Mariinsky Palace (), also known as Marie Palace, was the last
neoclassical Imperial residence to be constructed in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. It was built between 1839 and 1844, designed by the court architect
Andrei Stackenschneider. It houses
the city's Legislative Assembly.
Location

The palace stands on the south side of
Saint Isaac's Square
Saint Isaac's Square or Isaakiyevskaya Ploshchad (), known as Vorovsky Square () between 1923 and 1944, in Saint Petersburg, Russia is a major city square sprawling between the Mariinsky Palace and Saint Isaac's Cathedral, which separates it fr ...
, just across the
Blue Bridge from
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral () is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Gre ...
. The site had been previously owned by
Zakhar Chernyshev, and contained his home designed by
Jean-Baptiste Vallin, which was built between 1762 and 1768. Chernyshev occasionally lent his home to foreign dignitaries visiting the capital, such as
Louis Henri, Prince of Condé
Louis Henri Joseph de Bourbon (13 April 1756 – 30 August 1830) was the last Prince of Condé from 1818 to his death. He was the brother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and nephew of Victoire de Rohan.
Life
Louis Henri was the only son of ...
.
From 1825 to 1839, the Chernyshev Palace, as it was then known, was the site of the , where
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...
was known to have studied for two years. The palace was demolished in 1839, and materials were reused in the construction of the Mariinsky Palace.
Conception and style
The palace was conceived by
Nicholas I as a present to his eldest daughter,
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, on the occasion of her marriage to
Maximilian de Beauharnais,
Empress Joséphine
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...
's grandson.
Although the reddish-brown facade is elaborately
rusticated and features
corinthian column
The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...
s arranged in a traditional Neoclassical mode, the whole design was inspired by the 17th-century French Baroque
messuages. Other eclectic influences are visible in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
details of exterior ornamentation, and the interior decoration, with each room designed in a different historic style. The palace is now painted white.
State Council
The Mariinsky Palace returned to Imperial ownership in 1884, where it remained until 1917. During that period, the palace housed the
State Council,
Imperial Chancellery, and
Committee of Ministers, which after 1905 became the
Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
. The grand hall for the sessions of the State Council was designed by
Leon Benois.
On April 15, 1902,
Socialist Revolutionary Party
The Socialist Revolutionary Party (SR; ,, ) was a major socialist political party in the late Russian Empire, during both phases of the Russian Revolution, and in early Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia. The party memb ...
member
Stepan Balmashov assassinated the
Minister of Internal Affairs
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
,
Dmitry Sipyagin
Dmitry Sergeyevich Sipyagin (; – ) was a Russian politician.
Political career
Born in Kiev, Sipyagin graduated from the Judicial Department of St Petersburg University in 1876. Served in the MVD as Vice Governor of Kharkov Governorate ( ...
, while the minister was between meetings at the palace.
In 1904, painter
Ilya Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin ( – 29 September 1930) was a Russian painter, born in what is today Ukraine. He became one of the most renowned artists in Russian Empire, Russia in the 19th century. His major works include ''Barge Haulers on the Volga' ...
completed ''
Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901''. The painting was commissioned as a commemoration of the State Council's centenary. The canvas is , and features 81 historical figures, including
Nicholas II. Repin recorded in his journal the painting was on display at the
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...
for some time before its installation at Mariinsky Palace.
Government use
The
Russian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was a provisional government of the Russian Empire and Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately after the abdication of Nicholas II on 2 March, O.S. New_Style.html" ;"title="5 ...
took full possession of the palace in March 1917, and gave it over to the
Provisional Council soon after. Following the
October Revolution
The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
, the palace housed various Soviet ministries and academies. During the
war with Germany, the palace was converted to a hospital, and was subject to intense bombing.
After the war, the palace became the residence of the
Petrograd Soviet. During the
1991 coup attempt, the
Emergency Committee used the palace as a base of operations. Barricades and heavy fortifications were constructed along the palace's perimeter, which remained for some time after the coup was suppressed.
The palace has been the site of the
Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg
The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg () is the regional parliaments of Russia, regional parliament of Saint Petersburg, a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (federal cities of Russia, federal city) of Russia. It was established ...
since 1994.
References
* Belyakova Z.I. Mariinsky dvorets. SPb, 1996.
* Petrov G.F. Dvorets u Sinego mosta: Mariinsky dvorets v Sankt-Petersburge. SPb, 2001.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mariinsky Palace
Palaces in Saint Petersburg
Royal residences in Russia
Government buildings in Russia
City and town halls in Russia
Houses completed in 1844
Saint Isaac's Square
Neoclassical palaces in Russia
Legislative buildings in Europe
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg
Lensovet
Russian Provisional Government