a). Currus triumphales ad adventum clarissimorum Moschoviae principum Pauli Petrovitz et Mariae Theodorownae conjugis regali ornandum spectaculo in Divi Marci Venetiarum foro die 24. Januarii anno MDCCLXXXII ... Venezia, si vende alla casa di Fossati in Castelforte a S. Rocco, 1782. Engraver. frontispiece and 5 l.l. engravings. Long In Folio. 34x47cm. Visit and triumphant entrance to Venice by V.K. Pavel Petrovich. The engravings depict the triumphal procession of the son of Catherine II the Great, the Grand Duke, heir to the Russian throne, the future Emperor of Russia Paul I, entering Venice in 1782, accompanied by his wife Maria Feodorovna, nee Princess Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. The case takes place 14 years before the accession of Pavel Petrovich to the throne. The Crown Prince is 28 years old. Illustrations from the Italian album "Currus triumphales ad adventum clarissimorum Moschoviae principum Pauli Petrovitz et Mariae Theodorownae conjugis regali ornandum spectaculo in Divi Marci venetiarum foro die 24. Januarii anno MDCCLXXXII ...". The authors of this very delicate album are Giorgio Fossati (1706-1778) and Domenico Fossati (1743-1784).
b). Additional engraved suite: Feast in honor of V.K. Pavel Petrovich during his stay in Venice in 1782. 4 sheets. according to fig. Grandis and Moretti and engraved with a Baratti chisel. Painted by hand. Grand in Folio. So, these 2 suites make up 9 sheets.
Bibliographic sources:
1. Antiquarian book trade Solovieva N.V. Catalog No. 105, St. Petersburg, 1910, Rare Books, Livres Rares, Nos. 308, 313.
2. Decent images: http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu
Journey of the "Count and Countess of the North" to Europe
In mid-June 1781, by mutual agreement of Empress Catherine with Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna, it was decided that Their Highnesses would go on a trip to Europe in accordance with the plan outlined by the Empress. The following were appointed to the retinue, which was supposed to accompany high travelers: General N.I. Saltykov with his wife, Colonel Kh.I. Benckendorff with his wife, who was a close friend of Maria Feodorovna, Prince A.B. Kurakin, childhood friend of Pavel Petrovich, Prince N.B. Yusupov, art connoisseur, maid of honor of Maria Fedorovna N.S. Borshchova and E.I. Nelidov, as well as several people from Pavel Petrovich's inner circle: chamber junker F.F. Vadkovsky, captain-lieutenant S.I. Pleshcheev, writers Lafermière and Nikolai, priest Samborsky and Dr. Kruse. The departure was scheduled only for September in connection with the inoculation of smallpox to the sons Alexander and Konstantin. On September 19, 1781, Their Imperial Highnesses left Tsarskoye Selo. Through Pskov, Kyiv and the Polish lands, their path lay in Austria. It was decided that they would travel through Europe incognito as the Count and Countess of the North, as was customary for the royal houses of Europe. Met at the border by Emperor Joseph II, the Count and Countess of the North arrived in Vienna on November 10, 1781 and stayed until December 24. Such a long stay in Austria was explained not only by the hospitality of the hosts, but also by a matter of extreme diplomatic importance. It was during this stay that the issue of the marriage of the nephew of Joseph II, Archduke Franz and the younger sister of Maria Feodorovna, Princess Elisabeth of Württemberg, was resolved. The main purpose of this marriage was the diplomatic rapprochement between Russia and Austria.
A.-L.-R. Ducrot. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich
and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna
in the Roman Forum. 1782
Russian travelers spent the beginning of January of the new year 1782 in Venice, where for two weeks festive processions were replaced by theatrical performances and masquerades. From Venice through Rome, the path lay to the Kingdom of Naples, where King Ferdinand III of Bourbon and his wife Maria Carolina, the sister of Joseph II, were waiting for guests. The Count and Countess Severny saw the main sights: the volcano Vesuvius and the excavations of the city of Pompeii. The south of Italy opened the mysteries of ancient history and art to travelers from the North, with the help of the connoisseur and lover of art, the English envoy Lord Hamilton. From Naples they traveled to Rome, where they arrived on 12 February. Here they were received by Pope Pius VI, visited the sights: the Roman Forum, the waterfall in Tivoli, in memory of which there were paintings painted by Ducrot. After a two-week stay in Rome, Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna went to Tuscany to visit Duke Leopold of Tuscany, the brother of Joseph II. Here Maria Feodorovna met Archduke Franz, her sister's future fiancé.
F. Trossarelli.
Portrait of Victor Amedeus III,
King of Sardinia and his wife. 1784.
The April stay in Turin, the capital of the Sardinian kingdom, turned out to be extremely pleasant. King Victor-Amedey fell in love with Pavel Petrovich so much that he even began to call him his son. It was in Italy that the grand ducal couple began to acquire antique sculpture, Venetian mirrors, and also to place orders with famous artists - A. Kaufmann, P. Battoni, J.F. Hackert. Especially for Pavel Petrovich, reduced marble copies of the famous series of ancient sculptures from the Vatican collection "Apollo and the Muses" are made. Added to this are gifts from Pius VI and especially from the King of Sardinia. All this will soon be included in the decoration of the Pavlovsk Palace.
Parisian service. France 1782.
Sèvres manufactory
The apogee of the entire journey was Paris, where the Count and Countess of the North spent a whole month. Among the numerous entertainments and holidays, the guests visited the workshops of artists, got acquainted with hospitals, manufactories, state institutions. A special place in this series is occupied by the trip of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich to the Chantilly estate located north of Paris, the impressions of which were reflected in the parks of Gatchina and Pavlovsk. The European journey of Paul and Mary, which, like most informal state visits of the time, was coming to an anonymous climax. Behind were magnificent holidays in honor of the count and countess of the North in Vienna and Venice, travel around the outskirts of Rome, purchases of antiques and paintings for Pavlovsk and Gatchina. On May 20, during an official reception at Versailles, the Count of the North addressed Louis XVI with words that were supposed to show the complete unity of the Russian imperial family:
“How happy I am, Sir, to see Your Majesty! This was the main purpose of my trip to France. The Empress, my mother, will envy my happiness, for in this, as in everything else, our feelings are similar.
