Vasily Bazhenov

• 1. The Uncertain Birth

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  Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov was born in 1737 or 1738, though the exact year and place remain unknown. He entered a world of uncertainty from his first breath, as historians still debate whether he arrived in Moscow or in the village of Dolskoye near Maloyaroslavets. His family belonged to the church clerk class, a modest social standing that offered little financial cushion for an ambitious young man. Poverty forced him to seek paid work instead of classroom training during his early years. In 1753, Vasily volunteered into the Kremlin-based architectural company of Dmitry Ukhtomsky, then the only institution in Moscow providing basic architectural training. There he acquired practical construction skills while navigating a system designed for nobles rather than commoners. By 1755, he joined the first class of the newly opened Moscow State University, marking his entry into formal education. Some biographers claimed he also studied at the Slavic Greek Latin Academy, but modern scholars firmly refute this assertion. The truth remains elusive, much like the rest of his early life.

• 2. A Palace on the Edge

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  Catherine II suggested rebuilding the decrepit palaces of the Moscow Kremlin into a new government center in 1767. Bazhenov eagerly responded with drafts of what would become his magnum opus, the Grand Kremlin Palace. Orlov questioned the feasibility of such an enormous edifice, yet Bazhenov finalized the design by the end of summer 1768. The largest neoclassical complex ever conceived in Europe, it would have replaced the entire southern side of the Kremlin. The structure stretched 2,100 feet from Konstantino-Yeleninskaya Tower to Borovitskaya Tower and extended north along the western wall up to the Arsenal. Instead of building atop the plateau, Bazhenov placed it directly on the steep slope between the plateau and the Kremlin wall. He employed enormous stone buttresses to prevent the massive structure from sliding into the river below. Groundbreaking occurred in 1773, with workers shaving the southern slope of the Kremlin Hill. Earth pits began right next to the Cathedral of the Archangel, where engineers struggled for over a year against landslides. Catherine shut down the project in 1775, citing damage to the cathedral and unsuitable geology. Historians argue she had deeper concerns: the enormous cost, reluctance to invest in Moscow, and her perception of the old city as a threat to imperial control.

• 3. The Gothic Experiment

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  During celebrations of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca on Khodynka Field in 1775, Bazhenov turned imitation of English Gothic Revival into an attempt to create a universal stylistic language for Russian architecture. This ephemeral work paved the way for Catherine's decision to build two imperial palaces in Moscow suburbs. The larger Tsaritsyno Palace was awarded to Bazhenov, while the lesser Petrovsky Castle went to Matvey Kazakov. In summer 1775, he designed the first draft of Tsaritsyno, now lost, featuring numerous neo-Gothic lodges scattered across a carefully planned natural landscape. A second master plan approved in spring 1776 added a dominant main palace designed as two identical buildings connected with a greenhouse. One wing was intended for Catherine, another for her son Paul. Bazhenov planned to decorate Tsaritsyno with traditional Russian colored tiles called izraztsy, but Catherine objected and insisted on simpler red brick walls, white ornaments, and yellow glazed roof tiles. Construction began with small buildings, gates, and bridges whose white stone inserts featured finely carved ornaments that disappeared in later phases due to shortage of skilled craftsmen. By 1783, Bazhenov actively sought new jobs, writing that he was now quite free in Tsaritsyno. Shortage of government funds plagued the project from its start, leaving him to plead constantly for money and labor.

• 4. The Demidov Trap

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  By the middle of the 1780s, Catherine had settled for a different version of neoclassicism professed by other architects like Kazakov and Quarenghi. In December 1786, Bazhenov finally retired from state service and had to rely solely on private commissions. Eager to improve his finances, he accepted what appeared to be a generous offer from Prokofi Demidov, a wealthy patron of arts. Demidov agreed to refinance Bazhenov's debts in exchange for his design and management services. Relations soon turned sour as Demidov rejected his initial downtown campus design and ordered him instead to create a new green field campus on Sparrow Hills. This cat-and-mouse game continued for nearly a decade, during which the architect wasted years on a dead-end project while remaining bankrupt at the mercy of his benefactor. Once again, Matvey Kazakov picked up the job and completed the old downtown core of the University in 1793. By April 1792, Bazhenov relocated to Saint Petersburg and accepted an uninspiring but stable job as architect of Kronstadt admiralty. In his spare time, he translated the complete works of Vitruvius, seeking intellectual refuge amidst financial ruin.

• 5. The Freemason Shadow

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  In April 1792, police found Bazhenov's letter to Nikolay Novikov about supplying Masonic books to Paul. Novikov spent four years in Schlisselburg fortress jail while Bazhenov escaped free. Masonic influence over his life and art led some historians to call him the Russian Christopher Wren. The theory that he was a long-term agent of Martinists tasked with winning Paul's support gained traction among certain circles. Paul was aware of Bazhenov's real or alleged mission but by 1792 stepped aside from freemasonry and personally warned him against further conspiracies. Emperor Paul I supported Bazhenov as one of the alleged victims of his despised mother shortly upon ascending to the throne in 1796. He summoned Bazhenov to Saint Petersburg and made him vice-president of the Imperial Academy of Arts. The Academy admitted boys at ages six to nine and provided nine-year general education followed by at least six years of professional training. Bazhenov believed the institution should dispose of elementary education and focus on core subjects instead. He did not live long enough to materialize this program, which was gradually implemented later by Alexander Stroganov and Alexey Olenin.

• 6. The Myth of Authorship

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  Reliable attribution of private eighteenth-century buildings in Russia remains rarely possible even when original styling and floorplans survive. Wealthy patrons eagerly hired architects who made themselves famous through government megaprojects, yet many original drawings are missing. Historians used general design features or specific characteristics to deduce probable authorship, leading to frequent misattribution. Tradition started by Igor Grabar credited Bazhenov with designing numerous high-profile private buildings in Moscow. Later research showed that in most cases his input cannot be reliably ascertained. Pashkov House is attributed to him through nineteenth-century tradition supported by the majority of twentieth-century researchers. It uniquely retains its original external appearance and layout conceived around 1784 and completed in 1787. Other residences once credited to him now stand under unknown architect headings. Yushkov House on Myasnitskaya Street is simply attributed to Bazhenov without definitive proof. Razumovsky House on Vozdvizhenka Street has been attributed to him by Schmidt, though Russian sources agree on inability to ascertain identity. The Dolgov House in Bolshaya Ordynka Street was once attributed based on family connections but this opinion has since been discarded. Even churches like the belltower of All Sorrows Church remain unconditionally attributed while their parent structures were built by others.