And we continue the quiz Golden Fleece 2017, and now we have a question - The architectural complex of this palace includes a Catholic chapel.
Answer options:
A) Stroganovsky
B) Tauride
C) Vorontsovsky
D) Anichkov
The correct answer to the question is C) Vorontsovsky
The Catholic chapel is part of the Vorontsov Palace complex in St. Petersburg. Built according to the project of the famous Rastrelli, it is distinguished by exquisite architecture.
Vorontsov Palace for debts went to the treasury in the second half of the 18th century. Paul took over the patronage of the Order of Malta and handed it over to the knights. The Order included both Catholics and Orthodox. A separate Catholic Chapel was built for Catholics. For the Orthodox knights, the house church served as the Temple. And the Maltese Cross as a symbol of the Order.
Although, in fact, the types of the cross are already a human fantasy. Orthodox, Catholic, Maltese - not the essence. Christians worship not the form of the Cross, or even the Cross itself, but the power of Christ crucified on the cross.
Vorontsov Palace is a palace in the central part of St. Petersburg, located on Sadovaya Street opposite Gostiny Dvor. Built by the architect Count Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in 1749-1757 for Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. The palace is distinguished by the rich, elegant decoration of the facades and the magnificent decoration of the interiors. There are more than 50 ceremonial halls and rooms in the palace. The palace is decorated with stucco moldings, gilded carvings and other elements typical of the Baroque style.
The Vorontsov Palace is the main building on the territory of the estate of Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, a noble nobleman, State Chancellor, participant in the 1741 palace coup that brought Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to power.
The construction of the palace was carried out according to the project of the court architect Elizaveta Petrovna - Federico Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the period from 1749 to 1757.
The estate occupied a vast area between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River. Breaking with the traditions of urban manor construction, Rastrelli placed the palace not by the river, but closer to Sadovaya, separating the building from it with a fence of artistic work.
The border of the vast courtyard-garden, which stretches behind the fence, is formed by the main building of the palace and its side wings. A similar layout with the letter "P" has long been called "rest" in Russia. 
The main three-storey building with a quadrangular courtyard is located in the back of the estate. Two symmetrical two-storey outbuildings were brought forward and placed along the red line of the street. The central part of the main facade is decorated with double columns and pilasters, the windows are decorated with decorative platbands. 
The palace was built in a lush and elegant baroque style. As you know, Rastrelli was a master of this style, which reached its zenith in Russian architecture during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. This is evidenced by such names of this style of the middle of the 18th century as "Rastrellian Baroque" and "Elizabethan Baroque".
Behind the main building, a regular garden was laid out, stretching as far as the Fontanka, with numerous pools, fountains, avenues of trimmed trees, and other "undertakings".
Above the one-storey building overlooking the park, there was an open terrace overlooking the river. From here there was a beautiful view of the fireworks that were arranged in the Anichkov Garden. The interiors, decorated in the same manner in the Baroque traditions, were also distinguished by luxury. Fifty ceremonial halls were located according to the enfilade principle along the main facade and in the side buildings. In the central part of the Vorontsov Palace there was a large double-height hall, in another spacious hall there was Vorontsov's library, then one of the best in St. Petersburg.
In 1763, M. I. Vorontsov was forced to cede the palace to the treasury at the expense of debts for 217,600 rubles, since the construction required huge investments. 
After the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I in the late 1790s, the palace was handed over to the Order of Malta, and the chapter of Russian orders was also located here. The former Vorontsov Palace was ordered to be called the "Castle of the Knights of Malta". Above the lattice gates of the palace, the order coat of arms was reinforced: on a red background, a white Maltese cross with four bifurcated rays.
Two churches were built on the estate - an Orthodox church and a Catholic chapel of the Order of the Knights of Malta (architect Giacomo Quarenghi).
Later, the building of Pages was housed in the palace. For the needs of this educational institution, which was located in the palace from 1810 to 1918, in 1827 the premises were rebuilt according to the project of the architect Alexander Yegorovich Staubert; at the same time, the previous baroque interior decoration was lost. 