Thus, one of the important goals that Catherine II had in mind, who sent her son on the “Great Journey” along the route developed by her, was realized. However, during the audience, the Grand Duke expressed his own convictions. Addressing the dauphin's tutor, Paul said ardently:
“Madame, remind Monsieur the Dauphin this visit today as often as possible; remind him of the devotion I solemnly pledge to him at his cradle. Let this be a pledge of union and eternal unity between our states.”
Unknown artist.
Interior of the House of Peter the Great
in Zaandam
S.N. Pleshcheev, the historiographer of the year-long journey, does not mention the three-day visit to Chantilly, June 10-12, 1782. Perhaps this trip was not provided for by the official program and took place at the personal request of the Count of the North. The visit of the heirs of the Russian throne to the family estate of Prince Louis Joseph Condé, a relative of the king, was remembered thanks to the magnificent holidays and deer hunting described in the notes of Henriette-Louise d'Oberkirch, nee Waldner, a childhood friend of the Grand Duchess. Much more important, however, were the personal connections that arose during the trip. Report of the Russian Ambassador in Paris I.S. Baryatinsky, delivered to Catherine II on July 26, lists all the signs of attention shown by the owner to Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna:
“Their Highnesses deigned to go from here to Prince Condey in Chantilly for a dinner meal, where almost all Russians were invited. At the last post before arriving in Chantilly, all the Jaegers, stable officers, Pages of this Prince and horses for the carriage of Their Highnesses were sent to meet. Arriving at the castle, the Prince of Conde met Their Highnesses at the carriage and with all the people who were there, of which there were up to two hundred.
Unknown artist.
Exterior view of the House of Peter the Great
in Zaandam
The Grand Duke, who had expressed in France "some very true and deep considerations" about the weak connection of the House of Orleans with the French nobility, quickly became friends with the Prince of Condé, whom d'Oberkirch recalls as "an intelligent, tactful person with a sense of taste" and, in his in his own words, "who prefers business conversation to philosophizing." The taciturn, energetic host of Chantilly made a great impression on the Russian guest, and Maria Fedorovna became friends with his daughter. The Prince of Condé, like Paul, had deeper interests and convictions than might appear, "and the latter was surprised by what he learned from a prince who, at first glance, seemed interested only in military affairs." In Paris, they were caught by the news of the laying of a large stone palace in Pavlovsk. From Paris, the owners of Pavlovsk brought furniture, Lyon silks, bronzes, porcelain and luxurious gifts from Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: tapestries and a unique Sèvres toilet set. Having visited Holland, the house of Peter the Great in Zaandam, Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna spent almost a month visiting her parents in Montbéliard and Etupe. On November 20, 1782, the Grand Ducal couple returned to St. Petersburg.
K. Hoyer. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna
with sons Alexander and Konstantin. 1781.
From another source: In the summer of 1776, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich undertook a trip to Berlin to meet his bride, Princess Sophia Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg (Maria Feodorovna in Orthodoxy); On September 26, 1776, a wedding and then a wedding took place in the Resurrection Cathedral of the Winter Palace. Back in 1765, Catherine presented the heir to Kamenny Island, on the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg, as a residence. Marriage with Maria Fedorovna and the birth on December 12, 1777 of the first-born, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, were marked by the gift of a new residence near St. Petersburg, called the village of Pavlovskoye, where since 1779 Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna “had a stay” every summer in their Pavlovsk “houses” and where Karl Küchelbecker becomes the manager almost from that time. In September 1781, the grand ducal couple went on a study tour of Europe. Actually, since that time can be considered as a special, parallel to the Catherine's era, "Pavlovian time", when in Pavlovsk and on Kamenny Island, then in Gatchina, a special culture is hatched and matures, which will receive a short-term, but expressive embodiment in swift and sharp, but purposeful actions and reforms of Paul I, and most clearly embodied in the last monument of St. Petersburg architecture of the XVIII century, Mikhailovsky Castle.
Celebration at the San Benedetto Theater in Venice. Engraving by A. Baratti. 1782.
Continuing from September 17, 1781 to November 20, 1782, the journey of the Count and Countess of the North, accompanied by a small retinue of 12 people, followed the traditional route: from St. Petersburg through Poland and Austria to Vienna, with a long stay in Italy and France, visiting famous castles in the Loire Valley, through Belgium and Holland to the Duchy of Württemberg, where the parents of Maria Feodorovna in Montbéliard, located 40 miles from Basel, they rested for a month before returning home. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich introduced the seriousness of “learned and practical tasks related to the upcoming arrangement of the grand ducal residences.
Reception by Pope Pius VI of the Count and Countess of the North on February 8, 1782. 1801.
Etching by A. Lazzaroni.
Quite quickly, the search for an artist-decorator for murals in the interiors of palaces in Pavlovsky and on Kamenny Island ended. This happened in November 1781, when the Polish king Stanislaw - August Poniatowski, showing them the plafonds of the royal castle in Warsaw, introduced them to their author - the Florentine Vincenzo Brenna. The negotiations ended with the conclusion of a contract, and in 1784, having completed work in Poland, Brenna and his assistant F. Smuglevich arrived in St. Petersburg. The Austrian emperor Joseph II, after a magnificently furnished two-week stay of noble travelers in Vienna, wrote to his brother Duke Leopold of Tuscany, who had yet to meet with the Count and Countess of the North from Russia:
“The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, with not quite ordinary talents, combine quite extensive knowledge, and also have a great desire to survey and learn, and at the same time, to be successful and to be liked by all of Europe. All objects that are really remarkable in their antiquity, size or splendor, occupy them extremely; therefore, one should not tire their attention by reviewing several objects in one day, but, on the contrary, one should give them the opportunity to examine in detail everything curious and remarkable.
Engraving M.-S. Giampiccoli. 1782.
Travelers arrived in the Venetian Republic on January 18, 1782, spent the Venetian week with almost no sleep, visited all the famous palazzos, cathedrals and monasteries, enjoyed the holidays at which “all of Venice” seemed to have fun: a regatta on the Canal Grande, a costumed carnival and a solemn a procession of five allegory chariots, decorated with various symbols, in Piazza San Marco, grandiose illuminations and fireworks. All these delightful entertainments arranged especially for them, as if in documentary, day after day, event after event, captured in drawings, watercolors, paintings and engravings by the famous Venetians D. Guardi, M.-S. Giampicolli, A. Baratti. If Pavel Petrovich met “his architect” in Poland, then the Grand Duchess found “her artist” in Venice - Angelika Kaufman, a talented portrait painter from Switzerland, elected a member of two academies: the Academy of St. Luke in Rome and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. From A. Kaufman's "Diary" it is known that she received the first grand-ducal order in December 1781: "For the Grand Duke of Russia, the picture is about 3 feet." It was the "Poisoned Eleanor", and the customer was apparently Paolo Maruzzi, the Russian consul in Venice, who received the first official message about the arrival of travelers in November. The meeting of the Grand Ducal couple with the artist made the most favorable impression, since already in February of the same year, Kaufman ordered a second painting - “Healed Eleanor”.
