House Pashkova: a story in stone, carried through the ages

Architectural monuments of Moscow for many centuries captivate the eyes of both Muscovites and visitors of the city. Majestic temples and cathedrals, unique Kremlin, palaces and manors - all this creates that amazing color, which is so famous for the Russian capital. But even against the background of all these buildings and structures, Pashkov's famous house stands out with special charm and pomposity.

According to the architectural history of the capital, this building was built in the last third of the XVIII century, most likely with the direct participation of the famous architect V. Bazhenov. Such a reservation is not accidental: the whole point is that after numerous fires, uprisings and other cataclysms, no documents about who built Pashkov's house in Moscow have survived. But some lines in the memoirs of contemporaries, and the style of the building itself indicate that it was Bazhenov who designed it.

Its name was given to this house by the name of P. Pashkov, who became famous for the fact that his father for a long time served as an orderly at Peter the Great himself. This building almost immediately became very popular: it was portrayed in paintings and postage stamps, described in literary works, next to him appointing dates and dueling.

Pashkov's house became the first building, besides churches and cathedrals, which turned out to be its facade to the Kremlin. Its architectural feature was that he had two facades: the front one, which descended to Mokhovaya Street, and less ceremonial, which was hidden in the old courtyard.

Another architectural solution was that the more beautiful view of the house Pashkov has in the event that you examine it from afar. The whole point is that if you look at it from the side of the Mokhovaya or Starovagankovsky alley, it turns out that the building is located at a small angle and therefore loses the integrity and grandeur of its perception.

The first serious test for the creation of Bazhenov was the occupation of Moscow by French troops in 1812. During the famous fire all interior interiors were burned out, and the building itself was partially destroyed. The famous architects O.Bove and I. Tamansky restored it immediately after the overseas campaign, and Alexander I did not spare money from the state budget.

In the middle of the XIX century the house passed from private hands to state property. Here were the Nobility Institute, the gymnasium, the Rumyantsev Museum. It was in order to be able to exhibit in this museum the famous canvas by A. Ivanov "The Appearance of Christ to the People", near the house was built the so-called Ivanovo Hall, which then turned into a reading room of the museum library.

After the Bolsheviks came to power, Pashkov's house became the largest in the country and one of the world's largest public libraries. Simultaneously, work continued to improve the external appearance of the building, which dealt with such famous masters as L. Dal, G. Meyendorff, A. Schusev and others.

The last major reconstruction of the building occurred in the 30s of the last century, when the outer fence was demolished, the coat of arms of the USSR was installed on the facade, and the interior interiors finally lost their original appearance.