CC BY
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УДК 72.03:908
I.V. Aksenova
MGSU
RECONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING HISTORY OF THE DEMIDOVS' ESTATE «ALMAZOVO» SITUATED NEAR MOSCOW
The currency of the topic covered in the article is not only the necessity of national cultural traditions revival, but also the possibility of applying the restored historical objects in modern life as multifunctional cultural and touristic complexes. At present, this is one of the most prospective tendencies in tourism, entertainment industry and educational programmes. The revival of historical estates and cultural traditions is nowadays insufficiently used but inexhaustible source for economical and cultural development of Russian regions. Attracting investments allow preserving ancient buildings in future.
The Demidovs' estate "Sergievskaya dacha" in Almazovo (belonged to the Demidovs, the Ural owners of mines and metallurgical works) is an object of historic and cultural interest of Federal significance and it is of great scientific. educational and architectural value. To date the published information about the estate is laconic and sometimes contradictive.
The results of historic and architectural researches based upon detailed study of literary materials and especially archives are offered in the article. All building stages of the estate are considered. Unique unpublished drafts of demolished and not erected (because of a disease of the owner) buildings and elements of landscape architecture, which form an entity of the whole complex, have been discovered by the author.
The scientific importance of researches carried out by the author consists of the possibility (to the great degree of trustworthiness) to reconstruct the building history of the whole estate complex.
The volume of the obtained information allows to speak of the possibility of the estate restoration and to work out the project for its new contemporary usage as a museum of the noble family way of life. This will encourage the development of tourism in the region and draw the attraction of investments in order to preserve the estate.
Key words: historical site, cultural and touristic complexes, Demidovs' estate, Almazovo in Moscow Region, archives, estate building history, historical and architectural investigation, museum of noble family household, retrospective reconstruction, historical objects usage.
In 1762 the Emperor Peter III abolished compulsory state and military service by his "decree of liberty and freedom for the Russian nobility", which led to a wave of estate building. Believing in the possibility of creating a perfect world, the representatives of the upper class laid out their estates in accordance with their philosophy and ideas of heaven on earth. This was the beginning of "the golden age of Russian estate" and its importance for Russian culture cannot be overestimated.
After the Revolution some estates were irrevocably gone, others were more fortunate: medical and social institutions were established in them. However, during perestroika period they were left derelict since the State no longer set aside any money even for repairs, let alone restoration. According to the information from "The Society of Russian Estates Investigation", around 7000 estates have survived in Russia as historical and cultural monuments [1]. However, most of them are in poor condition and every year their number is going down.
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© Aksenova I.V., 2014
In contemporary European countries the practice of retrospective reconstruction, which re-establishes the atmosphere of the past, is becoming ever more popular [2]. At present time this is one of the most attractive ways of developing tourism, leisure and educational programs. In Russia the examples of activities in restored estates, which are close to historical practices, also exist, though they are still rare. For instance, the Cultural Museum of the Russian Estate, the Vlakhernskoye-Kuzminki Estate of the nobility Golitsins, set up in 1999, has become one of the best-known and most dynamic cultural and educational centers in Moscow [3]. And at the Mary-ino Estate (the family estate of the Stroganov-Golitsins outside St. Petersburg) it has been possible to restore the unique spirit of a 19th century estate and visitors come here for various events (holidays, banquets, festivals) [4]. Although the restoration of historic estates, and, together with them, national cultural traditions, is still rare, it is an inexhaustible resource for the economic and cultural development of the Russian regions.
Under the aegis of the national "Russian Estate Restoration" foundation, pilot projects to promote interest and restore neglected estates are being developed, as well as the projects to find social and cultural uses as multi-purpose cultural and tourist centers for recreation and as health [2]. Restoration is acceptable only by using scientific methods which restore on the basis of documentary evidence.