Organ concerts are held in the Maltese Chapel today. The interior decoration of the chapel is well preserved - the Corinthian colonnade, painting, stucco decoration of the walls faced with artificial marble. The restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N.P. Nikitin.
After the revolution, the First Petrograd Infantry School for the command staff of the Red Army was located here, on the basis of which the Leningrad Infantry School named after V.I. S. M. Kirov. In 1958, the building was completely given over to the Suvorov Military School.
Talking about architectural monuments Crimea, probably the first thing that comes to mind is the Vorontsov Palace. It is in the city, in scenic location between the rocks and the sea. Address of the Vorontsov Palace, Alupka st. Dvortsovoye Highway 18, phone for inquiries +7 3654 722 281.
The geographical coordinates of the Vorontsov Palace on the map of Crimea are N 44.419861, E 34.055972.
Vorontsov Palace is one of the most luxurious buildings on the peninsula, its majesty and splendor is simply breathtaking. And the English architect Edward Blore worked on this grandiose project. It took him about a year to introduce him to Count Vorontsov, the owner of these lands. In 1828, the construction of the Vorontsov Palace began, and it took its final form only two decades later. For a long time this estate belonged to Count Vorontsov, later he had other owners, and in 1921 it became state property and a museum was created within the walls of the palace.
The material for the construction of the Vorontsov Palace was diabase, which was mined here in. The palace is unusual in that its facades are made in different architectural styles... For example, the north façade matches the Tudor architecture. The façade facing the sea is in the Moorish style. In general, the entire structure can be called neo-Gothic. By the way, many films were shot on the territory of the Vorontsov Palace, including those based on Shakespeare's books. This was due to the similarity of the architectural compositions of the palace with the English style of that time.
The whole Vorontsov Palace consists of five buildings, inside which there is a chapel, a library, a billiard room, a dining room, and winter Garden... In total, there are 150 rooms in the palace. Probably, every visitor to the Vorontsov Palace has a photograph with one of the white marble lions that “guard” the estate from the south side. Together they form the "Lion's Terrace". The halls of the modern museum display collections of paintings, furniture, and porcelain. All of them are of considerable historical value.
The Vorontsov Palace is certainly beautiful, but its splendor is complemented by a park, spread over 40 hectares around it. This park deserves special attention. Initially, the German gardener Karl Kebach worked on the creation of the park. He designed the park in the form of an amphitheater, and placed all its attributes very logically. More than 200 species of flora from different parts of the world grow here.
Walking along you can see a very unusual structure called "Chaos". This name is quite justified, since the structure consists of huge pieces of diabase, and its height is more than 10 meters. "Chaos" is located within the so-called Upper Park, which is characterized by severity and stony. And the Lower Park includes delicate magnolias, slender cypresses, fountains, pavilions and lakes. The combination of the incongruous makes Vorontsovsky park striking and unforgettable, so everyone will be interested in visiting it and the Vorontsov Palace.
Vorontsov Palace on the map of CrimeaSt. Petersburg owes its connection with the Order of Malta to Emperor Paul I, who in 1798 accepted the title of Master - the highest religious rank of this knightly union. Thanks to him, the Maltese cross appeared on the Russian coat of arms for a time, the Order of St. John of Jerusalem appeared among the state awards, and the emperor planned to make Malta a Russian province. But these plans were not destined to come true due to the tragic death of Paul I.
Meanwhile, ties with the Order of Malta were not completely severed: it consisted of Alexander Suvorov, Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II. The fascination of warriors and monarchs with this religious movement is reflected in urban planning, and today in St. Petersburg you can find places associated with Maltese symbols.
The most striking of them, of course, remains the Maltese Chapel, inaugurated on April 29, 1800. SPB.AIF.RU tells about it and four other "Maltese" sights of the Northern capital.
Maltese chapel
Sadovaya street, 26
The Maltese Chapel was designed by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi and was originally conceived by Paul I as the Catholic Church of the Order of the Knights of Malta. It is part of the Vorontsov Palace, which today houses the Suvorov Military School. The palace, which Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli created in the 18th century for Count Vorontsov, changed many owners, and as a result, Paul I, taking the title of Protector, and then Grand Master of the Order, gave the Vorontsov Palace to the Knights of Malta.
