Vocabulary

1. Amazing, space, to overwhelm, enchantment, enormous, a gateway, martial, to crown, a chariot, eminent, a cross, to trample (on), to defeat, an enemy, to suit, a compliment, a merchant, a consignment, to acquire, prior (to), possession, a coin, applied art, a print,

2. to lay out, merit, splendid, annually, to devote, a treasure.

Notes to the text

¹ were meant to house — предназначались для размещения

² the crowning point — центральное место, центр

³ in the course of time — с течением времени

Exercises

1. Practice the pronunciation of the following words and define their meanings:

1. sensation, harmony, integrity, baroque, style, haut relief, regalia, monolith, figure, angel, symbolise, epoch, empress, archaeological, permanent, impressionist, postimpressionist, antiquity, numismatics, throne;

2. Hermitage, General Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finance Ministry, Triumphal Arch, Chariot of Glory, Triumphal Column, Guards Headquarters, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Flanders, Romney, Gainsborough, Matisse....

2. Complete the word partnerships and expressions by matching the word on the left with the correct word(s) on the right.

defeated sensation

crowning figures

objects enemies

amazing chariot

harmony point

victory of art and culture

martial of the buildings

3. Complete these sentences, as in the example.

Example: The Hermitage is a museum.

1. Thomas Gainsborough is ... .

2. Canova is ... .

3. Rastrelli is ... .

4. Catherine II was ....

5. The Triumphal Column is ... .

6. A penny is ... .

7. The Venus of Taurus is ... .

8. A ceramic vase is an item of ... .

4. Translate the following sentences into English, using the words from the text.

1. Все здания на этой площади были построены в разное время разными архитекторами. 2. Единство архитектурного ансамбля поражает каждого, кто приходит на эту площадь. 3. К. Росси построил это здание в классическом стиле. 4. Триумфальная Арка увенчана Колесницей Славы. 5. Здание Главного Штаба является памятником победы России в войне с Наполеоном. 6. Екатерина II купила коллекцию картин у берлинского купца Й. Готсковского в 1764 году. 7. Отдел западно-европейского искусства включает в себя картиннную галерею, коллекцию скульптур, рисунков, гравюр и предметов прикладного искусства. 8. В музее открыта постоянная выставка. 9. Большой интерес представляет чудесная коллекция работ постимпрессионистов. 10. Музей ежегодно организует более тысячи лекций, посвященных его экспонатам.

5. Answer the following questions.

1. What impression does the ensemble of Palace Square make on the viewer?

2. What is the oldest building on Palace Square?

3. How is the white-and-yellow building in front of the Winter Palace called?

4. Where is the Triumphal Arch?

5. What does the Chariot of Glory symbolize?

6. What monument is there in the middle of the Palace Square?

7. What figure is the Column crowned with?

8. How many buildings does the Hermitage include?

9. How many objects of art and sculpture does the Hermitage house?

10) What departments are there in the Hermitage museum?

11) What is the largest department and how is it represented?

12) What rooms in the Hermitage are of special interest?

6. Speak about Palace Square and the Hermitage.

7. Speak about a square or a museum of your home city.

UNIT FOUR

THE ENSEMBLE OF ST. ISAAK'S SQUARE AND SENATE SQUARE

St. Isaak's Square. The general view of St. Isaak's Square and its design date back¹) to the times of the tzar Nicholas I. In the centre of the Square there is a monument to this tzar. It was erected in 1859. The design of the monument belongs to Montferrand, the sculptor of the statue is Clodt. The statue itself is a rare example of an equestrian figure having only two points of support (the horse's hind legs).

There are some allegorical figures on the pedestal: Faith, Wisdom, Justice and Might. Their faces are the portraits of Nicholas I's wife and daughters.

At the end of the Square, behind the Siny (Blue) Bridge, stands the Mariinsky Palace. It was built in 1839-1844 by the architect A.I. Stakenschneider for the tzar's daughter Maria. Now it houses the Legislative Assembly of the City.

Two similar buildings framing the Square on the two sides were designed by Y. Yefimov, and put up in 1844-1853 for the Ministries of Agriculture and State Property.

In front of the Mariinsky Palace, on the other side of the Square, there is the St. Isaak's Cathedral. Near the Cathedral, on the corners, we can see two more constructions built in the early 20^th century²: the Hotel Astoria (arch. A.I. Vladovsky), now rebuilt, and the building which was constructed for the German Embassy (arch. Berens).

On the other side of the Square there is a building with columns and lions on the staircase — the house of Lobanov-Rostovsky, designed by Montferrand and constructed in 1807-1820.

Senate Square. Senate Square is framed by the Admiralty, St. Isaak's Cathedral, Senate-and-Synod Buildings.

Senate and Synod were the supreme legislative bodies of Russia. The buildings were constructed in 1829-1834 by the architect Carlo Rossi. The two independent buildings are connected by a triumphal arch built over Galernaya Street.

On the same side of the Square you can see the portico of the Riding School built by Quarenghi in 1804. Now it houses an exhibition hall.

The most famous monument in Russia is the monument to the tzar Peter I. It is widely known as the Bronze Horseman. It is situated in the centre of Senate Square. The sculptor is Falconet, his pupil Marie-Anne Collot assisted him, and it was she who moulded⁴ the head of the rider.

The monument was unveiled on 7 August, 1782. The sculptor portrayed Peter as the statesman and great reformer. The rock as a pediment symbolises the obstacles surmounted by Peter I, and the snake is a symbol of envy and spite that interfered with Peter and his reforms.

St. Isaak's Cathedral. St. Isaak's Cathedral is one of the finest cathedrals in Europe. It is a unique monument to Russian architecture, art and construction. The Cathedral is standing on the broad St. Isaak's Square, and its golden dome can be seen all over the city.

St. Isaak's Cathedral was designed by the architect Auguste Montferrand. It took forty years to build the Cathedral — from 1818 to 1858 — and thousands of people took part in its construction.

The Cathedral is 100 metres high, 111 metres long and 98 metres wide, and can easily accommodate 2 thousand people. It is built of granite and marble. Each of the 112 columns surrounding the Cathedral is a granite monolith.

The dome is plated with gold, and the gold-plating took about 400 kilograms of solid gold.

Many outstanding sculptors and painters worked on the ornamentation of the Cathedral, among them Vitali, Klodt, Lemer, Pimenov, Bruni and Bryullov. The themes of the interior sculpture and painting are of religious and allegorical nature. Porphyry, black slate, lapis lazuli, malachite⁵, coloured marble and other semi-precious stones were used in the decoration of the Cathedral. The main iconstasis is of special interest. It is made of white marble with malachite and lazuryte columns.

The Cathedral also has the largest collection of Russian 19^th century mosaics which are copies of famous paintings.

On a clear day the observation platform at the foot of the dome commands a fine view⁶ over St. Petersburg and its surroundings.