Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov (Russian:Васи́лий Ива́нович Баже́нов; 1 March (N.S. 12) 1737 or 1738 – 2 August (N.S. 13) 1799) was a Russianneoclassicalarchitect,graphic artist, architectural theorist and educator. Bazhenov and his associatesMatvey Kazakov andIvan Starov were the leading local architects of theRussian Enlightenment, a period dominated by foreign architects (Charles Cameron,Giacomo Quarenghi,Antonio Rinaldi and others). According toDmitry Shvidkovsky, in the 1770s Bazhenov became the first Russian architect to create a national architectural language since the17th century tradition interrupted byPeter the Great.^[1]

Vasily Bazhenov
Bazhenov and his family, 1770s
Born	(1737-03-01)March 1, 1737 Moscow,Moscow Governorate,Russian Empire
Died	August 13, 1799(1799-08-13) (aged 62) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Alma mater	Imperial Academy of Arts
Known for	Architecture
Notable work	Pashkov House, Tsaritsyno Park
Elected	Member Academy of Arts (1765)

Bazhenov's early success was followed by a tragic professional and private life. His two main construction projects were abandoned for political or financial reasons. Hismagnum opus, the neoclassical Grand Kremlin Palace, was cancelled shortly after groundbreaking. The imperial palace inTsaritsyno Park fell victim to theBattle of the Palaces; Bazhenov's palace core was demolished on the orders ofCatherine II. Another project, for theMoscow State University building, ended in a bitter conflict with Bazhenov's former benefactorProkofi Demidov and led Bazhenov intobankruptcy. Before his death, Bazhenov implored his children to stay aside from the treacherous construction business.

Bazhenov's legacy remains debated. The attributions ofPashkov House and lesser projects to Bazhenov, backed by a sketchy paper trail,deductions andconjectures, are uncertain to the point where his life and work became subject ofconspiracy theories.^[2] Even his place of birth and the location of Bazhenov's grave are unknown. His life story, as reconstructed byIgor Grabar and popularized by the historians of the Soviet period, is regarded by modern critics as the "Bazhenovmyth",^[3][4] and even most recent academic research^[5] fails to replace this myth with a reliable biography.^[4]

The exact year and place of Bazhenov's birth is uncertain; he was born in 1737 or 1738 in a family of a church clerk either in Moscow or in the village of Dolskoye nearMaloyaroslavets. According to the second version, the family relocated to Moscow when Vasily was three months old. In 1753 Vasily volunteered (but was not formally hired) into theKremlin-based architectural company ofDmitry Ukhtomsky, then the only Moscow institution providing basic architectural training. There Bazhenov acquired practical construction skills; poverty forced him to seek paid work instead of classroom training.

In 1755 Bazhenov joined the first class of the newly openedMoscow State University. Bazhenov's first biographer,Eugene Bolkhovitinov (1767–1837,Metropolitan of Kiev since 1822), wrote that Bazhenov also studied at theSlavic Greek Latin Academy but this opinion is firmly refuted by 20th century biographers.^[6] Bolkhovitinov, perhaps, knowingly twisted the facts to raise the prestige of clerical colleges.^[7]

In the beginning of 1758 the University, requested byIvan Shuvalov, dispatched a group of sixteen students, including Bazhenov andIvan Starov,^[8] toSaint Petersburg to continue training at the newly establishedImperial Academy of Arts.^[8] They, along with twenty boys selected in Saint Petersburg, became the first class of the Academy.^[8] In May 1758 the class was reduced to thirty students (8nobles and 22raznochintsy); at the first exam, twenty-year-old Bazhenov ranked first, also being the oldest student; fourteen–year–old Starov ranked seventh while the youngest student,Stefan Karnovich, was only twelve.^[9][10] Bazhenov, according to his own statement, was assigned to the class ofSavva Chevakinsky, chief architect of theRussian Admiralty, worked on the construction of the Saint Nicholas church and became a personal mentor andblood brother of younger Starov.^[11]

