Palace Embankment 18
The Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace, also known as the New Michael Palace, is a historic grand ducal residence located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, Russia, on the Palace Embankment (Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya) along the Neva River. It stands between the Hermitage Museum to the west and the Marble Palace to the east, forming part of the city's iconic architectural ensemble. Built in the mid-19th century, it exemplifies the opulent Revivalist style prevalent during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, blending elements of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and even Gothic influences. The palace was designed by the renowned court architect Andrei Stackenschneider, who was responsible for several imperial residences, including the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace and other structures for Nicholas I's children—this being his third such commission.
The roots of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace date back to 1857, when
Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, the fourth and youngest son of Emperor
Nicholas I, ordered its construction as a lavish wedding present to mark
his union with Princess Cecilie of Baden, who became known as Grand
Duchess Olga Feodorovna after their marriage on August 16, 1857. The
building process lasted from 1857 to 1862, involving the razing of prior
structures on the site to achieve a cohesive exterior design. The
property boasted a fascinating historical background: in the early
1700s, it hosted a home crafted by architect Domenico Trezzini for Major
Vasiliy Korchmin, a gift from Peter the Great; by the 1740s, it evolved
into a grand three-story Italian Renaissance-style estate under Prince
Cherkassky, designed by Pyotr Yeropkin with over 80 rooms and Baroque
influences, later dubbed the "Million House" during Count Sheremetyev's
ownership after his marriage to Cherkassky's daughter Varvara; and in
the early 1800s, it was repurposed by Andrey Voronikhin into government
offices, where the young author Nikolay Gogol served briefly as a clerk
around 1830.
The endeavor embraced state-of-the-art advancements for
its time, including steel rafters and beams to boost fire safety and
overall strength—a method that emerged in Russia in the 1820s–1850s and
was mainly applied to major civic edifices. Additional contemporary
conveniences included gas lighting, plumbing systems with running water,
sewage, forced-air central heating, and electrification added in 1889.
To cut expenses, parts of the old Cherkassky Mansion were integrated
into the new build, with the entire project totaling around 993,525
rubles, nearly reaching 1 million. Although the family did not initially
live there full-time, they moved in permanently after the 1881
assassination of Alexander II, when Mikhail Nikolaevich returned as
Chairman of the State Council. Family life was marked by both grandeur
and sorrow: the Grand Duchess suffered a fatal heart attack in 1891 en
route to Crimea, leaving Mikhail devastated; one son, Mikhail
Mikhailovich, was exiled for a morganatic marriage in 1891; and later,
Mikhail Nikolaevich died in 1909 in Cannes after a stroke. The palace
then passed to his eldest son, Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, a
historian and scholar who established a small museum within it honoring
his father, featuring artifacts, portraits, and documents. Social events
flourished, including balls, musical evenings with performers like
Feodor Chaliapin, and dinners hosted by family members such as Grand
Duchess Marie, wife of George Mikhailovich.
After the 1917 Russian
Revolution, the palace was seized by the state. The in-house chapel
honoring Archangel Michael was shuttered, with its iconostasis, wall
paintings, and golden dome largely destroyed. It first functioned as the
Petrograd division of the Communist Academy through 1930, before
shifting to academic purposes. Starting in 1949, it housed the Institute
of Oriental Studies (subsequently the Leningrad branch, now the
Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
Significant refurbishments took place between 2005 and 2009,
safeguarding much of its historic splendor, while the old stables were
rebuilt with support from Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said to hold
over a million Oriental texts and manuscripts. Presently, it also hosts
the Institute of History of Material Culture, the Institute of
Electrophysics and Electric Power, and stands as a federally protected
architectural landmark. Tragically, several family members, including
Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers, were executed in 1919 during the
Bolshevik era.
The outside of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace exemplifies vibrant
eclectic Revivalism, incorporating motifs from the Renaissance, Baroque,
Rococo, Italianate, and Louis XVI eras to produce an imposing yet
balanced facade that complements its position along the Neva River.
