Vasily Bazhenov was born in 1738, in the family of a deacon of one of the Kremlin court churches. Passion for architecture manifested itself very early: little Vasya loved to draw buildings and invent his own. A talented boy was noticed by a famous architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky, who accepted him into his school, where Bazhenov's gift was fully revealed. Soon the student was already working with the teacher on various projects in the capital, and then developed his own style.

After graduating from the Ukhtomsky school, Bazhenov moved to the Academy of Arts, where, together with his teacher Savva Chevakinsky worked on the project for the construction of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. In 1759, at public expense, he was sent to study in Paris, becoming the first member of the Academy of Arts sent abroad. In Paris, Bazhenov started making models of buildings from wood and cork. He created exact copies of the Louvre Gallery, and later, in Rome, a model of St. Peter's Cathedral. His models were not just sketchy designs, but works of art. They reflected the spirit and artistic content of architecture.

In Europe, Bazhenov fell in love with the fantastic grandiosity of buildings, and became one of the first Russian architects who took into account the peculiarities of the landscape when creating a project. He was among the best practical builders of his time, one of the main "guides" of the European style in Russian architecture, who nevertheless did not just copy it, but adapted it to Russian realities.

Bread House in Tsaritsyn near Moscow. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Dreams and reality

There are not so many buildings created by Bazhenov, but we know this architect from those projects that were not implemented. The most important of these is the project Forum of the great empire on the site of the Moscow Kremlin, to which Bazhenov devoted several years of his life. Instead of the Kremlin walls serving as a fence for temples and shrines, the architect designed a continuous row of buildings. He saw the Kremlin not as a fortress, but as a grandiose public center, to which all the streets of Moscow were supposed to converge. It is interesting that the preservation of historical buildings was of little interest to Bazhenov: for the new project, many pre-Petrine buildings were supposed to be demolished. The architect created a huge 17-meter model of the forum, which took into account all the smallest details of the future palace. The solemnly begun construction was interrupted first by the plague in 1771, and then the empress lost interest in the project. Bazhenov refused to lead the backfilling of the pit, saying: "I leave it to the one who will be elected for the good." The model of the palace can be seen in the Moscow Museum of Architecture.

Bazhenov participated in the creation entertainment complex in honor of the conclusion of peace between Russia and Turkey on the Khodynka field. The field was laid out in the form of the Black Sea coastline. Where the Turkish fortresses were located, the architect built various places of entertainment: theaters, booths, eateries, etc. Each building had its own special architectural style - medieval Russian, Gothic and classical. The bright colors of the red and white buildings were beautifully combined with the greenery of summer nature and the different colors of the uniforms, which gave a unique beauty to the festive celebrations.

Documents showing that Pashkov's house it was designed by Vasily Bazhenov, there is no more. Only popular rumor says this and that this building is one of the best examples of the French style in Russian architecture, which was characteristic of Vasily Bazhenov. This house, built on Vagankovsky Hill, was for a long time the only point in Moscow from where one could look at the Kremlin towers “from above”.

Pashkov's house. Photo: AiF / Eduard Kudryavitsky

Mir Tsaritsyno

Palace and park ensemble of Tsaritsyno one of the few projects for which the authorship of Bazhenov is documented. But he did not manage to realize this project completely. Catherine II invited the architect to create a project and manage the construction of a new residence in Tsaritsyno, gave him complete freedom of action. Bazhenov was inspired and enthusiastically set to work. The architect planned this estate as a whole, as a whole world, where nothing will stand out, everything will be equal: even the Empress's palace is not a dominant here, organically fitting into the ensemble. When the construction was almost completed, Catherine paid a surprise visit. The empress stated that the palace was too dark, that it was impossible to live in it, and demanded that some of the buildings be demolished. Soon, however, she moderated her ardor and demanded less radical changes. Bazhenov's student supervised the "finishing" of the estate Matvey Kazakov which especially humiliated the architect.

Vasily Bazhenov. View of Tsaritsyno village. Design drawing. 1776 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

It is difficult to say to what extent the estate, which has already been restored in our time, corresponds to the original plan of the architect: much of what Bazhenov conceived was redone during his lifetime. Many architects called for the estate to remain in ruins: they saw them as a symbol of the idealism that Vasily Bazhenov preached. However, it was decided to restore the estate. Today we can say that even a grain of Bazhenov's plan attracts thousands of tourists and residents of Moscow to the estate.