Three years later Bazhenov and painterAnton Losenko became the first students of the Academy of Arts to be awarded a scholarship out of Russia. Bazhenov trained inParis at the workshop ofCharles De Wailly^[12] (Starov joined him there in October 1762).^[11] Bazhenov's entries to the competitions of theFrench Academy of Architecture were a success; he "triumphantly concluded" the scholarship, being elected to theRoman Academy of Saint Luke,Academy of Fine Arts of Florence andAcademy of Fine Arts of Bologna.^[12] Later, Bazhenov became the principal promoter ofFrench neoclassicism in Russia^[12] and set the stylistic canon of neoclassical Moscow along the ideas of De Wailly.^[13]

He returned to Russia in May 1765 possessing "unusual and impeccable credentials for a Russian of that day"^[14] and applied for a degree and tenure at the Academy, but the new management had no intention to hire Bazhenov. He was subjected to a rigorous formal examination and was ordered to submit a new graduation project; he had no success with the Academy but was noticed byCatherine II and her sonPaul, who commissioned Bazhenov to design and build a private mansion onKamenny Island. At the end of 1766Grigory Orlov, then commander of imperialartillery andmilitary engineers, hired Baznenov into his retinue, in the military rank ofcaptain of artillery, and commissioned him the Arsenal in Saint Petersburg.^[12] Next year, Bazhenov followed Orlov into Moscow where he would live for most of his remaining life "giving a Russian reality to French Classical and ItalianPalladian modes to which he was exposed."^[14]

Catherine suggested the idea of rebuilding the decrepit palaces of theMoscow Kremlin into a new government center of the reformed country (in 1767 Moscow hosted an elected congress framing a new code of laws)^[15] and Bazhenov eagerly responded; as early as 1767^[14] he produced first drafts of hisopus magnum, theutopian Grand Kremlin Palace. Orlov, fascinated by the proposal, rightfully questioned the feasibility of the enormous edifice, but Baznenov went forward and finalized the design by the end of summer of 1768. The largest neoclassical complex in Europe,^[16] if ever completed, would have replacedthe Kremlin itself, leaving only its cathedrals intact.^[16]

According to his plan, the new four–storeyneoclassical palace would take up the whole southern side of the Kremlin - 2,100 feet^[17] or 630 meters^[16] fromKonstantino-Yeleninskaya tower in the east toBorovitskaya Tower in the west, and extending north along the western wall of the Kremlin up to theArsenal. The palace would have completely enclosed theKremlin Cathedrals, obstructing their view from across theMoskva River. Instead of building the palace on the topplateau of the Kremlin Hill, Bazhenov placed it right on the steep slope between the plateau and the Kremlin wall slated for demolition, employing enormous stonebuttresses to prevent it fromsliding into the river. The river itself should have been cleaned up, regulated and flanked by an embankment sided with logs.^[18]

Layout of the new Kremlin "was the most inventive planning effort of Catherine's reign".^[14] Bazhenov retained the historicalCathedral Square and proposed creation of a new square in the eastern part of the Kremlin that would become the new center of Moscow and the start of three new radial streets projecting due north, north-west and north-east.^[19] The northern radius, passing through a planned opening in the Kremlin wall, would directly connect the palace withTverskaya Street.^[19] Bazhenov expanded his planning into modernizing the city itself, which eventually led to theProjected Plan officially accepted in 1775, a joint effort led byPyotr Kozhin andNicholas Legrand.^[20]

Nikolay Karamzin wrote in 1817 that "plans of Bazhenov, the famous architect, are similar toPlato'sRepublic orMore'sUtopia: they should be admired in thought and never put into practice."^[21] Nevertheless, the project received a go–ahead and the government set up the Kremlin Construction Board (orExpedition in 18th century parlance), an institution that survived into the 19th century. The Expedition became a new architectural school for local students, starting with Bazhenov's aideMatvey Kazakov. Kazakov, working in Kremlin since 1768, became Bazhenov's equal after 1770 and took over management of the Expedition in 1786.^[22][23] He surpassed Bazhenov as educator, revitalized Ukhtomsky school and trainedJoseph Bove,Ivan Yegotov andAleksey Bakarev.^[24]

