Ivan Yegorovich Starov (; 23 February 1745 – 17 April 1808) was a Russian architect from St. Petersburg who devised the master plans for

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

, and many other towns in Russia and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. His radial urban master plan for Yaroslavl (1778), cleverly highlighting dozens historic churches and towers, is recognized as one of the

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s. Starov was one of the first graduates of the

Moscow University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

College (1755–1758) and of 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 ...

(1758–1762). He continued his education in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(1762–1767) and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(1767–1768), becoming apprenticed to

Charles De Wailly Charles de Wailly () (9 November 1730 – 2 November 1798) was a French architect and urbanist, and furniture designer, one of the principals in the Neoclassical revival of the Antique. His major work was the Théâtre de l'Odéon for the Coméd ...

and other fashionable architects of his day. Back in Russia, he delivered lectures in the Academy of Arts, which nominated him academician (1769) and professor (1785). Starov held the post of the principal architect of St. Petersburg between 1772 and 1774. After that, he worked extensively for

Prince Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...

, helping him to found the major cities of

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 ...

Biography

Ivan Starov was born into a deacon's family. In 1755 he enrolled into the

Imperial Moscow University Imperial Moscow University () was one of the oldest universities of the Russian Empire, established in 1755. It was the first of the twelve imperial universities of the Russian Empire. Its legacy is continued as Lomonosov Moscow State Universit ...

, a year later transferred to the gymnasium of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

. In 1758 he entered the

and became the student of Alexander Kokorinov and

Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe Jean-Baptiste Michel Vallin de la Mothe (1729 – 7 May 1800) was a French architect whose major career was spent in St. Petersburg, where he became court architect to Catherine II. His students were Ivan Starov and Vasily Bazhenov. Biogra ...

. He graduated with honours and received a money grant and a right to travel abroad to study arts. From 1762 to 1768 he travelled, in

he studied under

Charles de Wailly Charles de Wailly () (9 November 1730 – 2 November 1798) was a French architect and urbanist, and furniture designer, one of the principals in the Neoclassical revival of the Antique. His major work was the Théâtre de l'Odéon for the Coméd ...

. In 1769 he returned to St Petersburg and designed the project of the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

wing for the cadet corps. For this project he was admitted to membership of the academy. In a year Starov was ranked an adjunct professor, in 1770 he was promoted to professor. Between 1772 and 1774 he headed the Committee on Stone Building of Moscow and St Petersburg. In 1790 Starov created the project of Nikolaev city next to the wharf between the

Southern Bug The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh (; ; ; or just ), and sometimes Boh River (; ),

and the

Inhul The Inhul () is a left tributary of the Southern Bug (Boh) and is the 14th longest river of Ukraine. It flows through the Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions. It starts near the village of Rodnykivka, Oleksandriia Raion in Kirovohrad Oblast (Ce ...

rivers. In 1794 he was promoted to adjunct rector. Ivan Starov was buried in the Lazarevskoe Cemetery of the

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alexa ...

Family

On 30 March 1771, Starov married Natalia Deimdova, daughter of rich mine owner

Grigory Demidov Grigory, Grigori and Grigoriy () are Russian language, Russian masculine given names. Russian version of Gregory (given name). Grigory * Grigory Baklanov (1923–2009), Russian novelist * Grigory Barenblatt (1927–2018), Russian mathematician * ...

. The prominent architect Alexander Kokorinov was Starov's best man on the wedding ceremony. On 20 May 1771, the newly wed purchased a mansion on

Vasilyevsky Island Vasilyevsky Island (, Vasilyevsky Ostrov, V.O.) is an island in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia, bordered by the Bolshaya Neva River, Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva Rivers (in the delta of the Neva River) in the south and northeast ...

. In that house three sons were born — Alexander, Peter and Paul. In 1776 the family moved to the

Fontanka Embankment The Fontanka Embankment () is a street in Saint Petersburg that follows the course of the Fontanka from its origin as it diverges from the Neva River up to its confluence with the Great Neva River, Great Neva. In 1762–1769 the general plan of c ...