After his dismissal from work in Tsaritsyno, Bazhenov was left without a livelihood. For a time he was engaged in small private orders, but things were not going well. After his accession to the throne, Paul I, who brought those persecuted by his mother closer to him, appointed Bazhenov vice-president of the Academy of Arts and entrusted him with a large-scale study of Russian architecture. The architect happily set to work and could have done a lot if his life had not been cut short completely unexpectedly for everyone.

Living in other people's buildings

The romantic glory of the unrecognized genius haunted Bazhenov during his lifetime, and after his death they began to attribute many buildings to which he had nothing to do. This trend especially intensified in Soviet times, when in order to save one or another old house, it was enough to assume that it was designed by Bazhenov. As a result, almost all the pseudo-Gothic buildings of the 18th century in the Moscow region, regarding the authorship of which no documents have been preserved, are attributed to Vasily Bazhenov.

Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov - Russian architect, considered one of the founders of classicism in Russia.

Childhood and youth. Studies

The exact place and date of birth of Bazhenov is still the subject of debate in the scientific community. According to the first theory, Vasily Ivanovich was born on March 1, 1737 in a village not far from the city. According to other sources, the date of his birth should be considered March 1, 1738, and the place is the city. Despite the fact that the exact information, most likely, will never be known, Bazhenov's merits before and the authenticity of the rich cultural heritage left by him for posterity are not called into question.

Bazhenov was born into the family of a psalmist. Regardless of where he was born, the future great architect spent the first years of his life in Moscow - this information is beyond doubt. From an early age, the boy was fond of drawing, tried to sculpt the first architectural creations from snow, copied images of temples, churches and famous buildings. The desire of young Bazhenov to connect his whole life with art at first did not meet with understanding from his parents. So, Bazhenov Sr. wanted his son to follow in his own footsteps, so he sent the boy to the Holy Monastery.

Nevertheless, it soon became clear that painting for Vasily Ivanovich was not just a childish whim. Soon he began to study with, although, as it later became known, he mastered the heaviest techniques on his own. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to call Bazhenov a self-taught painter. Subsequently, he became a painter of the second class, before reaching the age of eighteen. Nevertheless, Vasily Ivanovich was lucky with mentors. Bazhenov did not have the opportunity to take paid lessons, so Ukhtomsky, convinced of the talent of his ward, took him as a free listener. He also repeatedly helped Bazhenov, giving him the opportunity to earn extra money and even sent him to take part in the development, installation and painting of the Cross in the Sretensky Monastery.

Bazhenov's first works date back to 1753, when Vasily Ivanovich took part in the restoration of Golovin's palace, a building badly damaged by fire. There he painted marble stoves. Soon after that, Vasily Ivanovich began to study at Moscow University, and then was transferred to. At first, Bazhenov's architectural skills were largely the merit of the then-famous architect S. I. Chevakinsky, under whose leadership Vasily Ivanovich worked in the northern capital. Chevakinsky also appreciated Bazhenov's talent and took him as his assistant to work on the construction of St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. In 1758 he was admitted to the Academy of Arts, where he studied with A.F. Kokorinov. Bazhenov studied brilliantly and graduated from the Academy with a gold medal. Such successes gave the graduate the right to continue his studies abroad, which he soon took advantage of by going to Paris. By that time, Bazhenov was already fluent in French, the love for which began from the time he entered Moscow University.

In Paris, he successfully passed the exams at the Academy of Arts and for two whole years (1760-1762) studied and worked with Professor Charles de Vailly, studying French architecture and joining a completely new style for himself - French classicism. Bazhenov's travels abroad did not end there: in 1762 he went to Italy, where he was actively engaged in the study of antiquity. After completing his internship, he was elected a member of the Bologna and Florence Academies. The Academy of St. Luke in Rome awarded him the diploma of an academician and professor. After that, he again returned to Paris, where he continued to study European architectural styles. In 1765, Bazhenov again ended up in Russia. There was a big creative way ahead.