At thegroundbreaking ceremony (1773) Bazhenov declared that "today we renew old Moscow".^[25] Work commenced by shaving of the southern slope of the Kremlin Hill and laying foundation for the supporting buttresses.^[26] Central part of the southern wall of Kremlin,Taynitskaya andFirst Unnamed towers were demolished.^[26] Earth pit began right next to theCathedral of the Archangel and for the next year Bazhenov and his engineers struggled with the threat of landslides.^[26] In 1775 Catherine shut down the project, citing damage to the Cathedral of the Archangel^[26] and the unsuitable geology of the Kremlin Hill.^[17] Historians reason that she had other, more important concerns: enormous cost of the palace and reluctance to invest in Moscow, an old city that she perceived as a threat to her control andmodernization of the Empire,^[26] the demise of constitutional assembly^[27] or the simple fact that by 1775 "Catherine had nothing more to prove."^[17]

The original wooden model of the planned palace (1:44 scale, 17 meters long),^[28] made by Bazhenov's students^[29] is preserved at theMoscow Museum of Architecture.^[30] When the museum was based at theDonskoy monastery the model was publicly displayed in its main cathedral. In 2001 City of Moscow proposed building a dedicated museum pavilion to display the model inAlexander Garden^[28] but the proposal was rejected.

Bazhenov, at least in the first half of Catherine's reign, perfectly understood her taste and stylistic program, that ofAge of Enlightenment rather than of Neoclassicism.^[31] During the 1775 celebrations of theTreaty of Küçük Kaynarca on theKhodynka Field, Bazhenov "turned imitation of EnglishGothic Revival into an attempt to create a universal stylistic language for Russian architecture combining typical elements of medieval buildings of both East and West, motifs fromAntiquity and pure fantasy."^[31] This ephemeral work paved way to Catherine's decision to build two^[32] imperial palaces in Moscow suburbs (in 1775 she lived in a temporary wooden building inKolomenskoye).^[32] The lesserPetrovsky Castle on the road to Saint Petersburg was awarded to Kazakov,^[32] the largerTsaritsyno to Bazhenov.^[32][33]

In summer of 1775 Bazhenov designed the first draft of Tsaritsyno, now lost.^[32] It followed Catherine's affection to "peasant style", featuring numerous neo-Gothic, country style lodges scattered on a carefully planned "natural" landscape.^[32] The same approach was employed in the second, "completely non-classical"^[34] master plan approved by Catherine in spring of 1776.^[32] This time Bazhenov added a dominant main palace, designed as two identical buildings connected with agreenhouse.^[35] One wing was intended for Catherine, another for her son and heirPaul. Bazhenov planned to decorate Tsaritsyno with traditional Russian colouredtiles,izraztsy, but Catherine objected and insisted on a simpler red (brick walls), white (ornaments) and yellow (glazed roof tiles) colour scheme.^[32] Roof tiles did not last long in Russian winters and were soon replaced with sheet iron.^[32]

Bazhenov began construction with the "front row" of small buildings, gates and bridges.^[32] Their white stone inserts feature finely carved ornaments that disappeared in later buildings^[32] either due to shortage in skilled craftsmen^[32] or Bazhenov's own stylistic decision.^[35] In 1777 Bazhenov demolished the old wooden manor house of theCantemirs, former owners of Tsaritsyno, and started construction of the main palace.^[35] Shortage of government funds plagued the project from the start; in fact, most of Bazhenov's written legacy consists of business letters pleading the state treasury for money, skilled labor, and counting his private debts incurred in Tsaritsyno.^[35] In 1783 he actively sought new jobs, writing that "he was now quite free in Tsaritsyno."^[36]

The main palace, with an added central annex for Paul's children,^[35] was built in eight years. Governor Jacob Bruce, who inspected Tsaritsyno in 1784, was puzzled by the absence of a formal front courtyard, but nevertheless sent Catherine an enthusiastic report praising, in particular, bridges and landscaping.^[35] Catherine suddenly^[35] visited Tsaritsyno in June 1785, and left displeased by slow pace of the work; she scorned the palace in letters to Paul andMelchior Grimm as a "dark place with low vaults and narrow stairs, unfit for living."^[35]