G. Bella. Orphans singing in honor of the Count and Countess of the North on January 20, 1782.
Thus, the result of the visit of distinguished guests from Russia was the appearance in the art gallery of the Pavlovsk Palace of the diptych A. Kaufman - two moralizing, lyric-heroic and sublimely sentimental paintings, the plots for which were found in the history of England. Their interpretation had nothing to do with real historical events, but the artist conveyed the fantastic nature of what was happening with the authenticity and persuasiveness of the fact: during the war in Palestine, Prince Edward (later King Edward I) was mortally wounded by a poisoned dagger of a traitor. The wife, pulling poison out of the wound with her lips, at the cost own life saved the prince. Such is the plot of Poisoned Eleanor. The painting “Healed Eleanor” presents the graceful and airy appearance of a miraculously saved princess in a fluttering light dress in front of her husband mourning her death. The princess is accompanied by the Sultan of Jaffa, Selim, who saved the dying woman by giving her a secret antidote. Everything in this story looks no coincidence: a pre-order of paintings on a topic, the choice of which is impossible without targeted searches, close attention to the heroic role of the wife in the fate of the prince - is this not a reflection of a secret war for power between the heir to the throne and the empress mother and is he himself found these plots in modern literature and proposed them A. Kaufman. Indeed, the empress and her favorites deprived the heir of the legal right to the throne, removed him from participating in government, from raising their own children, but they failed to make their daughter-in-law their ally, and the heroic image of Eleanor created by Kaufman is a sign of his gratitude to his wife, faith in and hope for a brighter future. It is interesting that later in Pavlovsk - in the early 1790s - Maria Fedorovna diligently copied the works of Angelika Kaufman with her own hand, in an amateurish way, decorating the interior of the General Office of the Palace with them: on milk glass, the Grand Duchess repeated the most exquisite coloring work by A. Kaufman "Court Paris”, decorated the fireplace screen with medallions “Cupid’s Fun”, and placed the painting “Venus’s Toilet” on the tabletop of an elegant ladies’ desk. The radiance of Venice in all shades of aquamarine was preserved by an album of blue morocco, trimmed with gold and mosaics, decorated with a sentimental pair of doves, on the sheets of which 19 wonderful gouaches with views of Venice, signed "Giacomo Guardi", are pasted. Curator and researcher of the art collections of the "Library of Russia" K.P. Belavskaya wrote: “Two artists from the Guardi family, Giovanni Antonio Guardi and his student and younger brother, the famous Venice printer Francesco Guardi, are known. Perhaps very beautifully and very finely executed drawings in the album of the Pavlovsk Palace are copies of Francesco's picturesque views of Venice, or maybe Giacomo is also some kind of artist in the Guardi family? And wasn’t this album presented to the Count and Countess Severny by the Guardi family? Most likely, it was so: all the design details indicate that the album of the masters of the Venetian veduta was presented as a memorable gift to the grand ducal family, and their union is traditionally represented in the form of a dove and a dove - a symbol of conjugal love and fidelity. Nothing of the “curious and wonderful” seen by the Grand Duke was forgotten, did not sink into oblivion, and years later came to life again in the acquisition of memorable works of art or in a completely original order to the master I.-V. The design of a whole ensemble of silver for the Mikhailovsky Castle: chandeliers, sconces, girandoles, pieces of furniture and interior details that recreated what struck me to the core in my youth: the beauty of the mirrors of the San Benedetto Theater in Venice, decorated with silver reliefs, where he ordered as a keepsake "drawings of the whole theater to preserve this pleasant and great idea." As noted by M.I. Androsova: “Probably, the purchase of Tiepolo’s plafond “Cleopatra’s Feast” for the emperor’s library in the Mikhailovsky Castle should be considered a natural result of Venetian impressions,” as well as the purchase in 1800 of the sculptural collection of Filippo Farsetti (1704–1774), which he met in Venice.
New Year in Vienna. Colorized engraving by I. Loshenkol. Around 1782.
Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna - in the foreground, second from the right;
Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Emperor Joseph II - sitting in the background.