«The 19th century Almazovo Estate» near Moscow is a historic and cultural monument of national importance. According to its official designation, the surviving elements of the monument include five historic buildings of the Church complex (an almshouse, the Church of St. Sergius and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Church gate and the east and west clergy houses), its system of ponds and canals and the remains of the park [5]. The other buildings (including the country house) gradually fell down as far back as the 19th century. In the view of the experts, at the peak of its prosperity the estate was notable for its extremely distinctive layout with a unique system of artificial lakes, which turned it into "a Little Venice in the Moscow Region" [6]. Even today ancient avenues, plant-filled estate canals and ponds, as well as the location of the now non-existent country house, can still be made out from satellite photographs.
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The development of the land adjoining the Medvezhyi lakes, where the present-day village of Almazovo is situated, started in the late 14th century. In 1646 a nobleman of the Boyars' Council of the Vladimir Legal Department of the Royal Government, Semeon Almazov, became the owner of the settlement. After the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was built, the former small village became known as Sergievskoye or Almazovo. In 1753 Sergievskoye was acquired by Nikita Akinfiev-ich Demidov (1724—1789), a grandson of the founder of the Demidov mining and metals dynasty [7]. Nikita Akinfievich, a creative and gifted man in many fields, was a representative of the new generation after Peter the Great. In accordance with European fashions he decided to convert this ordinary village of Almazovo near Moscow with its everyday life into an estate, unusual by its beauty and splendor.
On the general land survey of 1766 (Pic. 1), "the village of Sergievskoye in the Bogorodsky District of the Moscow Province of the Koshelev area, the estate of the privy councilor N.A. Demidov", is mentioned as "former monastic properties" [8].
Sergievskoye could be reached from the Strominsky road (now the Shcholkovskoye Highway) through Nikolsko-Trubetskoye. The road passed through the estate and led to the Vladimir Highroad. In the 1760s and 1770s extensive construction work was carried out in the estate. The local topography gave N.A. Demidov the idea of creating a system of reservoirs, which on the one hand, enabled him to lower the water table and drain wetlands, and, on the other hand, create a unique water park in the estate. Thirteen years later almost the whole estate had already been established in Sergievskoye. Unfortunately, the architect of the estate is unknown.
Pic. 1. The Central Part of the Estate at the Time of the Survey 1766—1768 (RGA-DA — Russian National Archive of Historic Documents. Fond / F. (Archive) 1354. Opis / Op. (Inventory) 246): 1. Main canal; 2. Main avenue; 3. Great pond; 4. Small pond; 5. Artificial "Mount Zion"; 6. Original wooden country house on the island in the centre of the round pond; 7. Wooden bridge; 8. Stone bridge; 9. Outbuildings; 10. Stone St. Sergius Church with wooden bell-tower; 11. Clergy building; 12. Hamlet for servants; 13. Orangeries; 14. Site where the theatre was to be built in 1773; 15. Garden; 16. Swan pond; 17. Small Menagerie; 18. Side (pig) pond; 19. Bathing pond
The estate had a transitional character, ranging from regular classicism, characterized by simple forms, to landscapes imagined in the romantic style [9]. Although quite geometrical, the setting was very picturesque which, in contrast to Western classicism, is peculiar to Russian architecture. A unique technique of landscape art was applied to its layout, reinforcing the pivotal composition of the central avenue (2) with the parallel main canal (1), situated 60 meters to the north. In the west the canal ended in the smaller pond (4) and the artificial Mount Zion (5), in the east it ended in the greater pond (3). This artificial, rectangular-shaped but rounded reservoir is adorned by an island, situated on the same axes as the main canal [10]. More or less in the middle of the canal a round pond was dug, in the centre of which a small, eight-sided island with a country house was located (6). The house (at first one-storied, then two-storied with an attic storey) was placed across the canal so that its eastern and western facades looked along the axes of the canal. The glazed walkways on the arched bridges united the house with wooden outbuildings on the opposite banks of the canal — another technique which has no parallels in Russian estate architecture.