By 1785 Bazhenov's palace layout becamepolitically incorrect: relations between Catherine and Paul irreversibly worsened, the empress entertained removing Paul from theorder of succession completely, and twin palaces had to make way for a single one – her own. Catherine announced her will to demolish and rebuild the main palace, but Bazhenov was not fired immediately; he and Kazakov were ordered to submit independent redesign proposals.^[32] Bazhenov presented a new design in the end of 1785, but it was rejected and Bazhenov was dismissed from the project "to improve his health and household matters".^[37] In February 1786 Catherine finally awarded Tsaritsyno project to Kazakov;^[38] Bazhenov's palace was demolished in summer of 1786.^[35] Public opinion incorrectly connected her anger to Bazhenov's association with theFree Masons^[39] or his Gothic styling; in fact, Kazakov retained both Gothic and Masonic features and most of Bazhenov's auxiliary buildings survived to date.^[34][38]

By the middle of 1780s Catherine, once fascinated by the art of Bazhenov andCharles Cameron, settled for the different version of neoclassicism professed by Kazakov in Moscow and Starov andQuarenghi in Saint Petersburg.^[40] In December 1786 Bazhenov finally retired from state service and had to rely on private commissions alone. The extent of these private jobs, once considered to be numerous (seeattribution problem) has been subsequently revised to a very small number of more or less reliably attributed buildings; in contrast, Matvey Kazakov's legacy of the same period has been documented far better. Shvidkovsky noted that Bazhenov set the style of neoclassical Moscow but it was Kazakov and hisalumni who actually designed and built it.^[13] According to Shvidkovsky, residential Moscow before thefire of 1812 was influenced, through Bazhenov, by works ofCharles de Wailly and his circle; Bazhenov enhanced the French style with use of sculpture and garden architecture.^[13] Kazakov lacked Bazhenov's refinement but his buildings "were considerably more practical than Bazhenov's, more adapted to Moscow life."^[41]

Bazhenov, eager to improve his finances, accepted what looked like a generous offer fromProkofi Demidov, a wealthy and whimsical patron of arts. Demidov planned to donate a new building to Moscow University; he agreed to refinance Bazhenov's debts in exchange for his design and management services. Relations soon turned sour; Demidov, literally having Bazhenov in his pocket, rejected his design for a downtown campus and ordered Bazhenov to design a newgreen field campus on theSparrow Hills. This cat and mouse game (as presented in Bazhenov's own writing) continued for nearly a decade; the architect wasted years on a dead end project and remained bankrupt at the mercy of Demidov. Once again Kazakov picked up the job and completed the "old" downtown core of the University in 1793.^[42]

In 1792 Bazhenov relocated to Saint Petersburg and accepted an uninspiring but stable job of an architect ofKronstadt admiralty; in his spare time he translated the complete works ofVitruvius. In April 1792 Bazhenov was implicated in theNikolay Novikov affair; police found Bazhenov's letter to Novikov about supplyingmasonic books to Paul.^[43] Novikov spent four years inSchlisselburg fortress jail^[43] while Bazhenov escaped free. Masonic influence over Bazhenov's life and art led to him being called "the RussianChristopher Wren"^[44] and the theory that he was a long-term agent ofmartinists tasked with winning Paul's support.^[45] Paul was aware of Bazhenov's real or alleged mission but by 1792 he stepped aside from freemasonry and personally warned Bazhenov against further conspiracies.^[46]

EmperorPaul I of Russia supported Bazhenov as one of the alleged victims ofhis despised mother. Shortly upon ascension to the throne (1796) Paul summoned Bazhenov toSaint Petersburg and made him vice-president of theImperial Academy of Arts.^[47] The Academy of this period, influenced by the ideas of its second PresidentIvan Betskoy, admitted boys at the age of six to nine years old, and provided nine-year general (elementary and secondary) education followed by at least six years of professional training in arts and architecture.^[48] Bazhenov believed that the Academy must dispose with elementary education and focus on its core subjects, admitting literate teenagers who could prove their talent in an open contest.^[48] He did not live enough to materialize this program; it was gradually implemented byAlexander Stroganov (1802) andAlexey Olenin (1830).^[49]

