10 most beautiful GOTHIC buildings in Russia (PHOTOS)
It turns out that in the country of wooden churches and Russian-style ‘terems’ (fairytale houses), there are more than 2,000 buildings built in a seemingly “alien” European style, the Gothic.
1. The Kaliningrad Cathedral
In Kaliningrad Region, original medieval Gothic churches, rather than the neo-Gothic stylizations built later, have been preserved. This is because, before World War II, it was the territory of Germany and Prussia. One of them is the Königsberg (as the city used to be called) Cathedral, which opened its doors in 1380.
2. Tsaritsyno Palace in Moscow
This palace ensemble for German-born Empress Catherine the Great was designed in the late 18th century by court architect Vasily Bazhenov. She wanted it to be built in the "Gothic taste". However, for various reasons, the construction wasn't completed. At the turn of the 21st century the palace was restored and now houses an exhibition complex.
3. The Chesme church in St. Petersburg
We owe the appearance of this Gothic chapel near the Tsarskoye Selo imperial residence to Catherine the Great, as well. The empress ordered the construction of the church in honor of the Russian fleet’s victory over the Turkish fleet in the Chesme Battle of 1770.
4. Gothic capella in Peterhof
Nicholas I, the grandson of Catherine the Great, was a great Germanophile, not only because of his grandmother, but also because of his wife, a German princess. He ordered the construction of a house church in the Alexandria Park in Peterhof. The chapel resembles a miniature Gothic cathedral and is consecrated in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky.
5. Vladimir Church in Bykovo, Moscow Region
This church literally resembles a Disney castle! Senator and Moscow Governor Mikhail Izmailov built it on the territory of his estate in the 1780s. Presumably, famous court architect Vasily Bazhenov was behind the project.
6. Princess Oldenburg's Palace in Voronezh Region
The German-born princes of Oldenburg built their manor house in the village of Ramon in the neo-Gothic ‘Old English’ style in the 1880s. This castle is now one of the main attractions near Voronezh.
7. Nicholas church of Mozhaisk kremlin
This church was built in the early 19th century in the ancient Mozhaisk Kremlin near Moscow. Architect Alexei Bakarev combined the typical Russian church structure with Gothic decorative elements so successfully that he was commissioned to rebuild the Moscow Kremlin’s Nikolskaya Tower in the Gothic style.
8. Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers of the Moscow Kremlin
All the Moscow Kremlin towers were built by Italian architects in the late 15th century, but then, some of them underwent significant changes. For example, in the 1620s, English architect Christopher Galoway added a tiered Gothic top over the Spasskaya Tower. In the early 19th century, the Nikolskaya Tower was completely rebuilt in the Gothic style by Swiss architect Luigi Ruska and the aforementioned Russian Alexei Bakarev.
9. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary in Moscow
The Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow was built in the early 20th century in the Neo-Gothic style. During the Soviet era, it served as a dormitory and even a warehouse. But now, services are held there once again and it is considered the largest Catholic cathedral in Russia.
10. Transfiguration Church in Krasnoyarsk
The Gothic style reached Siberia, as well. A Catholic church in Krasnoyarsk was built with donated money and finished in 1911. A wooden Catholic church used to stand in place of the new one. The Transfiguration Church can fit up to 1,000 worshipers and has a large organ. In Soviet times, this building with excellent acoustics was used as a recording studio by a radio committee.
