On June 20, 2023, the Worldwide St. Petersburg Club together with the Organizing Committee of the International Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design held a special event in the town of Pushkin – Russian Swiss Ippolito Monighetti: Meeting in Tsarskoye Selo. The event was dedicated to the 145th death anniversary of architect Ippolito Monighetti (1819—1878).
Participants and guests of the event were welcomed by Olga Taratynova – Director of Tsarskoe Selo State Museum and Heritage Site, Béatrice Latteier – Consul General of Switzerland in St. Petersburg, Andrey Melnikov – Head of Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Switzerland in Russia, Natalia Sidorkevich – Chairwoman of the Board of the Worldwide St. Petersburg Club, and Pavel Chernyakov – Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Awards.
During the tour around the Yekaterininsky (Catherine’s) Park and Palace the guests were demonstrated the masterpieces designed by Ippolito Monighetti for this place, including the Turkish Bath Pavilion, the grand staircase in the palace, and the Lyonese Hall, which got the Honourable Mention at the Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design as the Best Implemented Restoration / Reconstruction Project in 2021.
The key part of the agenda was the round table discussion in the Stasovsky (Stasov’s) Hall of Catherine’s Palace, which is located on the way to the Church. Larisa Bardovskaya, Curator of the Painting, Water Drawing, and Graphic Art Fund of Tsarskoe Selo State Museum and Heritage Site opened the meeting with her report about Ippolito Monighetti and his work in Tsarskoye Selo. From her speech, the audience learned how extensive and various the architect’s activities in this suburb of St. Petersburg were – both within the imperial residence and out of it.
Maria Ryadova, Chief Architect of Tsarskoe Selo State Museum and Heritage Site, talked about renovation of Ippolito Monighetti’s architectural designs, including the Turkish Bath and the Lyonese Hall. Maria presented lots of old pictures and project papers of the Museum and Heritage Site to demonstrate the most recent works performed to recover Monighetti’s works that had been damaged during the World War II.
Valery Mostovich, Associated Professor of Architecture History and Theory Chair at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, spoke about Ippolito Monighetti’s creative career. His report was called ‘From Baroque to the Russian Style.’ The speaker didn’t just reveal how the architect’s stylistic preferences had been changing, but also highlighted Monighetti’s record as an outstanding interior designer. The more so that the very concept of interior design hadn’t been used at his times.
Alexander Gvozdik, Senior Teacher at Architecture Chair in St. Petersburg Mining University, demonstrated some historic reminiscences in the ornamental decorations used in Ippolito Monighetti’s designs. The speaker used illustrations to prove that Monighetti’s works included imagery typical for pre-Petrine Moscow and Oriental architecture. Moreover, the speaker told the audience about the architect’s work in Russia and one of his projects implemented in Switzerland.
In the end of the discussion, Ivan Lebedev, Chief Architect of Peterhof State Museum-Reserve, brought to the audience’s attention one more unique piece by Ippolito Monighetti, which was the Derzhava (Empire) royal yacht. Its interior design could really equal the one of palaces in those times.
Round table discussion video (Russian only): https://www.goldtrezzini.ru/ippolito-monighetti-video/.
The event was participated by Anna Yalova – Director of Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Zoya Chalova – Director of Vladimir Mayakovsky Central City Public Library, Anna Kislitsyna – Rector of St. Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, Alexander Makarov – Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Ekaterina Voznyak – Dean of Faculty of Architecture of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPbGASU), Margarita Stieglitz – Vice-President of the National Council of ICOMOS, and many other honourary guests.
The organizers are grateful to the Embassy of Switzerland in Russia, the General Consulate of Switzerland in St. Petersburg, and BEZHKO Company for their help in arrangement and holding of the event.
By the end of 2023, the Worldwide St. Petersburg Club together with the Organizing Committee of the International Golden Trezzini Awards and their partners are going to hold several more science, education, culture, and enlightenment events associated with Season 6 of the International Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design.
Photos by Vitaliy Kolikov. More at https://www.goldtrezzini.ru/en/ippolito-monighetti-photos/.
More news of the Golden Trezzini Awards:
https://goldtrezzini.ru/en/news/
Follow us on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/trezziniawards/
https://www.instagram.com/trezziniawards/