- New Michael Palace
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Coordinates: 59°56′39″N 30°19′20″E / 59.944064°N 30.322132°E
The New Michael Palace in the late 1850s
The New Michael Palace in 2009The New Michael Palace (Ново-Михайловский дворец, Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace) was the third Saint Petersburg palace designed by Andrei Stackenschneider for Nicholas I's children. It was built between 1857 and 1862 on the Palace Embankment, between the Hermitage Museum buildings (to the west) and the Marble Palace (to the east).
The palace was commissioned by Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia on the occasion of his wedding to Cecilie of Baden.[1] The design is a Revivalist medley of quotations from the Renaissance, Baroque, and the Louis XVI styles.[2] The Rococo interiors are ornate yet airy. The statuary is by David Jensen. Some of the paintings are by Michael Zichy.
A residential wing of the palace (the so-called Equerry Wing) fronts on Millionnaya Street. Its decoration is not as riotous, but the distinctive curvilinear facade reflects the Italianate taste of the 1740s. The wing has its origin in the Baroque palace of Chancellor Tcherkassky whose design has been attributed to Pyotr Yeropkin.[2]
Since the Russian Revolution, the edifice has housed the St. Petersburg branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies. The building stands well preserved thanks to a major restoration effort in 2005-2009. The former stables were recently reconstructed with funds provided by Qaboos bin Said al Said in order to house some 1,000,000 Oriental books and manuscripts from the institute's collection.[3]
References
External links
Media related to Novo-Mihailovsky Palace (Saint Petersburg) at Wikimedia Commons
Categories:- Palace stubs
- Palaces in Saint Petersburg
- Buildings and structures completed in 1862
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