In Tula, in the Proletarian district, there is a small street (1166 meters; 43 houses) named after the great Russian architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov, although there is not a single residential or administrative building in the Tula region built according to his design. Nevertheless, V.I. Bazhenov had quite strong ties with Tula and his people, as well as numerous life intersections. It can even be argued that the Tula component significantly influenced his entire fate.
At the peak of success
Vasily Bazhenov was born in the village of Dolsky near Maloyaroslavets (now Kaluga region) on March 12, 1737 in the family of a church minister. He spent most of his life in Moscow.
Bazhenov discovered his natural talent and passion for art as a child. He loved to sketch all kinds of buildings in the ancient capital.
This passion for drawing was noticed by the famous architect D.V. Ukhtomsky, who was appointed chief architect of Moscow University in 1754. On his recommendation, Bazhenov was accepted into the gymnasium of Moscow University in April 1755, where he was enrolled in a special "art class" that prepared students for the future Academy of Arts. Among the nine best students, Bazhenov was transferred to the academic gymnasium in St. Petersburg in 1756, and after the opening of the Academy of Arts in January 1758, he became its student.
At the Academy, Bazhenov's abilities were highly appreciated by architecture teacher S.I. Chevakinsky, who enlisted the talented young man as his assistant during the construction of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral.
In September 1760, Bazhenov was sent to Paris to further develop his talent (becoming, along with A.P. Losenko, the first pensioner of the Academy of Arts sent abroad) .
After becoming an apprentice to Professor Charles Devailly, Bazhenov began making models of architectural parts made of wood and cork and executed several models of famous Parisian buildings .
In France, Bazhenov's work has received approval and personal certificates from a number of prominent architects. Then his work was recognized by the architects of Italy.
In 1765, V. Bazhenov returned to St. Petersburg and began to develop the project of the Yekaterinburg Palace, for which he was awarded the title of academician.
Later, he surprised his contemporaries with new unusual buildings. Bazhenov's most famous projects are the Dolgov House on Meshchanskaya Street (now Mira Avenue; 1770), the Tsaritsyn Palace and Park ensemble (1775-1785, construction was not completed...), the Pashkov House (1784-1786), now the old building of the Russian State Library, Moscow; the Yushkov house on Myasnitskaya Street (1780s)., the Prozorovsky House on Polyanka, the bell tower and refectory of the Church of All the Sorrowful on Ordynka (1780s); Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle in St. Petersburg.
Why was the Empress angry?
Most of Bazhenov's grandiose projects were either not implemented in stone and wood, or have not been preserved. Researchers attribute this to the constant and sudden changes in the architect's career caused by periods of disfavor with Empress Catherine II.
And all the troubles of the architect are connected with V. Bazhenov's proximity to the Novikov Masonic circle, which instructed him to report to the heir to the Tsarevich about his selection by the Moscow Masons to the supreme master. Catherine suspected political goals in Mason's relations with the Tsarevich, and her anger fell on Bazhenov earlier than on others, but things did not go beyond exclusion from the service, and in 1792 he was re-employed by the Admiralty Board and moved his activities to St. Petersburg.
Quarrel with industrialist and philanthropist Demidov
Researchers of the life and work of architect V. Bazhenov, explaining his main failures by the disgrace of the Empress, missed one important point – the relationship of the architect with the famous factory owner Prokofy Demidov, grandson of the founder of the famous industrial dynasty. And these relationships were very difficult, even hostile.
Here is how P. Demidov writes about V. Bazhenov to his son-in-law Mark Khozikov:
"... Mr. Bazhenov went to His Excellency Mr. Bezborodka to complain about me that I was demanding my money. Yes, the mayor also helps him here; he calls him a statesmanlike reasonable man. I can't find anything except his stupid mind. In spite of the laws, in spite of his conscience, he scolds me in all the houses, as much as he can think of; and I intend to give his promissory note for safekeeping. It is not bad for His Excellency (Betsky) to say this. But Bazhenov's wife also signed the bill of exchange for payment. And what should I do? All the governors are afraid of Mr. Bazhenov, who threatens the state with disfavor and the privilege given to him by the Academy of Arts. As if it was given to him to rob and cheat!" (From a letter from P.A. Demidov to M.I. Khozikov from Moscow dated February 26, 1784).
According to this letter, it can be concluded that the Empress's anger at Bazhenov was "organized" by P.A. Demidov through his son-in-law M.I. Khozikov and I.I. Betsky.
Who was the husband of Demidov's beloved daughter, Mark Ivanovich Khozikov, and how could he convey his father-in-law's grievances to the Empress herself?
By birth, a Swede, M. Khozikov was the home secretary to Ivan Ivanovich Betsky (born in Sweden and the son of Swedish Baroness Wrede). Khozikov enjoyed Betsky's complete confidence to such an extent that when Empress Catherine visited her mother's old friend, only Khozikov was allowed to witness their conversations, and servants never dared to appear, and tea or treats had to be brought by Khozikov. At the same time, the Khozikov family tradition conveys a remarkable feature... about the extremely close, almost kinship relations that Catherine had with Betsky throughout her life (1704-1795): Mark Ivanovich Khozikov remembered and told the children that when entering Ivan Ivanovich's room, the Empress always kissed Betsky's hand.
It is likely that through M.I. Khozikov and I.I. Betsky, the Empress received negative information about the architect Bazhenov. Then her sudden fits of anger and unexpected attacks on the architect are understandable.
Where is the grave?
V.I. Bazhenov died on August 2, 1799. For a long time it was believed that the architect was buried in the village of Glazovo near Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg. But Svetlana Romanovna Dolgova, a researcher at the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts, proved on the basis of accurate documents that Glazovo was not Pavlovskoye, but Venevskoye, in the Tula region (it once belonged to Kashirsky district of Tula province). Bazhenov is buried here according to his will. In the study of this historical fact, S.R. Dolgova was assisted by the Vienna local historians, the journalist M.G. Borozdinsky and V.N. Lyubomudrov.
In 1992, a memorial sign was erected on the grave of V.I. Bazhenov by the efforts of the public and the administration of the Venevsky district in the village of Staroe Glazovo.
Tula local historian, Honored Architect of Russia Vladimir Kulikov wrote in the article "The Great Architect" published in the Tula Evening newspaper on December 16, 1999:
"In the mid-80s, I received a call from the author of a booklet about Venev, local historian M.G. Borozdinsky, with whom we spent days in the archives searching for materials on the history of the Tula region, and in a joyful voice he informed me: "Finally, my long search for traces of the burial of architect Bazhenov was crowned with success. I found documents confirming for certain the place of burial in Glazovo. This is nothing but an Old Glazovo in the Venevsky district..."
And after some time, Mikhail Georgievich reported that the issue of installing a memorial sign in Stary Glazov was being resolved in the district. It was soon delivered. There is an inscription on the granite slab at the foot: Bazhenov Vasily Ivanovich, 1737 March 1 – August 2, 1799, First Vice-president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, architect.
On another slab we read: "Here lies the ashes of the great architect V.I. Bazhenov ... transported in 1799-1800 from St. Petersburg here to the cemetery of the Bazhenov estate" and the date of installation is "31.U.1992".
Connoisseurs of V.I. Bazhenov's architectural work gather once a year at his grave on Tula land.