More or less in front of the country house, against the other side of the avenue, there stood the stone Church ofSt. Sergius with a wooden bell-tower, built in 1730 (10). From both sides of the main avenue a stockyard, stables, an apiary, auxiliary out-
buildings (including one for singing), the clergy building were located (11) as well as "a hamlet of wooden peasants' huts for house-serfs" (12). Not far from the small pond and Mount Zion, in the birch grove, orangeries with heat-loving plants were built (13). An orchard (15) adjoined the house from the north.
The main park was situated to the north of the main canal and stood out by its extreme originality and wealth of water features. In spite of the relatively strict regular form of the general plan, the main park was seen as a wide and free composition, because of its large scale and the inclusion of natural forest. Its artistic centre was the swan pond with six extended sides and regularly spaced islands. (On the 1826 map four new islands appeared in each corner of the original composition). From three sides (the eastern, northern and western) the pond was surrounded by trees and a tall shrubbery, hence the water space seemed half-enclosed. This created an atmosphere of intimacy amid the open nature of the surrounding park. Nearby, on the island, edged by the rectangular canal, there was a small menagerie (17). Some time later the great menagerie was set up to the north-west of the swan pond on the island, also edged by the canal [6, p. 246]. To the east of the greater pond there was the side (pig) pond (18), and to the south of the main avenue — the bathing pond (19). On either side of the canal there was a regular park with mazes and trimmed fir plantations. The main use of the estate ponds and canals was for various State receptions and water shows, so that the combined water system allowed boats to be rowed all over the estate.
The open area along the main canal and the great pond extended from east to west and was surrounded by park and forest. It provided a flow of air everywhere with greater wetness (because of the poor surface flow of precipitation). At the same time the closed areas near Mount Zion and the small pond, by the swan pond, in the area of the former small and great menageries and the side pond, provided an intimate area for the whole estate.
In 1773 N.A. Demidov built a wooden building as a theatre on the site of the old orangery (14). At that time Nikita Akinfievich was active in laying out the estate and so could hardly pay attention to the performances. The theatre building probably appeared in the estate not because of its owner's love of the arts, but as a tribute to social fashion. According to M. Pylyaev, in Russia at that time "there was no rich country house where visitors were not entertained by serf musicians and actors" [11].
After the death of Nikita Akinfievich in 1789, Sergievskoye devolved to his son Nikolai Nikitich Demidov (1773—1828), who was a military man and paid less attention to the estate; however he became famous for his generous donations and the creation of a theatre of serf actors [11]. In 1792 N.N. Demidov began forming the future theatre troupe, which consisted of serf actors: he ordered "fifteen boys and the same number of girls" to be sent to Moscow "for the newly-founded theatre" from the Nizhny Tagil factory office1. The owner visited his estate only from time to time, however, the works on its enlargement and completion, which had already been planned by his father, continued. The work was entirely headed by a former Demidov's serf, Andrey Gavrilovich Tkachev, who was granted freedom in 17972.
1 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh / Demidov Archive). Op. 10. Ed. khr. 161. 1826, 1813, 1816, 1828 (years).
2 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh / Demidov Archive). Op. 10. Ed. khr. 161. 1826, 1813, 1816, 1828 (years).
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This naturally gifted man worked in the Demidov estates for five decades, first as a gardener (in modern terms, a landscape designer), and then, after training in the workshop of D.B. Gilardi, as an architect [9].
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the young Demidov decided to undertake rebuilding of the estate, though preserving the general planning of the estate space. In 1800 Demidov ordered Andrey Tkachev "to begin building a new church in Sergievskoye... For this I need to have the plan of the village and of the buildings in it... to choose the site where it would be best to build the church. I would have you draw up these designs immediately"3. The site for the new church was chosen 150 meters to the west of the old church. For unknown reasons the unfinished church collapsed in 1808, and Tkachev worked on a new design [5], which was begun only after the war of 1812. The preliminary cost of building and painting the church was 60,000 rubles, but in fact the church cost N.N. Demidov much more — 25 0,0004.