Terracotta models from the works of prominent sculptors of the 17th century, such as Bernini and Algardi, made this collection one of the most famous and visited not only by famous artists and sculptors who made sketches from terracotta for their work, but also by noble foreigners. It was not possible to purchase the collection right away, as it was recognized as a national treasure, not subject to sale abroad. But as soon as Venice was annexed by France in 1797, Venetian laws were repealed, including export rules, the Grand Duke, who became Emperor Paul I, was able to fulfill his old dream: the Farcetti collection arrived in St. Petersburg in March 1800 and was donated by him to the Museum of the Imperial Academy of Arts as study guide . In Rome, where the Count and Countess of the North visited twice - and spent more than three months in Italy - Pope Pius VI presented them with a mosaic "View of the Colosseum" by master C. Aguatti at a reception in the Vatican. At the same time, Abbot Parisao made a rare offering to the Grand Duke: 18 Latin and Italian handwritten documents relating to the history of False Dmitry, which he found in one of the local libraries. Thomas Jenkins, an English artist and major collector, whom his contemporaries called one of the attractions of Rome, according to the Roman Gazette, received the Count of the North on March 2 and 9. Here the Grand Duke acquired several antiques for Pavlovsk. Having visited on March 14, 1782 the workshop of the famous artist P.-J. Battoni, the travelers ordered their paired ceremonial portraits and purchased the “Penitent Mary Magdalene” - a copy from a painting by Correggio; famous German painter J.-F. Hackert was given an invitation from Catherine II to visit St. Petersburg and left an order for the Salon of Landscapes of the Kamennoostrovsky Palace for four paintings: “The Patron’s Villa and the Waterfall in Tivoli”, “View of the Castle in Caserta from the Belvedere”, “View of the Baisky Bay”, “The Grand Cascade in Tivoli". They visited the castle in Caserta, climbed Mount Vesuvius, visited Pompeii and Herculaneum several times, the archaeological research of which was in full swing. Here they purchased, and also received as a gift from the King of Naples, things that, according to the palace "Catalogue of rarities of ancient and new", made up a collection of antiques - terracotta figurines, bronze sculptures, seals, various clay and glass vessels, small black-lacquer and red-figured vases. The artistic unity in the design of the facades and interiors of the palace in Pavlovsk - a Roman villa on a picturesque hill above Slavyanka with its park, pavilions and cascades - was largely due to the inclusion in the composition, and this is the merit of C. Cameron, ancient monuments of sculpture and architecture - reliefs, fireplaces, columns, friezes and marble steps, once removed from the cultural layer, introduced in Russia into a new historical context, emphasizing the value of the ancient primary source, the absoluteness of its beauty. The Italian trip replenished the Grand Duke's book collection with the luxurious albums "Roman Antiquities", published by Piranesi in 1779, "Monuments of Pompeii", printed in the famous Parisian printing house Dido (F. Hackert's edition); a colorful series of "Picturesque Journeys" with engraved and lithographed views of architectural monuments and palace and park ensembles of Greece, Italy, France, Germany. In Italy, the heir to the throne saw a monument that became the prototype of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, a city adorned with a whole constellation of palaces, but until then it had not had a single castle. It was the castle of Cardinal Alexander Farnese in Caprarola. A gift album of rare beauty with floor plans, sections and facades of the "Palace of Caprarola" has, like all the "tray albums" of this trip, the monogram of the Grand Duke - the Latin letter "P" in the medallion. It is striking that on one of the last sheets of the album, entirely dedicated to the Italian monument of architecture, a plan of a part of St. Petersburg is drawn, where the site of the Summer Palace, built by F.B. , - took the palace of Caprarola. As if already in 1782, the Grand Duke knew with mathematical accuracy where his “Palace of Caprarola” would appear - the Mikhailovsky Castle, built on this very spot almost twenty years later. Temple, whose phantasmagoric decoration he will dedicate last years of his life, and in the center of the Connetable Square he will install, saving from oblivion and abandonment in an unknown barn, one of the best equestrian monuments to Peter the Great by K.B. Rastrelli - “Great-grandfather - great-grandson”. And no names. Only the walls of the castle, as if painted by the rays of the setting sun in the color of the eternal sunset, the measured tread of the horse and the rider, crowned with a laurel wreath, speaking towards his great city. In France, her beloved childhood friend Lanel (Louise Henriette de Waldner) appeared in the retinue of the Grand Duchess, who became Baroness G.L. Oberkirch.
I.-F. Anting. V. to. Pavel Petrovich and century. K. Maria Fedorovna with her sons in the park. 1780.
Black ink and gilded bronze on glass. State Hermitage.
She specially came to Paris to spend with her friend in the role of her maid of honor the days from May 8 to June 6, 1782. In the diary that she kept during the stay of the grand ducal couple in Paris, there is such an entry about Pavel Petrovich, whom she saw for the first time in France: “The Grand Duke was then 28 years old. At first glance, he did not seem attractive, he was not tall, but the more you looked at him, the more you noticed intelligence and aristocracy in his face. His look was so friendly, intelligent and lively, and his smile was so mischievous ... and at the same time soft and full of self-esteem. The Baroness noted his impeccable French, instant and witty reaction to remarks, ability to listen, ease of handling, good manners and education. As for the Grand Duchess, her pretty appearance, combined with a cheerful character, serious domestic upbringing, erudition, musicality, reverent attitude to religion, to family virtues, which she placed above all else, the gracefulness with which she knew how to conduct a conversation, - led everyone is delighted. Twice the grand ducal couple was received at Versailles: on May 9, the first official visit took place, after seventeen days “... a solemn farewell reception was arranged with an opera performance, a ballet and a dinner for 300 people. Maria Fedorovna put on a wonderful necklace of chalcedony, which delighted the queen - at that time this stone was not yet known in Europe. The guests returned to Paris around 4 o'clock in the morning. Every day, the Count and Countess of the North filled with official receptions, festive lunches and dinners, theatrical performances, opera and ballet performances; the Grand Duchess, accompanied by her friend Lanel, twice attended public masquerades at the Opéra, a Parisian fad in the 1782 season. On May 19, the Count and Countess of the North with their retinue visited the Royal Tapestry Manufactory, where they impressed those around them with a genuine interest in production, their own knowledge in this area and the ability to communicate with craftsmen and workers. As a memento of this visit, they received from Louis XVI tapestries with a crimson background, woven in 1776 by master P.-F. Cosette after the cartoons of Charles Antoine Coypel. For the largest of them - "Ladies Serve Don Quixote" - the wall of the Carpet Room of the Pavlovsk Palace will be made oval, on the contrary, between the windows, a mirror will be installed, which will reflect the scarlet glow of the interior - one of the most comfortable and artistically expressive in the history of Russian classicism . The splendor of receptions was accompanied by the luxury of royal gifts. Among them is the wonder of the wonders of the world - the Sevres toilet, commissioned by Queen Marie Antoinette and presented to Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna during her visit to the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Sevres on June 2, 1782. An exquisite ensemble of sixty-four items, about which A.M. Kuchumov (1912–1994), the chief curator of the Pavlovsk Palace, the creator of its unique expositions on the history of Russian residential interiors of the 18th - early 20th centuries, a brilliant researcher of collections of decorative and applied arts, wrote: “Porcelain is covered with cobalt with fine gold painting, reproducing antique scenes. All items are decorated with overlaid chased gold plates with colored enamels imitating precious stones. At that time, such a technique was considered the highest achievement in the art of porcelain. ... This unique masterpiece in the art of ceramics, which gained worldwide fame, cost the treasury sixty thousand livres and was never repeated again, since all its forms were immediately destroyed. It should be noted that the set of toiletries from Sevres was never used as household items, it immediately became the most precious exhibit of the unique family museum created in the Pavlovsk Palace by Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. Another memory of Paris is the ensemble of carved gilded furniture in the style of Louis XVI, made in the workshop of Henri Jacob for the decoration of palace interiors - Pavlovsky's Ceremonial Bedchamber and Kamennoostrovsky's Raspberry Drawing Room. For the Kamennoostrovsky Palace through Prince N.B. Yusupov, commissions were made for paintings to the famous “painter of ruins” G. Robert and the marine painter K.-Zh. Vernet. The fate of this order is known from Vernet's letter to Prince. N.B. Yusupov (January 1784), which said: “Mr. Robert assured me that you told him that in the house of E. Imp. High there are three salons that should be decorated with paintings: one room - "landscapes" of Mr. Hackert, another room - "architecture" of Mr. Robert and the last - "sea views", my performance. The three salons of the Kamennoostrovsky Palace are a double-height Great Hall with rounded corners, on the east side it was adjoined by the Sofa or Raspberry Living Room (with a rounded wall), from the west - a rectangular Landscape Salon. Later, G. Robert told the same correspondent:
“In the meantime, I began to work on the largest ones, of which one depicts a fire in the city of Rome, seen from a gallery with columns on which the reflection from the fire fell. Another picture depicts the most remarkable architectural monuments of Languedoc and Provence. The other two paintings, although they have just begun, but all their studies, all the figures are depicted from life and represent - one motifs from the life of Rome, the second is that we have the most remarkable thing in the architecture of Paris.