Works

Apart from urban planning, Starov was a leading representative of the early

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

in Russia. His major projects chronicle the transition of national architecture from the late

Rinaldi Rinaldi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alessandro Rinaldi (painter) (1839–1890), Cremonese historic painter *Alessandro Rinaldi (footballer) (born 1974), Italian soccer player *Andrea Rinaldi (2000–2020), Italian footba ...

esque baroque of the 1760s to the magnificent Neoclassical palaces of the 1780s: Gomel palace

*1769—Demidov

dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...

near Peterhof, commissioned by Starov's brother-in-law, Alexander Demidov, and destroyed by the Nazis. *1773— chateau and church in

Bogoroditsk Bogoroditsk () is a town and the administrative center of Bogoroditsky District in Tula Oblast, Russia, located on the Upyorta River, a tributary of the Upa. Population: History It was founded in the second half of the 17th century''Admin ...

, commissioned by

Count Bobrinsky The Counts Bobrinsky or Bobrinskoy (''Бобринские'') are a Russian nobility, Russian noble family descending from Count Aleksey Grigorievich Bobrinsky (1762–1813), who was Catherine the Great's natural son by Count Grigory Orlov. The ...

. *1773—chateau and church in Nikolskoye near

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 ...

, commissioned by Prince Gagarin. *1774—chateau, gothic gate and park in Taytsy near

Gatchina Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...

, commissioned by Alexander Demidov. *1775—chateau and park pavilions in Suvoritsy near St. Petersburg, commissioned by Pyotr Demidov. *1778— Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, commissioned by the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...

. *1783— Gate Church and iron-cast grille of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, commissioned by the Holy Synod. *1783—

Tauride Palace Tauride Palace () is one of the largest and most historically important palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Construction and early use Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride commissioned his favourite architect, Ivan Starov, to design his city resi ...

in St. Petersburg, commissioned by

. *1783—chateau in Ostrovki on the

Neva River The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth-l ...

, commissioned by Prince Potemkin, currently in ruins from neglect. *1784— Pella Palace on the Neva River, commissioned by

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

and demolished by her son

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

. *1784—Lithuanian prison castle at the intersection of the

Moyka The Moyka (, also latinised as Moika) is a short river in Saint Petersburg which splits from the Neva River. Along with the Neva, the Fontanka river, and canals including the Griboyedov and Kryukov, the Moyka encircles the central portion ...

and the

Kryukov Canal Kryukov Canal () is one of the canals in central Saint Petersburg, Russia. Name In 1738, the canal was named after the contractor Semyon Kryukov. History The Kryukov Canal runs from the Admiralteysky Canal in the area of the present Labo ...

in St. Petersburg, demolished after the 1917 fire. *1786—Potemkin Palace in

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, commissioned by Prince Potemkin. *1789— Prince Vladimir Church, Saint Petersburg, completed *1790—Potemkin mansion in Bogoyavlensk-on-the-Bug, commissioned by Prince Potemkin. *1790—magistrate and cathedral in Mykolaiv, commissioned by Prince Potemkin. *1794—chateau and pavilions in Voznesenskoye on the Neva River, commissioned by Count Sheremetyev. *1795—Potemkin mausoleum, commissioned by Potemkin's niece Countess Branicka but never executed. *1796—Theotokos Cathedral in

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, commissioned by the

Kazan Governorate Kazan Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR from 1708 to 1920, with its capital in Kazan. History Kazan Governorate, together with seven other ...

and destroyed by the Communists. The Kherson Cathedral in

and the Homel Palace in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

are also frequently attributed to Starov.

References

Sources

External links

Ivan Starov: life and works
(in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Starov, Ivan Starov, Ivan Yegorovich Starov, Ivan Yegorovich Architects from Saint Petersburg Starov, Ivan Yegorovich Starov, Ivan Yegorovich Burials at Lazarevskoe Cemetery (Saint Petersburg) 18th-century architects from the Russian Empire 19th-century architects from the Russian Empire