By the middle of 1819 the new church with three altars was finished and in September 1819 it was consecrated: the high altar in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the south altar in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the north altar in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker. The poor health of N.N. Demidov, who was then in Florence, prevented him from attending this solemn event. The opinion of the eyewitnesses was unanimous: "this church would be an adornment not for a sparsely-populated settlement, but for the capital"5. Marble plaques survived on the walls of the north church porch until the mid-20th century, reminding the parishioners of the church builders: the first — Ivan Almazov, and the second — Nikolai Demidov, the north altar being dedicated to his patron-saint.
After 1818 "two one-storied stone houses with gardens" were constructed for clergy to either side of the church. Instead of the small village, which had fallen into decay, "five buildings with accommodation in each of them for four families with attached cowsheds and storerooms" were built for house-serfs. Almost at the same time, a one-storied stone almshouse for the poor was built near the left-hand clergy house6.
In 1822 there began the building of a large stone country house, which location had been mulled over for quite some time. According to the desire of Nikolai Nikitich it was to be a two-storied building, "with two orangeries on each side and at each end of these — outbuildings for gardeners and a kitchen with a cellar under the house". "Lest the good view should be lost, a site was chosen (by Demidov) opposite the church, in the garden where the old orangeries had stood"7. With such a setting for the house, a strict cruciform layout of the whole ensemble appeared: the four ends of the cross ended in the main house and the Church, "Mount Zion" and the great pond.
After considering several proposals (including those by a new Moscow architect E.D. Tyurin — a disciple of D.I. Gilardi), a design by the architect Ivan Osipovich
3 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op
4 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op
5 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op
6 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op
7 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op
3. Ed. khr. 112. 1800. l. 6.
3. Ed. khr. 441. 1828. l. 158.
3. Ed. khr. 230. 1819. l. 25-26.
10. Ed. khr. 256. 1818, Op. 3. Ed. khr. 293. l. 11.
10. Ed. khr. 352. 1822. l. 63.
Peskov was adopted, which is not presented in the article due to the poor quality of the records. His proposals met all the requirements: because of the orientation of the main facade to the north, and the garden — to the south (to the Church), the necessary lighting for the orangeries was provided ("by glass for midday"). Besides, this fitted in with the planned removal of the main entrance to the estate entrance from the side of the Malo-Chernogolovsky road. The house of brick and with details picked out in white stone was "designed" with a central axis, peculiar to country houses of estates in the 1820s. The main two-storied structure with a colonnaded entrance portico, crowned by a triangular pediment, was placed in the centre of the ensemble. The residence situated in it ("keeping to the internal layout in accordance with the plan and desire" of N.N. Demidov) was conjoint with two side buildings with the help of one-storied corridor orangeries. These were heated corridors which faced the main facade, and the orangeries which contained them faced the garden (to the south). The right-hand warm orangery for orange-trees adjoined the kitchen building; the left-hand open one, "with an area for planting trees" (vines) — with an outbuilding for the gardeners. The total area of all the buildings was 2,200 square meters, the approximate cost of the house — 112,147 rubles8. According to the experts' estimates, the main house, judging from its plan, was a precious work of late classicism [12].
In spring 1823 the works on building the house began and were finished by the end of 1827. Several different plans to rebuild the estate were considered9, according to which the old house on the island was supposed to be converted into "an English cottage"10. In 1826 the estate plan "how it looks now" and the final version of the perspective were presented to Nikolai Nikitich (Pic. 2). The drive to the house was planned (10) from the main avenue "behind the hill and near the beginning of the ditch" (of the new short canal). Then it "approaches the main building (2) and passes across the old stone bridge (12) back to the main avenue". "The new stone bridge (9) over the ditch opposite the newly-built house" was to unite the southern and northern parts of the estate. Between the house and the church a well-planned courtyard (11) with an English garden (park) was designed. Trees were to be planted along the avenues under the plan (24), as well as along the main avenue.