Paul's main construction project,Saint Michael's Castle, was awarded to his house architect, ItalianVincenzo Brenna, while Bazhenov was appointed to supervise Brenna. Historians of the 19th and early 20th centuries could not clearly separate the input of each architect and attributed the design to Brenna and Bazhenov jointly.Nikolay Lanceray (1930s) and subsequent Russian historians give full credit to Brenna; according to Lanceray, Bazhenov did not interfere in Brenna's designs that were, to a large extent, Brenna's renditions of Paul's ownromantic vision.^[50] According toDmitry Shvidkovsky, Bazhenov worked on an earlier design of the castle and this fact was later interpreted as his participation in actual design; Brenna "was given the task of adapting Bazhenov's design" but created an independent work.^[47] At any rate, Bazhenov died in the middle of the project leaving Brenna in full control; the castle turned out not a Neoclassical building, but "a rare example of an imperial palace genuinely redolent of theRomantic era."^[51]

Paul also commissioned Bazhenov to design a new hospital nearDanilov Monastery. Bazhenov, again, responded with an extravagant plan that did not proceed past wooden frame and was replaced by Kazakov's extant Pavlovskaya Hospital built in 1802–1807.^[52][53] Shortly before his death Bazhenov began compilation of an album onRussian Architecture, collecting drafts of "all large buildings in two capitals."^[54]

Reliable attribution of private 18th-century buildings in Russia, even those that retained original styling and floorplans, is rarely possible. Wealthy patrons eagerly hired architects who made themselves famous by working on government megaprojects, but in many instances original drawings are missing.^[55] In these cases historians used general design features or specific features to deduce probable author.^[55] Uncertainty led to frequent misattribution, particularly in case of Bazhenov and Kazakov^[55] and subsequent changes in attribution or admitting inability to make one.

Attribution of specific Moscow buildings to Bazhenov in this article is based on the academicPamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy (Russian:Памятники архитектуры Москвы) series of books issued in 1983–2007.

Tradition of the first half of the 20th century, started byIgor Grabar, credited Bazhenov with designing numerous high-profile private buildings in Moscow. Later research has shown that in most cases his input cannot be reliable ascertained.Pashkov House, most likely, has been designed by Bazhenov while other residences once credited to him are now listed under "unknown architect" heading.

• Pashkov House, Bazhenov's most conspicuous extant building and "one of Moscow's most graceful and handsome residential ensembles"^[56] is attributed to him "through the 19th century tradition supported by the majority of <20th century> researchers".^[57] Pashkov House, uniquely to 18th-century architecture, retains its original external appearance and layout as conceived by the architect around 1784 and completed in 1787.^[57] The building was severely damaged by theFire of 1812 and, for the first time in the history of Moscow, was rebuilt exactly to original drafts in recognition of its landmark significance.^[58]
• Yushkov House onMyasnitskaya Street in Moscow (late 1780s – early 1790s) is simply "attributed" to Bazhenov. According to Schmidt, it represented architect's turn from French neoclassicism toItalianate architecture.^[59] Layout of this building, featuring a cornerrotunda, became a widely copied standard for neoclassical architects in Moscow.^[60] The building later housed Palace School of Architecture andMoscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1844–1918),VKHUTEMAS (1918–1930)^[61] and, since 1989, Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
• Razumovsky House onVozdvizhenka Street, another corner rotunda completed in 1799, has been attributed to Bazhenov by Schmidt,^[62] but Russian sources agree on inability to ascertain architect's identity.^[63]
• Tutolmin House inTagansky District has been attributed to Bazhenov byIgor Grabar; later researchers attributed it to Starov.^[64] Prior to rebuilding in 1900s, the building's landmark role rivalled that of Pashkov House.^[65] Same attribution uncertainty applied to now demolishedProzorovsky House onBolshaya Polyanka Street, "one of most charming estate houses in this street."^[66][67]
• The Dolgov House inBolshaya Ordynka Street, has been once attributed to Bazhenov based on the fact that his wife was related to the owner of the building. This opinion has been since discarded.^[68]
• The belltower of the Church of All Sorrows in Bolshaya Ordynka Street, across Dolgov House, is unconditionally attributed to Bazhenov while the church itself has been built byJoseph Bove in 1828–1833.^[69][70]
• Panukhina (1994) suggested that Bazhenov could have been involved in the late stages of construction of Moscow Kriegskomissariat (present-day headquarters ofMoscow Military District) inZamoskvorechye, designed byNicholas Legrand.^[71]