Maltese Chapel in the drawing of Giacomo Quarenghi. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Continuing the ensemble created by Rastrelli, Quarenghi built the chapel in the spirit of the Renaissance. The temple has the shape of a rectangle with a cylindrical vault. Two rows of artificial marble columns divide the interior of the chapel into three naves. Behind the marble altar is the altarpiece by the artist A.I. Charlemagne "John the Baptist" (the holy prophet and forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist is the heavenly intercessor and patron of the Order of Malta). To the right of the altar, under a canopy, stood the crimson velvet armchair of the Grand Master (Grand Master) of the order.
The chapel was consecrated in June 1800, and a year later Paul I was killed in the Engineering Castle. His successor, Alexander I, renounced the title of Grand Master of the order, but retained the title of his protector. The Maltese cross has been removed from the Russian state emblem. In 1803, Alexander I resigned from the title of protector, and in 1817 it was announced that “the order no longer exists in the Russian Empire”.
For a while, the chapel operated like an ordinary Catholic church. In the middle of the 19th century, a side-chapel was added to it, where the ashes of the former trustee of Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg were laid to rest.
In 1928, the building of the Maltese Chapel was transferred under the club to the infantry school. Sklyansky, then the Leningrad twice Red Banner Military School named after. CM. Kirov, and since 1955 it belongs to the Suvorov Military School. The interior of the Maltese Chapel was restored for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
Mikhailovsky castle
Sadovaya street, 2
The Mikhailovsky Castle, or the Engineer's Castle, is an example of Paul I's extravagant preferences. The palace became the last home and place of death of the emperor, it embodied the autocratic's dreams of a "knightly stronghold."
Mikhailovsky Castle - the dream and death of Paul I. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Aleks G
The palace, which Pavel stubbornly called "the castle" (by the way, he even called the Winter Palace that way), in terms of its architectural design, it was unusual for St. Petersburg. It was erected in extreme haste according to the project of Vincenzo Brenna and was completed by the time the emperor agreed to accept the title of Grand Master of the order. It was planned that meetings and solemn ceremonies of the Maltese cavaliers would be held here. That is why the image of the Maltese cross is so often repeated in the interiors.
On the central wall Front staircase the bronze coat of arms of the Russian Empire was installed in the version approved by Paul - with a cross. The coat of arms is the only Maltese relic in the castle that has survived to this day.
One of the controversial issues in the history of the castle is its mysterious reddish color. There is beautiful legend that the walls were painted in the color of a glove dropped at the ball by the Emperor's favorite Anna Gagarina. The second version says that brick red is the traditional color for the Order of Malta.
Today, a branch of the Russian Museum is located in the interiors of the Engineering Castle.
Cathedral of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the Winter Palace
Cathedral of the Savior Not Made by Hands (or Big Church Winter Palace) was founded in 1753 as an Orthodox palace church. Francesco-Bartolomeo Rastrelli performed it in the Rococo style. For many years it was the home church of the imperial family.
This is how the cathedral looked from the inside until 1917. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Three ancient relics of the Hospitallers were brought here in December 1799: a particle of the tree of the Cross of the Lord, the Filermskaya icon of the Mother of God and the right hand of St. John the Baptist, presented to Paul I in October in Gatchina. In memory of this event, in 1800, the Holy Synod established a holiday on October 12 (25) in honor of "the transfer from Malta to Gatchina of a part of the tree of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the Filerma Icon of the Mother of God and the right hand of St. John the Baptist." Today the right hand of John the Baptist is kept in a monastery in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje.
Since 1918, the cathedral has been one of the halls of the Hermitage Museum used for exhibitions.
Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist
Kamennoostrovsky prospect, 83
The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, or St. John's Church, was built in 1778 according to the project of Yuri Felten at the invalid home of the sailors of the Baltic Fleet. This building in the style of pseudo-Gothic can be mistaken for a Catholic church from a distance due to the architecture uncharacteristic for Orthodox churches: the walls are made of red brick with a pointed gray lancet dome. Lancet barred windows, a narrow canopy over the entrance, and a wooden iconostasis remind of the Gothic style.
