Palace

Royal palaces in imperial Russia were usually built by foreign architects: Italian, British, German or French. However, Tsaritsyno was designed exclusively by Russian architects. These were the best architects of the 18th century – first Vasily Bazhenov (from 1776 to 1785) and then Matvey Kazakov (1786-1796).

Catherine wished that her new Moscow imperial residence was built in accordance with the so-called “Gothic taste.” This architectural style of the second half of the 18th — early 19th century is usually called Pseudo-Gothic.

Russian version of Pseudo-Gothic mixed 18th century French classicism and Gothic techniques with elements of Russian architecture of the 17th century, medieval urban planning of Western Europe, antiquity and Italian Renaissance. Thanks to the talents of Bazhenov and Kazakov, Tsaritsyno became a real masterpiece of “Russian Gothic”.