Restructuring of the Moscow Kremlin. Unrealized projects

Upon his return to St. Petersburg, Bazhenov was almost immediately awarded the title of Academician of the Academy of Arts. But Vasily Ivanovich was denied the position of professor promised to him: by this time, the leadership of the Academy had changed, which offered him a professor's degree in an academic program, which included the creation of a complex of entertainment facilities in Yekateringof. Bazhenov fulfilled his part of the contract, but, alas, he did not receive the promised reward in the form of the desired position. The offended architect resigned from the academic service. He did not know then that the prospects that were ready to open before him were much better than broken promises.

In 1762, she ascended the Russian throne. In the field of view of the empress was not only the internal strengthening of the country, but also cultural aspects. So, Catherine issued a decree on the construction. Bazhenov, who was awarded a personal audience with the Empress, made a favorable impression on her, so the task of building the palace was entrusted to him. The architect spent seven whole years carefully planning the smallest details of the reconstruction of the ensemble. The final project was approved by Catherine: according to Bazhenov's plan, the ensemble was supposed to be a large public complex, and the main facade should go to the Kremlin line. The first stone was laid in 1773, and at the same time Bazhenov also created a wooden model of the Grand Kremlin Palace. After that, the model was sent to the Northern capital, but the project was never approved in the end. There were many reasons for this. On the one hand, in order to realize the whole grandiose plan of Bazhenov, significant funds were required. The Turkish threat that hung over the Russian Empire at that time did not allow allocating a substantial part of the budget for the "exaltation of Moscow." In addition, the destruction of the Kremlin in its original form caused great discontent in society. As a result, construction was stopped in 1775. For Bazhenov, this decision was a heavy blow.

However, the unrealized construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace was not the last opportunity to prove himself. Soon Catherine entrusted him with the construction of a residence in Tsaritsyno. Bazhenov threw all his strength into the implementation of the idea of ​​the empress, but the final version did not suit the empress. She stated that the residence turned out to be too gloomy and ordered the entire central part to be demolished. This was a new shock for Bazhenov, who in total spent almost twenty years developing projects that never became a reality - the Kremlin Palace and the residence in Tsaritsyno. All this could not but affect the state of Bazhenov's health - failures unsettled him and deprived him of inspiration for a long time.

Private orders. End of the road

The best work of Vasily Ivanovich, however, was yet to come. Such a project was the construction of the house of P. E. Pashkov, who was the grandson of the batman himself. The house was built right in front of the Kremlin and turned out to be more like a grandiose palace. This building is still considered one of the best architectural buildings in Moscow. Now the building houses the Russian State Library.

Bazhenov played a significant role in the history of St. Petersburg, in 1790 he developed one of the projects of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Two years later, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he was hired by the Admiralty Board.

After the death of Catherine in 1796, her son, was on the Russian throne. The emperor highly honored Bazhenov's architectural merits and immediately granted him the rank of real state councilor, and in 1799 appointed him vice-president of the Academy of Arts. Vasily Ivanovich did not receive such honors under Pavel's mother, Catherine. Pavel warmly approved the project for the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle, which was approved in the very first year of his reign. Unfortunately, shaky health no longer allowed Bazhenov to personally supervise the construction work, so the architects V.F. Brenna and E.T. Sokolov, who embodied the castle according to Bazhenov's original plan, were engaged in the castle. Vasily Ivanovich also did not live to see the completion of the construction of the castle, having died in 1799. Emperor Paul I himself would later be killed in this castle.

The merits of Bazhenov to the Fatherland are enormous. He was the first Russian architect who created his projects as three-dimensional compositions associated with the landscape. M. F. Kazakov, E. S. Nazarov and many other outstanding architects worked under his leadership. He erected outstanding architectural structures in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

According to the will he left, Bazhenov was buried in the village (now in the Tula region).

Relevant to localities:

He spent his childhood and youth in Moscow, studied in the city with D. V. Ukhtomsky, then at Moscow University. The most significant creation of Bazhenov in Moscow is the project of the house of P. E. Pashkov (1784-1786), located at the address: st. Vozdvizhenka, 3/5, building 1. According to one version, the birthplace of the architect is Moscow.