According to the new plan11, an outbuilding for house-serfs (6) was planned to the right of the Church, in line with the almshouse (4). But so that "these buildings should correspond with the main facade", Nikolai Nikitich ordered "the renovation of the almshouse facade and the enlargement of the windows. If the old almshouse foundation is strong, then a second storey or stone attic storey is to be added. To draw up the new plan and facade so that one should be able to live inside quietly"12. The architect I.O. Peskov "designed the facade" of the almshouse building "with an additional storey" (Pic. 3). The building has survived until today with this exact appearance.
8 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 3. Ed. khr. 425. 1823. l. 30.
9 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 3. Ed. khr. 448. 1824.
10 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 10. Ed. khr. 406. 1826. l. 5.
11 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 3. Ed. khr. 519. 1826. l. 11.
12 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 10. Ed. khr. 406. 1826. l. 6.
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Pic. 2. The Perspective of the Sergievskoye Village Estate. 1826 (RGADA — Russian National Archive of Historic Documents. Fond / F. (Archive) 1267. Opis / Op. (Inventory) 3. Edinitsa khraneniya / Ed. khr. (Unit of conservation) 519, list / l. (sheet) 11): 1. Church; 2. New country house, under construction; 3. Old country house with galleried bridges on the island in the centre of the round pond; 4. "Old almshouse to be built with a new façade and single storey superstructure"; 5. Clergy housing; 6. Two-storied stone outbuilding for house-serfs, "to be rebuilt in accordance with the almshouse"; 7. Store, called "Pestum"; 8. "Small village for house-serfs to be demolished, when they can be accommodated in the stone house (6), dashed lines indicate the location of stables"; 9. Stone bridge (again under construction); 10. New road to the house. 11. Land in front of the house; 12. Old stone bridge; 13. Wooden kitchen building; 14. Bathing pond; 15. Silver pond; 16. Old orangery with two stores; 17. Side (pig) pond; 18. Shed, stables, cellars; 19. Main canal; 20. Main avenue; 21. Mount Zion; 22. Small pond; 23. New part of the main canal; 24. New avenues; 25. Road to Nikiforovo; 26. Access road to Sergievskoye from the Stromynsky Highway; 27. Large cedar; 28. Road to the great menagerie; 29. Swan pond; 30. Great pond; 31. New pond
Pic. 3. The Plan and Facade of the Added Almshouse and the Servants' House on the other side of the Church, in line with the Almshouse. 1826. Architect — I.O. Peskov (RGADA. F. 1267. Op. 3, Ed. khr. 519, l. 12)
Furthermore, the following structures were planned for the estate: a wooden store like the Pestum (7) «on the hill behind the great pond», a summer-house on Mount Zion, a new wooden orangery, stables on the site of the small village for house-serfs, or, «near the proposed new road», a barn, a shop (store), as well as fire poles. The plans and facades of these buildings have been found in the records and with their help we can imagine what Sergievskoye would have looked like on completion of the work13. In late 1826 the stone bridge was built (Pic. 4), over which the estate could be entered until recently and by summer 1828 the one-storied almshouse had been added (4). Other plans, unfortunately, remained just on paper.
Pic. 4. The Plan and Facade of the Semi-circular Coach-house with Stables and Rooms for Stable boys. 1826. Architect A. Chebotarev. (RGADA. F. 1267. Op. 3, Ed. khr. 519, l. 13)
The estate was the closest to the Demidovs' ancestral lands in Moscow and in the Moscow office documents it was called "The Sergievskaya Country House ("Dacha")". It was built as a country house and was intended as a residence for the owners and the reception of visitors. Sergievskoye had a special position: "no quit-rent is levied from this estate, but there is chopping of firewood for the heating of the local orangeries and houses, cutting and gathering in of grass from the meadows, occasional supply of provisions from Moscow to Sergievskoye for servants and other casual work, for example: in the Moscow and Sergievskoye orangeries, filling Moscow cellars with ice and night watchmen in Sergievskoye"14. Had Nikolai Nikitich returned to Moscow, he would definitely have chosen Sergievskoye to live in preference to his other estates.