Robert was especially concerned about two panels, which were to be placed on the rounded corners of the Great Hall of the Kamennoostrovsky Palace.
"So, - wrote the artist Yusupov,- in order not to make the slightest mistake in the measurements, I made a copy of the plan (of the premises) in a reduced form, which I have the honor to send to you, so that the measurements can be checked on the spot. It is of great importance for the paintings to be placed uncut when they arrive."
This copy was made by Robert from a drawing supplied by Küchelbecker. All the works ordered by Robert and Vernet were completed and delivered to Russia, but not to Kamenny Island, but to the Gatchina Palace, since the Grand Duke decided to change the decoration of the palace’s front rooms on the island: the Great Hall was decorated with mirrors and caryatids, and on the walls of the Divannaya appeared crimson tapestries, and only the Landscape Salon until 1917 was used according to the original plan. To the Parisian acquisitions was added, bought by the Grand Duke, perhaps the largest collection of drawings by J.-B. Grez, numbering 192 sheets (in the Louvre - 57), which he handed over to the Academy of Arts, and his painting "The Widow and Her Confessor" for the Pavlovsk Palace. Spouses not only had fun. Twice they “were present at masses in Notre Dame Cathedral and the pious Maria Feodorovna was excited by the sight of this historic temple. They expressed an urgent desire to visit the hospitals, the dwellings of the poor and the prisons, where they inspected the cells to find out how the prisoners were kept. When Paul was asked why he needed all this, he answered:
At a reception in Trianon, Jacques Delisle presented his poem "Gardens" to the Russian guests - a hymn to the English landscape park. (Note that one of Maria Fedorovna's strongest hobbies - a true passion - was gardening art, which she inherited from her father, Friedrich Eugene, the youngest son of the Duke of Württemberg.) The Count and Countess of the North ordered, bought, received gifts, and most often they were works of their contemporaries. This is the uniqueness of the Grand Duke's collections of paintings, drawings, porcelain, furniture and bronze, which is why they had a significant impact on the entire spectrum of Russian culture both of their own and subsequent times.
428 days, about 160 cities and almost 14 thousand kilometers. In 1781-1782, the son of Empress Catherine II and successor to the Russian throne, Paul I, made a grand tour of Europe. Typically, young European aristocrats used such large trips as the final stage of education. However, in the case of Pavel Petrovich, his trip abroad also had a political aspect.
Historians are still arguing whether the desire of the 27-year-old Grand Duke to go on a trip to European countries voluntary or Catherine II insisted on it. Most likely, Paul was not eager to leave Russia, but the empress really wanted to keep her unloved heir as far away from the throne as possible and thought about making her grandson Alexander the future emperor. Perhaps that is why she spared no expense and allocated 330 thousand gold rubles for Pavel's trip. At the same time, she categorically forbade him to visit Berlin and the court of King Frederick the Great, fearing that the pro-Prussian sentiments of the crown prince put her plans for rapprochement with Austria.
Having received the last instructions from his mother, on September 18, 1781, Pavel, together with his wife Maria Feodorovna, left Tsarskoye Selo. The unofficial nature of their trip was emphasized by the fact that they traveled under the names of the Count and Countess du Nord (translated from the French Du Nord "Northern"). The royal couple was accompanied by a small retinue, consisting of aristocrats and intellectuals who were familiar with foreign life firsthand.
Portrait of Paul I
The first weeks of the journey passed through Pskov, Polotsk, Mogilev and Kyiv. The beauties of the latter especially surprised Paul. The people gladly greeted the Tsarevich. The French diplomat Marquis Charles de Verac wrote: "People ran in droves to meet the august travelers, greeted them and almost threw themselves under the wheels of their carriage." The captain of the imperial fleet, Sergei Pleshcheev, rode ahead of everyone. He chose a place to sleep, organized the life of grand ducal persons. Subsequently, he compiled a detailed description of the trip of Paul and his retinue, indicating all the places where they stopped, and the number of miles traveled by travelers.
By mid-October, they reached the borders of Poland. A ball was held in the Vyshnevetsky Palace in honor of the Count and Countess of the North. Then we arrived in Olesko, where we saw the Olesko Castle, which remembers the birth of the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski. In the capital of Silesia, Troppau, travelers were personally met by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. In his carriage, Pavel Petrovich and his wife continued on their way to Vienna. Here, Maria Feodorovna was eagerly awaited by her parents, Friedrich Eugene of Württemberg and Frederic Dorothea Sophia of Brandenburg-Swedt. The meeting with them turned out to be very warm. The imperial reception was no less cordial. Paul so endeared Joseph to himself that he told him secret information regarding the union with Catherine, about which Paul, delivered by his mother from public affairs, had no idea.
Portrait of Maria Feodorovna
On the evening of November 10, the Tsarevich, who adored theatrical performances, visited the national theater. His wife, as soon as she appeared in the box, was greeted with thunderous applause. Also in November, at the Burgtheater, they planned to present Shakespeare's play Hamlet for Pavel. However, the Austrian actor Johann Franz Hieronymus Brockmann refused to play the title role. hinting at palace coup and the mysterious death of Father Paul Peter III, he stated that he did not want two Hamlets in the hall at the same time.
