higher education in Yaroslavl, Russia. In 1918, Yarosla ...

, Yaroslavl * St. Nicholas Cathedral, Mtsensk * The cathedral belltower in Yaroslavl File:Rybinsk church viewed from Volga.JPG, File:Никольская единоверческая церковь (Санкт-Петербург).jpg, File:Chisinau Parcul Catedralei.jpg, File:Yar kazan 1+.JPG, File:Demidov Juridical Lyceum 01.jpg, File:Спасо-Преображенський собор, Болград 2017.jpg,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melnikov, Abram 1784 births 1854 deaths Russian neoclassical architects Russian architects