As the ambassador of the Russian Empire to the Italian principality of Tuscany, from 1820 on Nikolai Nikitich lived without a break in its capital of Florence and ran all the affairs of the estate only by letters. The extensive correspondence, which has survived in the archives, is full of directions, suggestions and orders. Thanks to
13 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 3. Ed. khr. 519. 1826. l. 12—18.
14 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). Op. 10. Ed. khr. 340. 1821.
this it has been possible to restore the historical sequence of the estate's construction. Nikolai Nikitich died in Florence in 1828. The short period of prosperity of the Ser-gievskoye estate came to end. From the archives it follows that N.N. Demidov, like his father, did much for his servants. First of all, he provided education for servant children, training them in various skills (as blacksmiths carpenters, cobblers, engravers, wheelwrights, saddlers, coachbuilders, vets and doctors) and the most talanted children were taught painting, architecture15 and drama [11]. After Demidov's death the situation of his former servants and clergy became very difficult.
In 1835 the estate was sold by the heirs with the compulsory condition of maintenance of the almshouse. The last owner of the estate — a retired Major-General M.F. Chikhachev, who belonged to an old noble family — worked hard with the almshouse and according to his will he placed the whole estate at the disposal of "The Moscow Committee of Trustees of the Imperial Philanthropic Society". A period of decline for the architectural and landscape ensemble of Almazovo began and the gradual destruction of nearly all its elements. In 1868 the state of the country house was considered to be critical: because of the poor ground the foundations of the main house had subsided and the walls had cracked. In 1880 the house was ravaged and practically destroyed [5]. All the buildings and the park were in a disastrous condition.
In 1918 the estate was nationalised. During the first years of the Soviet government a nursing home was located in the former almshouse, then this became an orphanage, the latter in 1948 was converted into a correctional boarding-school which still exists. During the whole Soviet period the territory of the estate was part of a State farm ("sovkhoz") and remained a holiday area. The fate of the Church in the Soviet period was typical: it was looted, the clergy were persecuted and the active desire of the new Soviet regime to close it as soon as possible was obvious. According to eyewitness evidences, the last service was celebrated two weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War. After that the Church was looted and completely ransacked.
The transformations of the Revolution turned the estate back into a wasteland. The whole area around the Church became densely overgrown with trees. The Church fell into a ruinous state: because there was no roof and the pillars, vaults, arches and block-work parted company and collapsed. The internal structures that had held the Church together fell apart. Apart from the body of the Church only the two clergy houses, the former almshouse and the north gate survive.
Early in the 1980s, at the initiative of the Ministry for Higher and Secondary Special Education of RSFSR, the idea was conceived of breathing new life into the Demidovs' estate and converting it into "a recreation and work centre for students and teachers of Institutions of Higher Education in Russia". Specialists from six Russian Institutions of Higher Education were involved in research and planning work. Under the direction of the Moscow Institute of Architecture, Professors S.S. Ozhegov and S.S. Podyapolsky, a plan called "Conservation Areas of the Alm-azovo Park Estate" was prepared and several pilot schemes to rebuild and restore the estate were carried out. According to these schemes Almazovo was to obtain the status of a cultural heritage centre (50 hectares), and a redevelopment area (30 hect-
15 RGADA. F. 1267 (fond Demidovykh). 1815—1828. Op. 3. Ed. khr. 240, 443, Op. 10. Ed. khr.
161, 221.
ares) was planned 200 meters away from the historic ensemble. On restoration there was a plan to locate the Museum of the History of Russian Technology in the Church building, and after rebuilding the main house — to set up a meeting hall, a library and a club there [12, 13]. However, these plans were not implemented.