Theatrical performances, balls, masquerade, hunting, visiting factories, maneuvers and parades - the program of Paul's stay in Vienna turned out to be very rich. At the end of December, the du Nord family left the imperial court and reached Venice via Trieste. Here, in their honor, luxurious festivities were held, during which an artificial dove flew over the Piazza San Marco, scattering sparks of light on the fly. The guests were also entertained with a regatta on the Grand Canal, acquaintance with famous Venetian artists. Pavel liked it very much in the Most Serene. He especially noted how wise the government of the republic is, where the people and the government are practically one family.
Having visited Padua, Ferrara and Bologna, Paul's retinue arrived in Rome, but stopped in the "eternal city" for only two days, as they planned to examine it in detail on the way back. By the end of January, the travelers arrived in Naples, where they climbed Mount Vesuvius, visited Pompeii and Herculaneum several times, got acquainted with the archaeological excavations.
Dinner and ball in honor of the Count and Countess of the North at the San Benedetto Theatre. Francesco Guardi, 1782
From Naples they soon returned to Rome. "Tour guide" ancient city for Pavel and his wife, the head of the French embassy, a great lover of poetry and art, Cardinal de Berni, spoke. Together with him, the count and countess toured the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, looked into the Pantheon, visited the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Pius VI arranged an audience for Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna. At the reception, he presented them with a mosaic "View of the Colosseum" in an elegant bronze frame by the Italian master Cesare Aguatti.
On the way to Florence, Paul visited the estate of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in Caprarola. Palazzo led the heir in admiration. Caprarola Castle became the prototype of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the construction of which began in St. Petersburg in 1797.
In Florence, Pavel Petrovich was met by the Duke of Tuscany Leopold, brother of Joseph II. With him, for the first time during the entire trip, he spoke seriously about politics and expressed dissatisfaction with the conquering ambitions of his mother. In his opinion, Russia is already large enough, and instead of expanding its territory, it is necessary to deal with internal problems. Leopold delicately deviated from any response to this tirade. In a letter to his brother, he described Paul as follows: “Count Severny, in addition to his great mind, talents and prudence, has the talent to correctly comprehend ideas and objects and quickly embrace all their aspects and circumstances. From all his speeches it is clear that he is filled with a desire for good.
After Florence were Parma, Milan and Turin. Then the travelers crossed the territory of France, spent about a week in Lyon. The French first of all drew attention to the unattractive appearance of the Grand Duke from Russia. In Bashomon's Notes one can read: “At every step, comments like this reached his (Paul's) hearing: “Ah! What a fool! He endured all this calmly and philosophically.
May 7, 1782 arrived in Paris. A few days later, the grand ducal couple was presented to the King of France, Louis XVI. The court was delighted with the education of Paul and his knowledge of the French language. Together with his wife, he visited the Comedie Francaise, met with Pierre Augustin Beaumarchais, who read to them the handwritten version of The Marriage of Figaro. Her Majesty Marie Antoinette arranged for noble people a luxurious celebration at Versailles. In addition to all kinds of entertainment, Pavel made an inspection of Parisian hospitals, poor people's quarters, and prisons. When the Grand Duke was asked why he was doing this, Paul replied: “The further you are in position from unfortunate and low people, the closer you should approach them in order to know and understand them.”
Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna in Vienna, 1782
On June 7, the Tsarevich and his retinue left Paris and reached Brussels through Orleans, Amiens and Lille. Here Paul told a mystical story about how he met the ghost of Peter the Great at the very place in St. Petersburg, where Catherine II was preparing to erect an equestrian monument to the emperor by Falcone. "What does this story mean?" Paul was asked. “I will die at a young age,” he replied.
On June 21, 1782, the travelers arrived in Etupe, where they spent more than a month visiting Maria Feodorovna's parents. Then the couple visited Switzerland, and from there they came to Vienna. After a new friendly meeting with Joseph II, the grand ducal couple went home in the fall. The path lay through Krakow, Grodno, Riga and other cities. November 20 all the company returned to St. Petersburg. Catherine met her son without enthusiasm and did not arrange any celebrations on this occasion.
Nothing that the Grand Duke saw during his voyage remained forgotten. The works of art and architecture that struck Paul were reflected in the appearance of his palaces in the near future. For example, chandeliers, sconces, girandoles and other details of the interior of the Mikhailovsky Castle recreated the silver reliefs of the mirrors of the San Benedetto theater in Venice. During their journey, Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna, sparing no expense, bought and received works of art as a gift. As a result, they returned home with a unique collection of paintings, drawings, porcelain, furniture and jewelry. This meeting had a great influence on Russian culture.
Sending Paul to Europe, Catherine II, perhaps, wanted to show the European rulers the weakness of her son, which she herself saw in him. However, the reaction turned out to be completely different - Europe saw in the Grand Duke a worthy heir, capable of governing his country. “I confess that the news of their success exceeded my expectations,” she wrote in response to numerous stories about what a sensation Paul had at the French court. For the first time, the Grand Duke, who escaped from Catherine's tutelage, had the opportunity to personally meet European monarchs and learn a lot from them. He himself will take his throne only 14 years after the completion of his grand tour. Having conquered Europe with his mind, he failed to conquer the Russian nobility and officers, who eliminated him on the night of March 12, 1801 in the Mikhailovsky Castle.
In mid-June 1781, by mutual agreement of Empress Catherine with Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna, it was decided that Their Highnesses would go on a trip to Europe in accordance with the plan outlined by the Empress. The departure was scheduled only for September in connection with the inoculation of smallpox to the sons Alexander and Konstantin. It was decided that they would travel incognito in Europe as the Count and Countess of the North, as was customary for the persons of the royal houses of Europe.
Continuing from September 19, 1781 to November 20, 1782, the journey of the Count and Countess of the North, accompanied by a small retinue of 12 people, passed from St. Petersburg through Poland and Austria to Vienna, with a long stay in Italy and France, visiting the famous castles in the Loire Valley, through Belgium and Holland to the Duchy of Württemberg, where the parents of Maria Feodorovna in Montbéliard, located 40 miles from Basel, they rested for a month before returning home.
The travelers arrived in the Republic of Venice on January 18, 1782, in the midst of the entertainment of the famous Venetian carnival, which began at Christmas and lasted until the end of Maslenitsa. Grand Duke Pavel, Maria Feodorovna and their entire retinue with great joy dressed in the indispensable attributes of the Venetian carnival: bauts - black capes that hide hair, tricorn hats and white masks (also bouts) that hide the upper part of the face. The final touch of the costume was a long dark cloak - tabarro. Masks and carnival costumes did not attract attention to them at all, and the Grand Duke especially liked this eternal incognito. Fur coats and fur capes brought from Russia were not suitable for warm and humid Venice, and most often they left them in a hotel or went wide open. If the travelers got tired or the wind rising from the Adriatic reminded them of winter, then they hurried to warm themselves with hot chocolate. Of the surviving cafes of that time on St. Mark's Square, in the arches of the building of the New Procurations, the Florian cafe remained.