Even less certainty applies to attribution of country estates and churches:

• The best known of these, inBykovo, belonged toMikhail Izmailov [ru], Governor of Moscow and Bazhenov's direct superior.^[72] Probable extant Bazhenov's works there include the main mansion and neo-Gothicchurch of Saint Vladimir [ru], while most of 18th-century buildings have been lost.^[73]
• A church in Starki (present-dayKolomensky District), estate of princeCherkassky, built in 1759–1763, was one of the firstGothic Revival buildings in Russia. If attribution to Bazhenov is correct, he designed it while still a student at the Academy of Arts.^[74]
• Church of Annunciation in Polivanovo, formerRazumovsky estate, is "typical to Bazhenov" which fact remains the sole ground for attribution.^[75]
• Neoclassical Church of Theotokos of Vladimir inDolgoprudny (1772–1777), with an unusual triangular layout, has been attributed to either Kazakov or Bazhenov^[76] despite complete lack of written evidence.^[77] Layout of the church is most likely inspired by theTemple of War byJean-Francois Nefforge.^[77]

• Konstantin Akinsha; Grigorii Kozlov; Sylvia Hochfield (2007).The Holy Place: Architecture, Ideology, and History in Russia. Yale University Press. p. 134.ISBN 978-0-300-11027-2.shchuko.
• Cracraft, James Cracraft; Rowland, Daniel Bruce (2003).Architectures of Russian Identity: 1500 to the Present. Cornell University Press.ISBN 978-0-8014-8828-3.
• Bazhenov, Vasily (2001).Vasily Bazhenov. Pisma. Poyasneniya k proektamБаженов Василий Иванович. Письма. Пояснения к проектам. Свидетельства современников (in Russian). Iskusstvo.ISBN 5-85200-325-5.
• Lanceray, Nikolay (2006).Vincenzo Brenna (Винченцо Бренна) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Kolo.ISBN 5-901841-34-4.Note: the book was written in 1935–1938 and first printed in 2006.
• Lisovsky, Vladimir (2006).Leonty Benua i peterburgskaya shkola ("Леонтий Бенуа и петербургская школа художников-архитекторов") (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Kolo.ISBN 5-901841-44-1.
• Murrell, Kathleen Berton (2001).Discovering the Moscow countryside: a travel guide to the heart of Russia. I.B.Tauris.ISBN 978-1-86064-673-7.
• Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy (Памятники архитектуры Москвы) series, in Russian:

Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Kreml (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Кремль, Китай-город и центральные площади). Iskusstvo. 1983.

Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Bely Gorod (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Белый город). Iskusstvo. 1989:Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Zemlyanoy Gorod (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Земляной город). Iskusstvo. 1989:Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Zamoskvorechye (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Замоскворечье). Iskusstvo. 1994.ISBN 5-210-02548-9

Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Okrestnosti staroy Moskvy (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Окрестности старой Москвы (северо-западная и северная части города)). Iskusstvo. 2004.ISBN 5-98051-011-7

Pamyatniki arhitektury Moskvy. Okrestnosti staroy Moskvy (Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Окрестности старой Москвы (юго-восточная и южная части города)). Iskusstvo. 2007.ISBN 978-5-98051-041-1

• Panukhina, N. B. (1994)."Izyasnenie Vasilia Bazhenova (Изъяснение Василия Баженова)".Rossiysky Arkhiv (in Russian).1:24–26.
• Ritsarev, Marina (2006).Eighteenth-century Russian music. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.ISBN 978-0-7546-3466-9.
• Schmidt, Albert J. (1989).The architecture and planning of classical Moscow: a cultural history. DIANE Publishing.ISBN 978-0-87169-181-1.
• Shvidkovsky, D. S. (2007).Russian architecture and the West. Yale University Press.ISBN 978-0-300-10912-2.
• Voronov, Victor (2008).Ivan Starov (Иван Старов) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Iskusstvo-SPB.ISBN 978-5-210-01511-2.