What is known about the great architect Vasily Bazhenov, that he was born in 1737, and a small village. He spent the early years of his life in Moscow. It is known that the father worked in the church as a church employee.

Since childhood, there was a desire for architecture. Therefore, he mastered the first basics in the architectural team of Ukhtomsky. After he enters to study at the gymnasium at Moscow University.

And already in 1758 he successfully passed the entrance exams and entered the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. After completing his studies with honors, he was sent to Italy for further education.
In 1765 he received the title of academician. And in 1767 he began to create the Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

Construction was carried out until 1775, but was never completed. Catherine 2 forbade further construction. This project required many costs, which the government did not agree to. During these years, there was a war between the Russians and the Turkish troops.

Vasily Bazhenov was not stopped by the disappointment he received and he continued to carry out his plans.
According to his drawings, more than one house was built. The architect also developed a grandiose project of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, it was built in 1797 to 1800.

In addition to an architectural career, he also achieved an artistic career, he could work as a teacher and teach architecture theoretically.

In 1799 he accepted the position of vice-president of the Academy of Arts. But, unfortunately, he does not have time to carry out all his plans and dies in St. Petersburg on August 13, 1799.

Historical facts about the personal life of Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov remain unknown.

Vasily Bazhenov lived a rather eventful and interesting life. He managed to achieve many goals in his life and prove to everyone how talented he is. After all, not every person will be able not to give up after the failed failures, but the outstanding architect succeeded. He, despite many disappointments in his work, did not stop, did not lose heart and continued his creative activity. Therefore, you can be proud of him, and set him as an example of imitation.

Biography 2

No one knows exactly when (in 1737 or 1738) and where (Moscow or Kaluga region) the architect was born. He came from the family of a poor clergyman - a junior clerk of one of the many Kremlin churches. As a child, he served in the Strastnoy Monastery in Moscow and, according to tradition, was destined to follow the path of his father. But he liked to draw better. "I mentally placed the saints on the walls and made them part of my composition, and I was often beaten for this," he later wrote in his autobiography. In addition to drawing, he also enjoyed modeling various Kremlin buildings from wooden fragments.

At 15, he managed to find an art teacher, a peer artist, who took the boy in "for God's sake" (i.e., for free) and taught him some elementary tricks. Soon they both found themselves involved in a huge and urgent construction project. The wooden imperial palace in the suburbs of Lefortovo suddenly burned down, and Empress Elizabeth ordered to immediately rebuild it. It was installed like in a fairy tale - in just one month. It was probably around this time that the young Vasily, whose job it was to paint stoves in imitation of marble, began to think about becoming an architect.

His abilities were noticed at the construction site, and the chief Moscow architect, Prince Dmitry Ukhtomsky, began to ask him some creative tasks. In 1755, Vasily was admitted to the newly established Moscow University. The following year, he was transferred to the gymnasium of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and in 1758-1606, to the architectural classes of the Academy of Arts.

He met Empress Elizabeth and was trained in the workshop of the architect Savva Chevakinsky. Here Bazhenov studied French and mathematics and diligently copied drawings of antique columns and floor coverings (at that time the ABC of architectural education). In the summer he worked on construction projects in St. Petersburg, which were supervised by his energetic and hard-working mentor, including St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral

In 1760 - 1764 Vasily Bazhenov continued his studies in France and Italy. He became one of the first two recipients of a travel scholarship from the Academy of Arts (the other was awarded by Ivan Starov, who also later became a prominent architect).

Bazhenov returned to St. Petersburg precisely for a big celebration in honor of the new charter of the Academy of Arts. But the Academy offended Bazhenov. A clever uniform was fitted for him in 1765 - one of the academics - but he was not given the long-promised professor. In addition, Bazhenov had to pass a test to confirm his academic title - to create a small architectural design. He performed it beautifully, far exceeding the modest test requirements, but nevertheless had to look for work on his own.

Bazhenov worked for Count Grigory Orlov, a minion of Catherine II and commander of artillery and fortifications, as well as for Pavel Petrovich, the successor to the young throne (the future Emperor Paul I), whose support he enjoyed until the end of his life. Finally, Orlov presented Bazhenov to the court of the empress, unusual for an architect with the rank of artillery captain.