In 1992 started the restoring works of Almazovo Church. Starting from this moment, the history of the Almazovo-Sergievskoye estate has coincided with the history of the restoration of its Church. At first it was dangerous even to enter the half-ruinous body of the building, as bricks would fall from the walls and facades. Most of the specialists involved did not believe that it was possible to restore the church and thought that it would be easier to build a new one. However, a young priest, Fr. Andrei Kovalchuk, who was in charge of this impossible task did not agree with the specialists. He considered that the Church was a historic and cultural monument of national importance [5] and its restoration should be implemented from the beginning to the end under the direction of an architect-restorer, appointed by the Inspectorate for the Protection of Historic Monuments. However, it was futile to expect help from the State in the difficult years of perestroika and there was no money to pay such a specialist. This was why the work was carried out by the parishioners and "outsiders". But in order to restore the most important structures — vaults, walls and columns — it became possible to find and call on professionals and specialists.
The unthinkable was achieved in those years: the Church, built by the multimillionaire Demidov in five years, in the recent difficult times for Russia (with the active financial support of many donors), rose from the ruins in seven years! Moreover, it stands in the forest and all the parishioners come here for services from neighboring villages, the town of Balashikha and Moscow. And today the restored Church, full of light, is astounding for the wealth of color of its frescoes, created by modern painters, who have managed to express the unity of the building's architecture and wall-paintings (Pic. 5).
Pic. 5. The Church of St. Sergius and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the 20th century
The five surviving and restored Almazovo historic buildings of the former Demidov estate form an isolated, stylistically integral architectural complex with the dominating silhouette of the Church of St. Sergius and the Kazan Icon of the Mother
of God. Clergy houses and the almshouses are situated on each side of the Church in line with the north side of the Church railings. Forming a regular built-up area on the right side of the main drive, the complex of buildings of the Sergievskoye Church is an essential element of the architectural and spatial layout of the former estate.
Unfortunately, today we cannot see any of the splendid estate buildings, and there are only memories of the magnificent gardens. The banks of the main canal are densely overgrown with bushes and undergrowth. The chaotic surface flow of rain water has over the years deformed the historical relief, the sides of the ponds have lost their clear contours, while parts of the water system, inadequately fed by water, have become shallow or have dried up. Only the great and bathing ponds, which are both spring-fed, still preserve some level of water. The area is overgrown by aspen and birch.
The comprehensive examination of the Almazovo estate, completed in the 1980s under the direction of Professor S.S. Ozhegov of the Moscow Institute of Architecture [10, 12], together with the results of historical and architectural research obtained by the author of this article [14], give a fairly full picture of the Sergievskoye country house of the Demidovs, which is of a great educational and architectural value. The amount of information received makes it possible to envisage its restoration.
Most estates went through periods of prosperity and decline, some of them were to be restored later. We hope that the restoration of the heart of Almazovo — the Church of St. Sergius and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God — will serve as the rebirth of this unique phenomenon in the history of Russian estate culture. And the modern use of the whole complex as a museum of the life of the nobility will promote the development of tourism in the region and attract the investments necessary for the preservation of this monument.
References
1. Official website of the Society of Russian Estate Investigation (OIRU). Available at: http://www.oiru.org/members.html. Date of access: 26.09.13.
2. Oynas D. Usad'ba — proshloe v nastoyashchem [Estate — the Past in the Present]. Natsional'nyy fond «Vozrozhdeniya russkoy usad'by» [National Fond of "Revival of Russian Estate"]. Available at: http://www.fondus.ru/. Date of access: 26.09.13.
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About the author: Aksenova Irina Vasil'evna — Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture of Civil and Industrial Buildings, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MGSU), 26 Yaroslavskoe shosse, Moscow, 129337, Russian Federation; [email protected].
