The lavish imperial palace at Tsarskoe Selo was designed in 1752 for Tzarina Elizabeth. The palace was named in honour of her mother Catherine I, who originally owned the estate. It was Catherine the Great who commissioned the Scotsman Charles Cameron to redesign the Baroque interior according more to her Neo-classical taste and extended the palace. Post-war restoration of the palace continues, including the amber room and about 20 rooms are opened to the public.

1. Catherine Palace
Tsarskoe Selo. St Petersburg
First created 24 June 2021. Version 1.0 2 July 2021. Daperro. London.

2. Aerial view of Catherine Palace
The Catherine Palace is a Rococo palace in Tsarskoye Selo. Work began on the Palace in 1744.

3. Palace Gate

4. Front Entrance

5. Catherine Palace Facade
The Façade was completed in 1756.

6. Catherine Palace in Winter

7. Central Portico

8. Façade Giant
These giants from part of the decoration of the façade are called Atlantes. Atlantes were sorcerers.

9. Façade Giant

10. Golden Domes
These golden domes on the roof of the Royal Chapel.

11. Golden Domes of Royal Chapel

12. Grand Staircase

13. It is also known as the ‘Grand Hall’ or ‘Hall of Lights’ decorated in Russian baroque style with a huge ceiling painting.
Mirror Ballroom.

14. Mirror Ballroom Entrance.

15. Stucco in the Ball Room

16. Mirror Ballroom also as Hall of Lights

17. Mirror Ballroom

18. Mirror Ballroom Carvings

19. Lyon Hall Room

20. Corridor of Rooms after the Ballroom

21. A Sitting Room

22. Lapis lazuli Table
A huge piece of lapis lazuli table top. Lapis lazuli is mainly found in Afghanistan. Some are produced near Lake Baikal in Russia.

23. Amber Room
The Amber Room, the most famous room of the Catherine Palace. Sometimes called as the 8th Wonder of the
World. It was first built in 1701 in Prussia. In 1716, Frederick William I of Prussia presented the room to Peter
the Great of Russia, as a gift. It was over 10 years to construct. In WW II, the room was disassembled by the
German in 1941. In 1979, the Soviet government decided to reconstruct a replica of the Amber Room. It took
24 years to reconstruct, with donation from US and Germany. In 2003 the work was finally completed.

24. Amber Room
A hand coloured 1931 photo of the Amber Room. Wikipedia.

25. Amber Room

26. Amber Room

27. Amber Room. Catherine Palace. Taken on Oct 2005, two years after the reconstruction.
Amber Room

28. Amber Room
The post war restoration was finished in 2003, after 24 years, with 40 experts took part. There are 350 shades of amber.

29. Cavaliers Dining Room

30. Delft Ceramic Tiles
There several of these Delft ceramic tile
panels found in various places in the palace.
This one is located at the Cavaliers’ Dining
Room. These are used for covering stoves.
Delft tiles were original made in Delft in
Holland, in the 17th century, during the
Dutch Golden Age. These are
characteristically blue and white,
elaborately painted in portraits and on
everyday life. The blue and white style was
influenced by the popularity of Chinese blue
and white porcelain.

31. Delft Ceramic Tiles Details

32. Delft Ceramic Tiles. Costumes

33. Interior of the Chapel

34. A Palace Room

35. Alexander I’s Study

36. Grotto Pavilion
The Grotto in the Catherine Park was decorated with seashells and tufa (very light porous limestone).

37. Garden Bridge
The bridge linking a park to the palace. It is called ‘Large’ to distinguish it from two smaller iron bridges.

38. Hermitage Pavilion. Tsarskoye Selo
The Hermitage Pavilion was built in 1754, for entertainment meetings of the courtiers.

39. Palace Park. Tsarskoye Selo

40. Music – Deborah Nyack-Danny Boy on harp.
The
End

41. Architecture