In 1792 Bazhenov moved to St. Petersburg to fill a relatively modest position as chief architect in the Admiralty. In 1796, Catherine II died, and Pavel, Bazhenov's old patron, became emperor. Having ascended the throne, Paul I instructed Bazhenov to design the Mikhailovsky Palace with its golden smell and separate pavilions.

On the eve of the 19th century, Bazhenov was full of great plans, but, as it turned out, he did not have time to realize them. The architect was destined to die at the age of 62. In the summer of 1799 he was stricken with paralysis and died on 2 August.

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Bazhenov Vasily Ivanovich (March 1 (12), 1738 - August 2 (13), 1799) - artist, architect, teacher, founder of Russian pseudo-Gothic, the brightest representative of classicism, a freemason, and since 1784 a member of the Russian Academy, a real state councilor, Vice President of the Academy of Arts.

early years

Vasily Ivanovich was born into the family of Ivan Fyodorovich Bazhenov, a deacon in the Kremlin court church. The artistic abilities he discovered in early childhood drew the attention of the architect D.V. to the little Bazhenov. Ukhtomsky, who in 1754 was the chief architect at Moscow University. It was on his recommendation that Vasily Ivanovich was enrolled in the art class of the gymnasium of Moscow University in 1754.

Based on the results of his studies in 1756, Bazhenov was among the top nine graduates of the class and was transferred to the St. Petersburg gymnasium, and after the Academy of Arts opened in 1758, he was enrolled in it.

Very quickly, the talent of the future famous architect was revealed to such an extent that the teacher S. I. Chevakinsky attracted Bazhenov to work on the construction of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, and in September 1760, together with A. P. Losenko, Vasily Ivanovich was sent to Paris to improve his talents.

Completed projects

In France, under the guidance of Professor Charles Devailly, Bazhenov studied engraving, and also made copies of such famous buildings from cork and wood as the Louvre Gallery and St. Peter's Cathedral.

Returning to Moscow, Bazhenov became one of the best practical builders. His works were distinguished by the elegance of forms and skillful planning. The so-called French taste was vividly expressed in a building called the Pashkov House.

Figure 2. Pashkov house. replicas of famous buildings. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

And without waiting for the post of "professor of the complex of entertainment facilities" from Empress Catherine, Bazhenov left the academic service. Soon, Prince G. G. Orlov appoints Bazhenov to the Artillery Department and grants him the rank of captain. It was at that time that Pashkov's house was built in Moscow, and in its vicinity - the Tsaritsyn Palace Complex. In the same place, in the estate of Tsaritsyno, Bazhenov is building an elegant bridge across the ravine.

Bazhenov is trying to organize his academy and recruit students into it, but unfortunately, as Vasily Ivanovich himself said: "There are very many obstacles to my intention."

The Mason, a member of the Laton lodge, and also a member of the Deucalion lodge, was left without a livelihood, but nevertheless began to engage in private buildings.

In 1792, Vasily Ivanovich was again taken to serve in the Admiralty in St. Petersburg.

Remark 1

After Paul I ascended the throne, Bazhenov was appointed vice-president of the Academy of Arts. While holding his post, Bazhenov, on behalf of the emperor, prepared a collection of drawings of Russian buildings for further study of the architecture of the Fatherland.

Unrealized projects

The grandiose project was planned to be implemented by Vasily Ivanovich on the site of the fortress walls of the Moscow Kremlin from the Moskva River. The complex was called the Grand Kremlin Palace on Borovitsky Hill or "Forum of the Great Empire". It was supposed to be made in the form of a public center with a square, to which all the streets of the Kremlin were to be drawn. There was also a grandiose theater in the building. Perhaps the project would have been implemented if cracks had not appeared on the walls of ancient temples during the dismantling of the Kremlin walls. Construction was postponed, and then, in 1775, it was stopped for good.

The same fate befell the architectural ensemble in Tsaritsyno, which was a combination of the Gothic decor of Western Europe and the Naryshkin baroque of the late 17th century. This combination was tested by Bazhenov not for the first time: he used it back in 1775, collaborating with M.F. Kazakov over the entertainment pavilions on the Khodynka field, on the occasion of the conclusion of peace with the Turks.