The grand ducal couple spent the Venetian week almost without sleep, visited all the famous palazzos, cathedrals and monasteries, enjoyed the holidays, at which “all of Venice” seemed to have fun. On January 22, 1782, a ball and a gala dinner were given in honor of distinguished guests at the San Benedetto Theater.
Especially for Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna, a grandiose performance was staged in St. Mark's Square with a costumed carnival and a solemn procession of five allegory chariots decorated with various symbols.
A temporary amphitheater was built on the square. At the end of the performance, on January 24, 1782, the amphitheater, chariots, the triumphal arch, the palace and the Cathedral of San Marco were lit up with illumination. Then fireworks were launched, the lights of which spun around the entire facade of the triumphal arch and lit up the sky for a week.
13. Bullfight at the Temporary Palace erected on Piazza San Marco on January 24, 1782 on the occasion of the arrival of Their Imperial Highnesses Monsignor Count and Madame Countess of the North
Jesus Christ recruited disciples who helped Him carry the light of the true faith. His disciples were called apostles - from the Greek "messenger". There were 12 people in total.
However, there was another one who did not fall into the number of canonical apostles, but one who did for the Christian faith almost more than all the others. His name was Saul of Tarsus.
The ancient city of Tarsus - the birthplace of the Apostle Paul
Before conversion, Paul was a persecutor of Christians
Information from the life of the Apostle Paul is provided to us by the Acts of the Holy Apostles, as well as his epistles.
By origin, Paul was a Jew, and from a family of the Pharisees. Like all Pharisees, he rejected Christ and his teachings and participated in the persecution of Christians.
The Lord knew that Paul would be one of the most zealous admirers and spreaders of the faith of Christ. As a show of power, He blinded Paul on his way to Damascus.
In Damascus, the pious man Ananias healed Paul. The former persecutor of Christians, having seen the power of the Lord, became their main supporter.
Saint Apostle Paul, icon Paul went with a wide sermon to the Gentiles. Christian communities have become open to all peoples. He went to where:
“... there is no Greek, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but everything and in everything is Christ.”
(Colossians 3:11)
After converting to Christianity, Paul went to preach
After baptism, Paul returned to Jerusalem. In the temple, he turned to the Lord with the question of atonement for guilt before Him and His followers. The Lord's decision was clear:
And He said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles."
(Acts 22:21)
Thus began the missionary journey of the Apostle Paul.
Travel Map of the Apostle Paul Paul went to preach according to the will of God
The journey began in Antioch, the capital of Syria.
1. In Antioch, in the church there, there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon, called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manail, a fellow student of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
(Acts 13:1-2)
Paul's companion on his first missionary journey was Barnabas, an apostle from 70 Paul and Barnabas went to Cyprus. In Cyprus, they exposed the false prophet Variesus (Elimah) and, turning the power of God on him, blinded him.
Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord.
(Acts 13:12)
After converting the proconsul, Paul and Barnabas crossed over to the mainland and began preaching in the city of Perga. The sermons were a great success:
The following Saturday, almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of God.
(Acts 13:44)
The vast majority of pagans converted to Christianity. Paul's success scared the local Jewish community. The Jews obtained from the authorities the expulsion of the apostles. Paul and Barnabas went north to Iconium.
In Iconium, the situation repeated itself: success in spreading the new teaching and the resistance of the Jewish community, which turned the local authorities against the Christians. The apostles had to go to Lystra.
In Lystra, the miracles performed by the apostles had an unexpected effect. Paul and Barnabas were declared ... Hermes and Zeus.
In Lystra, Paul almost got the laurels of the ancient Greek god Hermes - the patron saint of merchants, travelers and magicians The priests gathered to bring sacrifices to the descended "gods". Pavel barely managed to dissuade them.
On the way back, the apostles set off along the same route. The seeds sown have already begun to sprout: Paul no longer preached, but ordained priests and left strong Christian communities behind him.
The apostles returned to Antioch:
Arriving there and gathering the church, they told everything that God had done with them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
(Acts 14:27)
The first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul came to an end.
Paul went on his second journey after the Apostolic Council
The success of the conversion of pagans to Christianity raised before the apostles the question of the observance of Jewish rites in a Christian environment.
Newly converted Pharisees believed that since Christianity came from Judaism, then Christians should observe Jewish rules and perform Jewish rituals.
Paul took the exact opposite position. Peter supported him, and the rest of the apostles listened to Peter.
There was a final break between Judaism and Christianity.
At the Apostolic Council in 51, Christianity turned from a Jewish sect into a new religion Having settled dogmatic issues, Paul, taking the apostle Silas with him, set off on his second missionary journey.
Paul and Silas, having passed through Syria and Cilicia, went to preach in the central and northwestern regions of Anatolia: Phrygia, Mysia and Troad. The trip went well:
And the churches were established in faith and daily increased in number.
At Troas, Paul had a vision:
... a certain man, a Macedonian, appeared, asking him and saying: come to Macedonia and help us.
The apostles went to Macedonia, to the city of Philippi. They converted to Christianity a woman who was famous as a soothsayer. This angered the local population. The already familiar situation repeated itself: the apostles were beaten and taken into custody.
There was an embarrassment: Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They could not just be taken and thrown into a dungeon. Upon learning of this, the city authorities were horrified and quickly escorted the apostles out of the city.
From Philippi, the apostles went to Thessaloniki, where they were able to convert many of the local population to Christianity. The local Jews tried to stir up discontent and incite power against the apostles, but the newly converted Greek Jason stood up to defend them. The apostles left the city in peace and went to Athens.
the capital of Greece, where Paul converted many Greeks to Christianity
In Athens, Paul clashed in a dispute with the Epicureans and the Stoics right at the Greek meeting - the Areopagus. In disputes, he was so convincing that he was able to convert many Greeks to Christianity.
From Athens the apostles went to Corinth. Once again, Paul spoke forcefully about Christ, and many converted to the new faith. Local Jews tried to repeat the situation with Christ: having seized Paul, they dragged him to trial before the proconsul Gallio.