There was a Maltese cemetery behind the church for some time. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / IKit
During the time of Paul I, the church was handed over to the Order of Malta, and a cemetery for the Knights of Malta was established with it. The churchyard was closed after the accession of Alexander I to the imperial throne. In 1807, the remains of the cavaliers were transferred to the Smolensk cemetery. After the construction of the Kamennoostrovsky palace, the church was transferred to him. Here Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin baptized his two children.
The church was closed on March 15, 1938, and its ruined interiors housed different organizations... It was returned to the parish in 1989, and services were resumed in November 1990. Today the temple belongs to the St. Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, is part of the Petrograd Deanery District.
Cantemir Palace
Millionnaya Street, 7
The outstanding Italian diplomat Julius Litta, a Maltese cavalier and the youngest general in the history of Russia, lived in St. Petersburg on Millionnaya Street for more than 40 years - he was awarded the rank at the age of 26. Such attention to the Italian was explained by the desire of Catherine II to strengthen ties with the Order of Malta.
Litta appeared in St. Petersburg, first as an experienced naval officer, and then as an envoy of the Order of Malta at the Russian court. By the way, it was he who brought to Russia "Madonna" by Leonardo da Vinci, which flaunts today in the Hermitage under the code name "Madonna Litta".
The house where Litta lived has three addresses at the same time. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Helvin spb
House for Marble palace has three addresses at once: Millionnaya Street No. 7, Marble Lane No. 1 and Palace Embankment No. 8. In 1715, on this site, at the behest of the Moldovan aristocrat Dmitry Cantemir, Francesco-Bartolomeo Rastrelli built a baroque palace. In 1743, the church of the great martyr Theodore Stratilates was built on the top floor. Later, Count Alexei Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Count Vladimir Orlov, Count Pavel Skavronsky lived here. Skavronsky's widow Ekaterina Vasilievna married Litt, who settled with her in the palace. For them, the architect Luigi Rusca rebuilt one of the buildings of the palace in the classicism style. After the death of Julia Litta, the mansion was taken over by the Ministry of Finance, and now it is occupied by the Maritime Register. Russian Federation and the Institute of Culture.
Wonderful Maltese Chapel of the Vorontsov Palace. Closed for the second year in a row.
Under Paul I, the Order of Malta was granted a palace, after which the Russian Emperor naturally became the Grand Master of the Order of Malta. The Maltese Chapel is a Catholic Church of the Order of the Knights of Malta, built by order of Emperor Paul I in 1800 by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The chapel is part of the Vorontsov Palace. The extension on the east side of the Catholic Chapel Palace building for the Chapter of the Order of Malta dates back to 1798-1800.
The chapel was built by a worthy fellow and unwitting rival Francesco Rastrelli, one of the spokesmen for new architectural ideas - Giacomo Quarenghi.
The interior decoration of the chapel is a Corinthian colonnade, the walls are faced with artificial marble.
The interior of the Maltese Chapel was restored for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
By creating this small building next to the Rastrelli Palace, Quarenghi slightly violated his usual classical severity. He made an attempt to soften the line of the facade by introducing rounded profiles at the junction of the new building with the old building. Without deliberate emphasis, only with these seemingly insignificant details, he tried to connect the artistic appearance of the chapel with the architecture of the Rastrelli building.
Until now, the interior decoration of the chapel is well preserved - a colonnade of the Corinthian order, painting, stucco decoration of the walls, faced with artificial marble. Thorough restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N.P. Nikitin.
The hall of the Maltese Chapel, as well as the church hall in the palace, acquired special value as the interiors of Quarenghi, because almost all the others of this palace complex on Sadovaya subsequently underwent significant alterations or died altogether.
The "Walker" organ has been restored in the Chapel for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to it - the organist had the key to the door, which was naturally absent, since the chapel no longer accepts people since 2012 - that is, it is completely closed.
