Antonio Rinaldi Architect, author of the palace in Gatchina, buildings in Tsarskoye Selo Park Country: Italy

1. Biography of Antonio Rinaldi
2. Architect of the "Little Court"
3. Gatchina Palace and Tsarskoye Selo
4. Last Years and Legacy

Biography of Antonio Rinaldi

Antonio Rinaldi, an architect and the author of the Gatchina Palace and structures in Tsarskoye Selo Park, was one of the first representatives of the new wave of Italian architects who found their creative home in Russia in the second half of the 18th century. Antonio Rinaldi was born around 1709 in Italy. It is likely that he belonged to a respectable noble family. The exact place of his birth is unknown, but it can be assumed that he was born in the southern part of the country, as his teacher L. Vanvitelli, who worked in Naples, took students from nearby areas. Naples played a significant role in Rinaldi's development as an architect. Antonio, along with other students, participated in many of Vanvitelli's projects, which was the master's teaching method. Already an established architect in the years 1740-1745, Rinaldi supervised the construction of the Cathedral for the Monastery of St. Magdalene in Pesaro, designed by Vanvitelli. Rinaldi also participated in the construction of the Monastery of St. Augustine in Rome. Rinaldi became one of the first representatives of the new wave of Italian architects who found their creative home in Russia in the second half of the 18th century. Before his departure to Russia, Rinaldi visited England. The architect arrived in Baturin in 1752 for an honorary and responsible job: he was supposed to create a new capital for a vast and wealthy region. Here, the architect was also tasked with building a residence for the ruler of Ukraine. Simultaneously with the construction of the residence in Baturin, Rinaldi designed the stone palace of Razumovsky in Glukhov.

Architect of the "Little Court"

In 1754, Rinaldi became the architect of the "Little Court," as the closest circle of the heir to the throne - the future Emperor Peter III - was then called. At the suggestion of Peter III, Rinaldi began major works in Oranienbaum. During the first decade of his stay in St. Petersburg, Rinaldi's creative interests were focused on the construction of the palace of Peter III in Oranienbaum, the Opera House, and the ensemble of the Private Dacha with its main buildings - the Chinese Palace and the Catalina Grotto. In 1768, Rinaldi began construction on the grand Marble Palace, completed in 1785. The architect decided that the Marble Palace would attract attention not only with its size, noble forms, and proportions but also with the beauty of the stone facing made from Russian marbles that he favored, which were mined in quarries near Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega.

Gatchina Palace and Tsarskoye Selo

Simultaneously with the Marble Palace, the Gatchina Palace was being built. The inscription above the Jordanian entrance of the park facade reads: "Laid on May 30, 1766, completed in 1781." In the Gatchina Palace, Rinaldi demonstrated not only his architectural mastery but also a great poetic sense, understanding of Russian nature, and the beauty of the seemingly modest northern stone. In the 1770s, Rinaldi mainly worked in Tsarskoye Selo, where he showcased his virtuosity as a professional. Among the Chinese structures created in Tsarskoye Selo, the projects of the Chinese Theater and the Chinese Pavilion should be mentioned first.

Last Years and Legacy

But Rinaldi's highest creative achievement in the Ekaterininsky Park of Tsarskoye Selo is the unique ensemble of structures with exceptional historical and architectural value - the Chesme and Moorish Rostral Columns, the Kagul Obelisk, and the Crimea Column. These memorial structures complement the famous Orlov Gate and the small monument to Lanskoy, located not far from the Kagul Obelisk. In 1772, according to the architect's project, the construction of the monumental stone buildings of the Pankiv Warehouses on Tuchkov Embankment was completed. This construction is an example of how skillfully Rinaldi solved the complex task of building a utilitarian building at that time.

Two years after the approval of the project for the Tuchkov Warehouses, in 1766, Rinaldi received approval for the completion of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral on the Petrograd side. The cathedral, with its large yet light domes, is one of the earliest examples of a five-domed structure in St. Petersburg. Not far from St. Isaac's Square, on one of the rays leading from the Admiralty, Rinaldi built the Ascension Church in the 1770s with great tact and skill. Rinaldi's more than thirty years of life in Russia were filled with intense and diverse creative activities. Despite his advanced age for the time, he was full of energy and could have built much more if not for a tragic accident that occurred during an inspection of the Bolshoi Theatre being built according to his design in St. Petersburg: Rinaldi fell from the scaffolding. After selling his house, he left for Rome in 1784. The architect was granted a pension - a thousand rubles per year, which were paid to him for life, sent through the Russian consul in Rome.

The last ten years of Rinaldi's life, spent in Rome under the care of his nephew Santino Rinaldi, were dedicated to the systematization of his projects and drawings. Rinaldi died on February 10, 1794, in Rome.