Catherine's Palace

Catherine Palace started out as a small wood and stone house for Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, in Tsarskoe Selo about 15 miles south of St. Petersburg, Russia. About two decades later when Catherine’s daughter, Empress Elizabeth, decided to convert the modest two story structure into her chief summer residence, she spared no expense.

The Empress used state and private funds to construct a palatial ornate blue and white palace to rival Versailles, the French royal residence and center of government near Paris, France. The beautiful Empress Elizabeth used the extravagant residence for formal receptions, concerts, dinners, balls, masquerade parties, and other forms of entertainment.

The imperial palace at Tsarskoe Selo remained the imperial Summer Palace for more than two centuries. During World War II the palace was looted and burned by invading German forces. Their mission was to destroy as much Russian culture and history as possible. Even though many of the precious possessions were secreted away before the invasion, many were left behind and subsequently destroyed.

After the war the Palace exterior and 32 of the 58 halls destroyed during the war were recreated to exacting standards. The renovations continues. Today the museum is open for public tours. During peak tourist season, stern-faced museum docents usher tour groups through the rooms to make way for the next group.

The historic Catherine Palace is a must-see on any trip to St. Petersburg. Here are a few photos of the exterior and interior of the Palace.

The ornate grill work on iron gate at the entrance to Catherine Palace.

The Palace is more than 100 feet long. Sometimes called the Golden Enfilades, the Palace is a suite of interconnected rooms arranged in a row with each room opening to the next by a doorway. 

The gilded onion domes atop the private Orthodox Palace Chapel are spectacular but purely decorative.

The five gilded domes atop the Chapel represent Christ and his four Evangelists. The shape has nothing to do with onions. Instead it idolizes the burning candle flame, a powerful and enduring Christian symbol. 

The marble stylized double staircase is decorated with elaborate carved balustrades with Chinese and Japanese porcelain vases.

The blue and white facade is elaborately decorated with gilded decorative and supporting columns carved in the form of standing or kneeling figures of men or of draped female figures.

Official receptions and celebrations, banquets, balls and masquerades were held in the 8,600 sq. ft. Great Hall. The hall is as long as the Palace is wide.

The three separate compositions, an Allegory of Russia, an Allegory of Peace and an Allegory of Victory, were painstakingly restored to the ceiling of the Great Hall during the Palace restoration.

The large windows on both sides, large mirrors and the extensive use of gilding add to the illusion of this great room.

The oval table in the White State Dining Room is draped with a tablecloth decorated with garlands of flowers and set with exquisite porcelain. Gilded chairs await the royal diners and their guests.

Portrait of Catherine II, Russia's last female czar.

Under Catherine II, the Green Pilaster Room served as a pantry for the storage of table silver and porcelain.

The pale walls of the Green Dining Room are embellished with white molded ornaments including youthful figures, Greek vases and a candelabrum.

Displayed on the tables in Chevaliers’ Dining Room are items from the celebrated “Order Services” that are decorated with the badges and sashes of Russian orders of chivalry. In the corner is a multi-tiered tiled stove with cobalt painting, columns and niches. 

The Crimson Pilaster Room is hung with pilasters containing clear glass backed by red or green metallic foil. A German made secretary is against the wall.

A life-size paper mache sculpture of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in her official court attire.

 

King's Gate leads into Catherine's Park. Beyond the gate is a regular old garden and a more formal English garden.

Atop the iron entrance gate is the stylized monogram “E” and “I” for Ekaterina for Catherine I, the palace’s namesake.

Our tour did not include all rooms in the Palace. And not all of the rooms on the tour are shown in this blog. However, one of the rooms we did see was the famous Amber Room. Photos were not permitted.  

The Amber Room is more than 1,000 sq. ft. and is considered the gem of the Palace. Some called it the "eighth wonder of the world".  Three of the four walls were covered with amber panels and  carvings in different colors.

In the first days after the Nazi invasion in June 1941, they were followed by specialists of the Nazi team engaged in plundering works of art. Although many of the treasures had been removed from the Palace and saved from Nazi seizure, it was decided that due to the fragile nature of the amber panels, that they would be protected in place. That decision resulted in the ultimate seizure by the Nazis. 

The Nazis removed the precious amber panels, carvings and other items from the Palace and shipped them to Konigsberg, Germany. The Konigsberg Museum Gift Book records the arrival of the amber panels. In fact, records were found that the magnificent panels, doors and other items were displayed in the halls of the museum. However, the chaos of the German retreat at the end of the war brought an end to the record trail of the contents of the famous amber room. The "eighth wonder of the world" was lost. All subsequent searches for the panel have been fruitless.

In July 1979 the Council of Ministers of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic made the decision that the amber room should be recreated. Over the next 24 years, Russian craftsmen used various techniques to meticulously recreate the panels, carvings, desks and other items that had been in the Amber Room. On the 300th anniversary of the founding of St Petersburg, the recreated Amber Room, the "ninth wonder of the world", received its first visitor.