Pietro Antonio Solari (Latin:Petrus Antonius Solarius;[1]c. 1445 – May 1493), also known asPyotr Fryazin (Russian:Пётр Фрязин), was anItalian Renaissance architect and sculptor. He was invited toMoscow by Grand PrinceIvan III to design the walls and towers of the reconstructedKremlin.[2]
He was born inCarona and apprenticed under his fatherGuiniforte Solari, who was the leading architect of theDuomo di Milano.[3] In his father's workshop, he learned to draw plans and sculpture statues.[3] In 1476, he was hired to contribute to the construction of the Duomo di Milano. At 26, he was appointed a deputy of his father by the duke of theDuchy of Milan.[3] When his father died, he was appointed his successor for the buildings of the Duke but not at the Cathedral of Milan.[4] Later he also sculpted a tomb of the bishop Marco de Capitani in the Cathedral ofAlessandria.[3]
In 1487, he was invited to Russia by Grand PrinceIvan III to construct the walls and towers of theMoscow Kremlin. Within the next two years, Solari built most of the walls (excluding the western wall built by his successorAleviz) andtowers of the Kremlin, including theBorovitskaya,Konstantino-Eleninskaya,Spasskaya,Nikolskaya, and Corner Arsenalnaya towers. Engineering methods, technique and architectural forms, used by Solari, were reminiscent of thefortifications of Northern Italy. Together withMarco Ruffo, Solari also built thePalace of Facets in the Kremlin.
The inscription over the main entrance to the Spasskaya Tower describes Ivan III as the ruler "Dei Gratia of Moscow, Novgorod, Tver Pskov, Vyatka, Ugorsky, Perm, Bulgaria and all of Russia".[5][6] The use of Latin demonstrates the grand prince's aim to impress European ambassadors visiting his court with the extent of his authority.[5]
He died in Moscow in May 1493. The Fryazin title originates from the old Russian wordфрязь (fryaz), derived fromfrank, that was used to denote people from Northern Italy.
(Borovitskaya Tower) It was built in 1490 and its architect was Pietro Antonio Solari. He was one of those Italian architects and urban engineers invited by the Great Duke of Muscovy, Ivan the Third to participate in the reconstruction of the Moscow Kremlin.
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