Most likely, Bazhenov has nothing to do with the monument attributed to him and the lost monument in St. Petersburg - the Old Arsenal on Liteinaya Street. The Palace on Kamenny Island (Kamennoostrovsky Palace) and the Gatchina Palace are also unsubstantiatedly attributed to the works of Vasily Ivanovich. The documents confirmed the participation of Vasily Ivanovich in the design of the Mikhailovsky Castle. The project was edited several times by various architects, but the last version was built under the editorship of V. Brenn.

Remark 2

Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov died and was buried in St. Petersburg, but in 1800 his remains were transferred to his homeland, to the village of Glazovo, in the Tula region.

The most famous creations of the architect

Projects by V. I. Bazhenov:

• Mikhailovsky Castle - 1792, with further processing by V. Brenna;
• Khodynka field - 1775, decoration for the holiday in honor of peace in the Russian-Turkish war;
• Several buildings not demolished by Catherine II in the Tsaritsyno Ensemble - 1776-1786;
• Pashkov House - 1784-1786, debatable with the architect Legranu;
• Yushkov's house - 1780s - possibly the work of Bazhenov;
• Kamennosstrovsky Palace - presumably, the construction was carried out under the leadership of Quarenghi and Felten;
• The building of the Arsenal (St. Petersburg) - the authorship of Bazhenov is unlikely;
• House of Dolgov L.I.;
• Yermolov's estate - the village of Krasnoye -1780 - the possible authorship of Bazhenov;
• Manor of Tutolomin-Yaroshenko - 1788-1901 - together with Kazakov;
• Works in the Pavlovsk and Gatchina palaces - 1793-1796 - are not confirmed;
• Sorrowful Church on Bolshaya Ordynka - 1783-1791 - built by Beauvais;
• Rumyantsev's estate - 1782 - together with Kazakov;
• Estate of Gendrikov I.S. - 1775, together with Legrand;
• Church of Our Lady of Vladimir - 1789

Member of the Russian Academy since 1784.

Biography

Vasily Bazhenov, the son of Ivan Fyodorovich Bazhenov (1711-after 1773), a sexton of one of the Kremlin court churches, discovered his natural talent for art as a child, when he sketched all kinds of buildings in the ancient capital. This passion for drawing drew the attention of the architect D. V. Ukhtomsky to Bazhenov, who accepted him into his school.

From the Ukhtomsky school, Bazhenov - at the request of I. I. Shuvalov - moved to the Academy of Arts; there, his abilities for architecture were revealed to such an extent that the teacher of architecture, S. I. Chevakinsky, made a talented young man his assistant in the construction of St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral.

In September 1759, Bazhenov was sent to Paris to develop his talent (becoming the first pensioner of the Academy of Arts sent abroad).

Having entered the apprenticeship of Professor Charles Devayi, Bazhenov began to make models of architectural parts from wood and cork and made several models of famous buildings. In Paris, he made, observing the strict proportionality of parts, a model of the Louvre Gallery, and in Rome - a model of St. Peter's Cathedral, he studied engraving.

Following J.-J. Soufflot, K. -N. Ledoux and other masters of French classicism of that time, Bazhenov acquired "a taste for the grandiose scale of the structures being designed, whose composition, plan and decor contained complex, often Masonic symbolism" and were not always feasible in reality.

Upon his return to Russia, while living in Moscow, Bazhenov participated in the publication of the work of Vitruvius (translated by F. V. Karzhavin).

Bazhenov was one of the best practical builders of his time, distinguished both by the art of planning and the elegance of the form of the designed buildings (which he fully showed after returning to his homeland). He was one of the conductors of the so-called. French taste (style) in Russian architecture, a striking monument of which is the Pashkov House. He showed his skills in the academic program for the degree of professor of the complex of entertainment facilities for Catherine; however, Bazhenov did not receive the expected position and took a dismissal from the academic service, after which Prince G. G. Orlov assigned him to his Artillery Department as the chief architect with the rank of captain.

In this position, Bazhenov allegedly built the Pashkov house in Moscow, and in the vicinity of the capital, the palace complex in Tsaritsyn.

