Title of Piece: St. Isaacs Cathedral, St.

Petersburg Genre: Neoclassicism Date: 1816-1858 Artist: Auguste de Montferrand Medium: Gray/Pink stone, Red granite Dimensions:105 meters high(333 ft)

Historical Context During the late eighteenth century, France experienced a shift in governmental power which directly affected all of French society. With the rise of Napoleon came a new artistic form in reaction with earlier Rococo style art (an early 18th century art form which focused on gaiety celebrations, romance, and life at court). Artists and Architects started using the ideas of Neoclassicism, a revival art which pulled ideas from ancient Roman and ancient Greek models. Neoclassicism was quickly adopted by European society because it promoted the ideas of reason, order, and power. These characteristics appealed to empires of the day because it effectively expressed state power. These ideas also ran parallel with Christian beliefs, and were valued during the enlightenment era. Biography of Artist Auguste de Montferrand was born in France in 1776. His father, Benois Richard, was a Horse trainer who died during his childhood. Without a man in the family, his mother was forced to remarry to Antoine de Commarieux who provided Auguste with a formal education. In 1806, Montferrand joined the former Academie d Architecture, where he studied architecture with Charles Percier, and Pierre Fontaine (two architects that would eventually become the most influential artists in France). Unfortunately he was soon drafted into Napoleons army for duty in Italy. After his service, Montferrand married Julia Mornais in 1812; however he was drafted again when allied troops were approaching Dresden. His time in Thuringia was brutal, but he was awarded the Leigiondhonneurfor his bravery in the battle of Hanau. Once France was defeated, Montferrand pursued his career in architecture over-seas. For the next few years Montferrand worked on a few minor jobs, mostly draftsmanship and small company designs. It wasnt until his works in Russia, was he well known. In 1815, Montferrand was granted an audience with Tsar Alexander I of Russia. At the time, Russia was searching for western-style architects who were willing to make Russia look more modern. The Tsar was impressed by Montferrands work and suggested he come to Russia and design for him. The next summer, Montferrand landed on the shores of St. Petersburg. Eager to be employed, he rented a house near Foyoder Wigel, the secretary of the construction commission, and immediately sent an album of his work as well as a letter from Abraham Breguet to Agustin de Betancourt, Chairman of the commission. Betancourt was overwhelmed by his work and offered

Montferrand the desk of head of draftsmanship, however he settled for the lower ranks of senior draftsman. Montferrand was officially employed by Russia by December, 1816. Even with his new job, Montferrand didnt find any major works coming his way. His first assignment, Odessa Lysaeum, never went through due to financial problems. His designs for Moscow Manege and Moscow fountains were also re-assigned to Joseph Bove, and Ivan Vitali. At the time, an accidental fire destroyed the Makaryev fair. Devastated by the fire, Tsar Alexander looked to Betancourt to help reconstruct the Fairgrounds. Betancourt proposed a 6million ruble, 4-year plan to rebuild the fair that would require the Tsar to halt his Winter Palace remodeling. Montferrand wasted no time on this project; not only did he finish the fair in less time expected, but also spent 3.5 million rubles. The Tsar was amazed by his efficiency, which later helped Montferrand receive more important works. Montferrands 2nd major assignment was St. Isaacs Cathedral. Catherine the Great (Tsar Alexanders grandmother) commissioned a church to be built for Peter the Great. The building was assigned to Antonio Rinaldi, however Catherines plans were never finished. In 1816, Tsar Alexander I assigned Montferrand to finish the Cathedral; however Montferrand wanted to destroy the foundation and start from scratch. Construction was tedious, casualties were high and Montferrand almost died in 1837 when the crew was lifting a 64-ton dome column to its height. After decades of work the cathedral was finished in 1858 and the building was opened on May 30th, Tsar Peters 186th anniversary. Montferrand soon died after the grand opening, he intended to be buried in the cathedrals vault, but it was forbidden because he was not of the Orthodox faith. His body was sent back to France, and was buried in the Cimetire de Montmarte, Paris, next to his mothers grave. Aesthetic Qualities The most eye-catching part of the cathedral are the domes. There are 4 domes placed symmetrically on each side of the building, all overshadowed by a large central dome, which measures 101 meters high and is plated with pure gold. The gold however was painted over during WW2 to avoid enemy airplanes from spotting the cathedral. The cathedral was based on a Greek cross and is constructed primarily of gray stone, which makes the overall look bland compared to the highly ornamented interior. The structure also includes large Corinthian columns placed on each side of the building with each column carved from a single piece of red granite. The buildings faade is also decorated with detailed sculptures, depicting doves and angels. Montferrand included 24 sculptures in total, with each so intricately designed, most of the detail isnt noticed by the naked eye. The cathedral is located in St. Isaacs square, St. Petersburg, and was placed next to Mariinsky Palace. This palace was built alongside the Cathedral and was meant to show the relationship between religion and state power. St. Isaacs Cathedral also underwent many roles as time went by. Initially it served its purpose as a place of worship. During WW2, Stalin ordered the cathedral to become a non-religious museum in 1931 as part of his Great Purge. The cathedral still serves as a museum today, only a small area was restored for religious use.

Story of the Piece According to ancient text, Saint Isaac was a 4th century Christian monk who lived near Constantinople. He is most famous for his encounters with Valens. Roman emperor Valens was persecuting Christians and closing churches due to his belief of Arianism. Isaac confronted Valens right before his battle with the Goths and warned him, if he didnt stop oppressing the Christians he would die by fire. Valens, completely ignoring his apocalypse, went to battle with the Goths. Having lost the battle, Valens was forced to take refuge in a barn, which later caught on fire and killed him. Saint Isaac was made the patron saint of the Romanov dynasty by Peter the Great, whose birthday falls on St. Isaacs feast day, hence the reason St. Isaacss cathedral is located in St. Petersburg. Influences Although Montferrands influences arent mentioned much, its safe to say the neoclassical impact in France shaped his work significantly, as well as his class mates Charles Percier and Pierre fontaine. Montferrand was also inspired by Antonio Palladios Villa Rotunda, which is similar to St. Isaacs cathedral. Montferrands work did however affect many modern buildings including the U.S capitol, Washington D.C, and the Cathedral in Helsinki. Major Works

Nizhny Novgorod Fair (1825) Montferrands first major assignment caused him to gain a reputation in Russia.

Alexanders Column (1834) Montferrand, against all odds, was able to lift this 600-metric ton column and prove his experience to critics and Tsar Nicholas I.

Monument to Nicholas I (1859) Montferrands last work, commissioned by Alexander II, most of the foundation was used from the original St. Isaacs Cathedral.

Bibliography
"Auguste De Montferrand." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 June 2012. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_de_Montferrand>. "St. Isaac's Cathedral - St. Isaac." St. Isaac's Cathedral - St. Isaac. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2012. http://it.stlawu.edu/~rkreuzer/pbyrne/st_isaac.html Answers.com. Answers, n.d. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://www.answers.com/topic/henri-louis-augustericard-de-montferrand>. Respectfully Submitted by: Harmeet Gill