Blagoveschenskaya (Holy Annunciation) Burial Vault

Categories / Architecture/Architectural Monuments/Religious Architecture (see also Religion.Church)
Categories / Architecture/Cemeteries (see also Municipal Economy)
BLAGOVESCHENSKAYA (HOLY ANNUNCIATION) BURIAL VAULT (Holy Annunciation Burial Vault), the oldest stone chapel-monument of St. Petersburg, part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra Ensemble. It was constructed in 1717-25, in the style of the Petrine Baroque (architect D. Trezzini, H. Conrad and T. Schwertfeger), and was meant for the burial of members of the royal family and grandees (the first national Pantheon of Russia). Under the floor are 25 graves. On 24 October 1723, in the Lower Church Tsarina Praskovya Fedorovna (the widow of Peter the Great’s brother - Tsar Ivan V Alexeevich) was buried. On 30 August 1724, the relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky were brought to the vault and the consecration of the Upper Church named in his honour was carried out (in 1790 the relics were transferred to Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra). The Lower Church of the Holy Annunciation was consecrated on 25 March 1725. The original moulding and painting decor of the Blagoveschenskaya Burial Vault has not been preserved, the wall-painting was renovated in 1839-1841 and 1873 and destroyed in the 1930s. In 1932, the lower chapel was given over to the museum-necropolis, the upper one was reconstructed. In 1989-99, a full restoration was undertaken, that returned the original shape and decor of the chapel. The Blagoveschenskaya Burial Vault is the main exposition object of the City Sculpture Museum, here A.V. Suvorov, I.I. Shuvalov, I.I. Betskoy, N.I. Panin, M.A. Miloradovich, Matvey Y. Vielgorsky and other outstanding figures of Russian history were buried; there are the gravestones of Rzhevsky husband and his wife (1710s, the oldest of St. Petersburg), artistic headstones of A.M. Golitsyn (1788, sculptor F.G. Gordeev), E.S. Kurakina (1792, sculptor I.P. Martos), A.A. Bezborodko (1803, sculptor Z. Rachette), M.S. Tairova (1810, sculptor A. Triscorni) are displayed. See also the Museum of City Sculpture and Alexander Nevsky Lavra entries.

Y. M. Piryutko. Alexander Nevsky, Duke
Betskoy (Betsky) Ivan Ivanovich
Bezborodko Alexander Andreevich
Conrat Ch.
Golitsyn Alexander Mikhailovich, Duke
Gordeev Fedor Gordeevich
Ivan V Alexeevich, Tsar
Kurakina Elena Stepanovna, Duchess
Martos Ivan Petrovich
Miloradovich Mikhail Andreevich
Panin Nikita Ivanovich, Count
Peter I, Emperor
Piryutko Yury Minaevich
Praskovya Fedorovna, Tsarina
Rachette Jean-Dominique
Rzhevsky
Schwertfeger Theodor
Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich, Count
Suvorov Alexander Arkadievich, Count
Tairova Marfa Savelievna
The Triscornis
Trezzini Domenico
Vielgorsky Matvei Yurievich
Zemelgak Yakov Ivanovich
см. при ст. Городской скульптуры музей и Александро-Невская лавра. Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Baroque
Museum of City Sculpture
1717