Arkhangelskoye Palace

Arkhangelskoye estate. The palace, 21st century

Arkhangelskoye (Russian: Арха́нгельское) is a historical estate located around 20 kilometers to the west from Moscow. In 1703–1810 Arkhangelskoye belonged to the Galitzines, and from 1810–1917, to the Yusupov family. In 1917 the Yusupovs' property was nationalized by the Bolsheviks. Nowadays Arkhangelskoye is a state museum.

The estate is built in a neoclassical style, with the prominent palace facing the Moscow river and a regular terraced park decorated with many antique statues. Other structures of note include a small palace named the Caprice, monuments to Catherine II of Russia and Alexander Pushkin, and an 18th-century the theater designed by famous Italian theater set designer Pietro Gonzaga (1751-1831). Arkhangelskoye's oldest building is the church of Archangel Michael (1646). Among the other buildings are Saint Gates (1825–26), the uncompleted building known as 'Colonnade' (1909–1916), which was intended to be a Mausoleum for the elder son of the last Princess Yussupova and serves today as an exhibition hall and two extensions of the sanatorium built in the 1930s.

The estate is famous for its collection of fine art including paintings, sculptures, furnitures, ceramics and interior.

Arkhangelskoye today

In 1996 the Russian Ministry of Culture acquired the estate, but did not find itself in a position to maintain it. For this reason, the site was listed in the 1996 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. According to the organization, exterior columns and plaster were damaged, and the theater's roof and main staircase were unsound. When the site was listed again on the 2002 World Monuments Watch, Moscow officials had drafted a thorough conservation plan, which included work on the exterior of the building and the surrounding gardens. Help for interior conservation came from American Express through the World Monuments Fund. During this project, paintings by Hubert Robert were conserved and other repairs took place. Nowadays Arkhangelskoye is a popular tourist attraction, and is often visited by Muscovites on short trips. Important cultural events take place at the estate, such as music festivals. As of December 2006, large restoration works are nearly to be finished at the palace.

Image gallery

• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 buildings 05.jpg

  Church of Archangel Michael

• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 buildings 08.jpg

  Distant view of the Grand Palace

• 

  Trellis arches in November

• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 buildings 09.jpg

  Small Palace

• Arkhangelskoe4.jpg

  Alexander III Column

• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 buildings 02.jpg

  Catherine II monument

• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 sculptures 15.jpg
• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 buildings 01.jpg
• Arkhangelskoe Estate Aug2012 sculptures 06.jpg

See also

• Priscilla Roosevelt, "Arkhangelskoye, a palace in search of salvation," The Magazine Antiques 155.4 (April 1999): p. 586-95.

External links

• Photo (1024x768) (Russian)
• Arkhangelskoye Country Estate (Krasnogorsk)