In the Moscow Kremlin, instead of the walls that serve as a fence of shrines and palaces, Bazhenov designed a continuous row of buildings, which were ceremonially bookmarked. The “Great Empire Forum” on Borovitsky Hill was designed as a grandiose public center, to which all the streets of Moscow were supposed to converge. At the same time, the historical context was practically not taken into account: many pre-Petrine buildings of the Kremlin were supposed to be demolished, at the same time blocking the view of temples from the side of the river, which would inevitably distort the historical appearance of the stronghold. they had already begun to disassemble (by demolishing part of the section of the wall with six towers facing the Moscow River), but by the will of the empress, the construction was postponed and then left completely; the demolished part of the Kremlin walls was later restored.

The same fate befell Bazhenov's Tsaritsyno ensemble, which was an innovative fusion of elements of the Naryshkin baroque of the late 17th century. and Western European Gothic decor. For the first time, Bazhenov tried this combination in 1775, working together with M.F. Kazakov on temporary entertainment pavilions in the Khodynka field, where the conclusion of the Kyuchuk-Kainarji peace with the Turks was celebrated. Catherine in the summer of 1785 came to the capital for three days, visited the work on the construction of palaces in Tsaritsyn (her own and the grand duke's) and, indignant at their equal size, ordered both to be demolished; the architect was removed from the project.

At the same time, in Moscow, Bazhenov made an attempt to organize a "particular" (private) academy and recruit students. Apparently, the idea failed, because, according to Bazhenov, "there are very many obstacles to my intention."

Until now, Bazhenov is credited with the lost monument of St. Petersburg, the Old Arsenal on Liteinaya Street (in the 19th century it was occupied by the District Court, burned in 1917, dismantled in the late 1920s); but, most likely, the architect has nothing to do with him. The construction of the building began under the guidance of the architect of the Artillery Department V. T. von Diderichstein in the spring of 1766 and was carried out by the architect of the Engineering Corps K. I. Shpekle.

Bazhenov, at the end of 1766, entered the Artillery, but soon left for Moscow. A large number of documents on this topic have been preserved in the funds of the Historical Archive of VIMAIViVS (“archive of the Artillery Museum”) in St. Petersburg. The large bridge across the ravine in the Tsaritsyno estate is one of the few surviving buildings whose authorship by Bazhenov has been precisely established.

Left without any means of subsistence, Bazhenov opened an art institution and took up private buildings. The change in his official career and the disfavor of Catherine are explained by his complex selfish disposition, as well as his connection with the circle of N.I. Novikov, who instructed him to report to the heir Paul I about the choice of the latter by the Moscow Masons as the supreme master. In these relations with the Tsarevich, Catherine suspected the presence of political goals, and her anger fell on Bazhenov earlier than on others; but the matter did not go further than exclusion from the service, and in 1792 he was again accepted into the service of the Admiralty College and transferred his activities to St. Petersburg.

Without any reason, the Kamennoostrovsky Palace was attributed to him - the palace of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich on Kamenny Island and work in the Gatchina Palace. His participation in the development of one of the projects of the Mikhailovsky Castle is only documented. As St. Petersburg researchers have established, it is impossible to attribute the authorship of this grandiose structure to Bazhenov alone. The work began long before construction and was carried out "under the dictation" of Pavel Petrovich, who sketched the plan with his own hand, first by the architect of the Small Courtyard A. Francois. Violier, then - in the 1790s. - Bazhenov also joined the case, but the final draft was drawn up by V. Brenna; he was carried out.

After his accession to the throne, Paul I, who generally brought everyone persecuted by his mother closer to himself, appointed Bazhenov vice-president of the Academy of Arts and instructed him to prepare a collection of drawings of Russian buildings for the historical study of Russian architecture, and also to provide an explanation on the question: what should be done, to inform the proper development of the talents of Russian artists at the Academy of Arts. Bazhenov eagerly began to carry out the gracious orders of the monarch, who proved himself to be the patron of Russian art; a lot, no doubt, he could have done if death had not completely unexpectedly stopped his life.

Bazhenov was buried in St. Petersburg, but later, in 1800, his remains were transferred to the Bazhenov estate in the village of Glazovo (now the Tula region).