The
town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo) lies just outside St.
Petersburg and has a marvelous ensemble of palaces and parks. It is particularly
famous for its impressive baroque Catherine Palace, where Empress
Catherine the Great lived and died. The palace was almost totally destroyed
during World War II, but has risen like a phoenix from the ashes due to an
extensive restoration program undertaken since the war.
The
palace we see today was designed by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli,
the creator of the Winter
Palace
and Smolny
Cathedral.
Most of the restored interiors date back to the time of Empress Elizabeth, the
daughter of Peter the Great, though there are some early 19th century interiors
too. Catherine the Great chose to live in a separate wing of the palace, and
even at the age of 60 she quite happily walked the length of the palace to reach
the building’s private church
every day.