Court Ceremonies

Categories / Capital/Imperial Court
COURT CEREMONIES, acts performed by the monarch as part of his responsibilities and duties, accompanied by formal ceremonial spectacles and events. Court ceremonies played an important role in the life of the Imperial Court and were the best (and often the only) known part of the monarch's duties for those who did not belong to the Court. Court ceremonies were constantly held in St. Petersburg in the 18th — the early 20th centuries, in Imperial residences, city cathedrals, and on the streets and squares. In the 18th century, Court ceremonies were many and changed often; among those which regularly repeated were Imperial Entrances (from 1733), official receptions of foreign ambassadors, and ceremonies on Orthodox and State holidays. Imperial weddings, and holidays devoted to military victories, were particularly luxurious, and Imperial Funerals were notable for their mournful splendour. By the 1840s, Court ceremonies developed into a strict system which brought formality and agitation to Court life.

References: Мосолов А. А. При дворе последнего императора: Зап. нач. канцелярии министра двора. СПб., 1992; Шепелев Л. Е. Чиновный мир России, XVIII - начало XX в. СПб., 1999; Волков Н. Е. Двор русских императоров в его прошлом и настоящем. М., 2003.

G. V. Kalashnikov. Мосолов А. А. При дворе последнего императора: Зап. нач. канцелярии министра двора. СПб., 1992
Волков Н. Е. Двор русских императоров в его прошлом и настоящем. М., 2003
Шепелев Л. Е. Чиновный мир России, XVIII - начала XX в. СПб., 1999