Gallio did not find any corpus delicti in Paul's actions and dispersed the Jewish congregation.
New Testament book addressed to the Christian community of Thessalonica
Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, living in the house of his disciples Akilla and Priscilla. Here he wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
From Corinth he went to Ephesus, and from Ephesus he returned to Jerusalem, having completed his journey.
On his third journey, Paul actively writes the Epistles
During the second trip, Asia, a Roman province in the west of Asia Minor, remained uncovered by preaching. In the capital - the city of Ephesus - and went Paul.
The book of the New Testament, written by the Apostle Paul and addressed to the Christian community of Galatia
In Ephesus, Paul lived for two years, performing miracles and converting people to Christianity. Here he wrote the Epistle to the Galatians and 1st Epistle to the Corinthians.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus
In Ephesus, artisans working for the temple of Artemis of Ephesus looked with displeasure at the growth in the number of Christians: they did not have rich temples with many utensils, so the artisans risked being left without work. Then they tried to drive Paul out of the city.
They convened a meeting where pagan religious tolerance won: since the Christians did not harm either the priests or the temples, they were allowed to stay and preach.
From Ephesus, Paul again went to Greece. In Corinth he wrote the Epistle to the Romans, and from Corinth he went to Jerusalem.
The journey to Rome was the last for the apostle
68 - the year the apostle Paul was killed
Mark Antony Felix Roman Procurator
In Jerusalem, the Jews managed to defeat the apostle. Paul, like Christ, was condemned by the Sanhedrin. As a Roman citizen, he is sent to the procurator of Judea, Mark Antony Felix. Felix, not wanting to quarrel with the Jews, takes the apostle into custody.
Two years later, Porcius Festus becomes the new procurator of Judea. Languishing in the dungeons, Paul demands that the new procurator be sent to Rome for the imperial court. Festus grants Paul's request. From Caesarea, Paul leaves by ship for Italy.
With great difficulty, wrecked off the coast of Malta, Paul gets to Rome. While awaiting trial, he lives there for two years, spreading the Christian faith. Writes the Epistles to the Philippians, Colossians and Hebrews.
Nero Ancient Roman emperor, during his reign the apostle Paul was killed
John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem mention that while Paul was in Rome, he went to Spain to preach.
The Apostle Paul was killed during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero in 68 AD.
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Arbat, 53. Memorial apartment of A.S. Pushkin
Scientific session
"Journey of the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich 1781-1782.
(Based on materials from foreign archives)"
2016 marks the 220th anniversary of the beginning of the reign of Paul I and 215 years since his tragic death.
Emperor Paul I is one of the most tragic and controversial figures in Russian history. Basically, he is presented as an uneducated martinet obsessed with drill. But history is always written by the winners or the heirs. What do independent archival sources say?
Based on extensive documentary material, the book by Natalia Zazulina “The Mission of the Grand Duke. The Journey of Pavel Petrovich in 1781-1782 is not only a new look at the Grand Duke as a versatile, inquisitive person who is fond of astronomy, architecture, music and owns several foreign languages, but a detailed guide to Europe in the second half of the 18th century - the Europe that will not be literally in six years.
AT late XVIII century, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna under the name of Count and Countess of the North undertook a journey through Europe, visiting fourteen states. Their journey is an unread page of our history. Little is written about him, although the grand ducal couple traveled almost along the entire meridian of the Habsburgs, Spanish and French Bourbons - new allies Russian Empire since 1782.
Any trip is new acquaintances with people, traditions, culture, fashion, new impressions and comparison with one's own way of life.
And if the Old World did not expect anything from the trip of Peter I to Europe, which he made seventy years before the described voyage, and looked at the Tsar of Muscovy as exotic, then Grand Duke Paul I was already accepted as an equal.
How did Europe see Grand Duke Paul I? Who did he meet in Europe? What delighted and what disappointed him? What then did he try to repeat in Russia, and what did he try to avoid?
In his preface, the author writes: The foreign trip of 1781-1782 in many ways changed the whole further life of Pavel Petrovich, and especially his short reign, of which I hope to convince my readers on the examples of archival documents and historical evidence.».
Natalia Zazulina used in her work unique documents from a huge number of different archives. Thus, the archives of the Apostolic Library of the Vatican were involved in the work, including its Secret Archive, the National Archives of Great Britain, the archive of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the archive of the Vienna Court Chamber, etc.
In her review of the book by Natalia Zazulina “The Mission of the Grand Duke. Journey of Pavel Petrovich in 1781-1782” Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the School of Historical Sciences of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Professor A.B. Kamensky noted: “The undoubted scientific and cognitive significance of the book is associated primarily with the involvement by the author and the introduction into scientific circulation of a large number of new historical sources, including those extracted from foreign archives and still not known not only to the general reader, but also to specialists. Such a thorough expansion of the base of sources of the topic under study allowed N.N. Zazulina to discover new and sometimes unexpected aspects in it, forcing us to take a fresh look at the figure of Paul himself and significantly replenish our understanding of the origins of his political views.
The publication contains more than 1000 colorful and black-and-white illustrations - these are paintings by famous artists, route maps of the grand ducal couple, portraits of historical figures and members of the ruling families. Readers will see many portraits for the first time.
N. Zazulina's book is a fascinating excursion into the history of the 18th century, and everyone will be surprised to find fragments of it in our daily life. The Grand Duke's foreign journey, like all our National history is an adventure, political intrigue and dynastic interests, detective and sitcom combined.
The book "Mission of the Grand Duke. The Journey of Pavel Petrovich in 1781-1782" will be of interest to a different circle of readers: historians, connoisseurs of music and theater, travel lovers, people who are fond of architecture and painting, fashion and cooking. Everyone will find something of their own in it.
About the author:
Zazulina Natalia Nikolaevna was born in 1963 in Leningrad. Graduated from the Moscow Financial Institute and the Faculty of History of the Leningrad University. From 1998 to 2008 she worked at the Foundation of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II "Reconciliation and Accord". From 1998 to 2006 - Deputy General Director of OJSC Nezavisimaya Gazeta. From 2009 to 2011 she worked in the editorial office of the Moscow Encyclopedia.
Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga of the 1st degree,
Diploma of the Literary Prize "Golden Delvig", 2014
Makariev Prize for 2014-2015 in the nomination "For achievements in the popularization of scientific and historical knowledge"
Entrance with museum tickets