For citation: Aksenova I.V. Reconstruction of the Building History of the Demidovs' Estate "Almazovo" Situated near Moscow. Vestnik MGSU [Proceedings of Moscow State University of Civil Engineering]. 2014, no. 3, pp. 36—49.
И.В. Аксенова
РЕКОНСТРУКЦИЯ СТРОИТЕЛЬНОЙ ИСТОРИИ ПОДМОСКОВНОЙ УСАДЬБЫ ДЕМИДОВЫХ В АЛМАЗОВЕ
Актуальность затронутой темы заключается не только в необходимости возрождения национальных культурных традиций, но и в возможности включения восстановленных исторических объектов в современную жизнь в качестве многофункциональных культурно-туристических комплексов. В настоящее время это одно из самых перспективных направлений в развитии туристического бизнеса, индустрии
развлечений, образовательных программ. Пока это мало использованный, но неиссякаемый ресурс экономического и культурного развития регионов России. Привлеченные при этом инвестиции позволят в дальнейшем содействовать сохранению памятников.
Подмосковная усадьба уральских горнозаводчиков Демидовых — «Сергиевская дача» в Алмазове — является памятником истории и культуры федерального значения и имеет большую научно-познавательную и архитектурную ценность. На сегодняшний день в литературе информация об этой усадьбе немногословна, а иногда и противоречива.
Представлены результаты историко-архитектурного исследования, основанного на детальном изучении имеющихся литературных, и особенно архивных текстовых и графических материалов. Рассмотрены все этапы строительства усадьбы Алмазово-Сергиевское. Научная ценность проведенного исследования заключается в возможности (с высокой степенью достоверности) реконструкции истории строительства всего усадебного комплекса. Объем полученной при этом информации позволяет говорить о возможности восстановления усадьбы и разработке проекта ее приспособления к современному использованию под музей дворянского быта. Это будет способствовать развитию туризма в регионе и привлечению инвестиций, необходимых для сохранения памятника.
Ключевые слова: исторические объекты, культурно-туристический комплекс, Демидовская усадьба, подмосковное Алмазово, архивные материалы, строительная история усадьбы, историко-архитектурное исследование, музей дворянского быта, ретроспективная реконструкция, использование исторических объектов.
Библиографический список
1. Общество изучения русской усадьбы (ОИРУ). Режим доступа: http://www.oiru.org/ members.html. Дата обращения: 26.09.13.
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11. Костерина-Азарян А.Б. Театр в жизни Н.Н. Демидова // Демидовский временник: Исторический альманах. Екатеринбург, 1994. Кн. 1. С. 147—162.
12. Отчет НИР «Разработка предложений по организации базы труда и отдыха Минвуза РСФСР в Алмазово» (промеж.) / МАрхИ. Науч. рук. С.С. Ожегов. Гос. рег 01.86.0034289. М., 1987. (ВНТИЦентр).
13. Яровой И.Ю. Новая жизнь подмосковного Алмазова // Архитектура СССР 1987. № 6. С. 106—109.
14. Аксенова И.В. Подмосковная усадьба Демидовых Алмазово-Сергиевское. История «села Сергиевского, Алмазово тож» // Русская усадьба : сб. общества изучения русской усадьбы / научный ред.-сост. М.В. Нащокина. СПб. : Коло, 2013. Вып. 18(34). С. 397—436.
Поступила в редакцию в феврале 2014 г.
Об авторе: Аксенова Ирина Васильевна — кандидат технических наук, доцент, профессор кафедры архитектуры гражданских и промышленных зданий, Московский государственный строительный университет (ФГБОУ ВПО «МГСУ»), 129337, г. Москва, Ярославское шоссе, д. 26, [email protected].
Для цитирования: Aksenova I.V. Reconstruction of the Building History of the Demidovs' Estate "Almazovo" Situated near Moscow // Вестник МГСУ. 2014. № 3. С. 36—49.