Oriented toward the Neva, the primary elevation boasts columns and
pilasters of Carrara marble, along with elaborate terracotta figures
sculpted by the Danish artist David Jensen. It showcases three
protruding risalites—a prominent central one bookended by two smaller
lateral versions—topped by triangular pediments, balustrades, decorative
urns, and a broad entablature. On the third level, diverse caryatids
(female statues) in dynamic stances uphold gables, arches, or cornices;
the central section features the Grand Duke's marble coat of arms, while
sides display his monograms clutched by laurel-crowned female figures;
windows are rectangular with decorative surrounds, keystones, and
pilasters boasting elaborate capitals. The ground level includes fluted
pilasters or Corinthian columns separating the risalites, arched
semicircular windows, and a main entryway under a three-part tracery
awning, supported by wrought-iron grilles on spiraled columns and
flanked by lanterns. The facade is often described as a "riot of
decoration," with virtually no surface left unadorned by friezes,
bas-reliefs, scrolls, or statuary, rising three stories on a rusticated
base and capped by a green hipped roof.
Supporting elements enrich
the ensemble: the Equerry Wing, or Shtalmeystersky Corpus, along
Millionnaya Street preserves a sweeping Baroque front from the 1740s
with Italianate touches and subdued ornamentation; additional components
include a Reserve Palace and Stable courtyard. A southern wing,
connected via curved corridors around a courtyard, has a more restrained
Italianate facade with pilasters, floral motifs, and Rococo swags,
originally providing 77 apartments for family, staff, and courtiers,
though only 16 had private bathrooms. The structure's pinnacle is the
gilded cupola atop the former house church, although many internal
sacred features vanished after the Revolution. Interiors merge various
styles like Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Louis XVI, and Gothic,
characterized by ornate yet light-filled designs with sculpted reliefs,
silk wall coverings, gilded leather, carved woods, marble accents,
inlaid floors, and artworks by Jensen, Zichy, and Tikhobrazov. Notable
spaces include a marble entry hall with granite columns leading to an
imperial staircase adorned with wrought-iron railings and stucco; a
U-shaped Winter Garden with exotic plants; enfilade state rooms on the
second floor such as Crimson, White, and Yellow Drawing Rooms with silk
panels and marble hearths; the Green Hall with cherub stucco; a Banquet
Hall with gilt columns; and a grand Dancing Hall overlooking the river.
Private ground-floor quarters featured the Grand Duke's walnut-paneled
study and an Oak Dining Room with Gothic elements and antler
chandeliers; the Grand Duchess's suites with neo-Rococo furnishings; and
a rare shared indoor pool clad in pink scagliola and green marble,
decorated with nautical bas-reliefs, dolphins, and ship motifs—a unique
feature among Romanov homes. The third-floor Church of Archangel
Michael, with its cupola, displayed medieval Russian motifs in gold,
crimson, and blue, though dismantled post-1917. Several historical
interiors, like the grand staircase and Prince Nikolai Mikhailovich's
office, remain preserved and accessible via guided tours.
The interiors are renowned for their Rococo opulence, blending
Classical restraint with airy, ornate details, including stucco
ceilings, gilding, parquetry floors, and precious woods. The ground
floor housed private apartments, such as the Grand Duke's boudoir,
bathroom, and study, featuring patterned fabric walls, walnut paneling,
and a carved walnut fireplace. A notable feature was a pool room (now
lost) lined with pink imitation marble, green marble accents, Doric
pilasters, bas-relief friezes of ancient scenes, and gilded dolphin door
figures. The main vestibule impresses with eight grey granite columns
and 18 pilasters topped by white capitals, leading to a grand marble
staircase with a glass wall overlooking the Winter Garden—a
double-height space spanning the ground and first floors beneath the
house church.
On the first floor, state rooms are arranged in an
enfilade: a reception room, an oak dining room with a carved oak
fireplace bearing the Grand Duke's coat of arms and embossed leather
walls, silk-draped drawing rooms with gilded molding ceilings, carved
mirrors over marble fireplaces, a banquet hall, a double-height dance
hall with two-tiered Corinthian colonnades, and a green hall. Paintings
throughout were contributed by artists like Michael Zichy and N. I.
Tikhobrazov. The third-floor Church of Archangel Michael, consecrated on
December 9, 1861, featured a gilded cupola, Russian-style paintings with
golden arabesques on blue backgrounds, an iconostasis by A. E. Beideman,
and a decorated plafond—though these were largely destroyed after 1917.
Today, the palace primarily serves academic purposes as the headquarters for the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, along with other institutes focused on history, material culture, and scientific research. While not fully open to the public, organized tours allow access to some restored interiors, offering glimpses into its historical splendor. Its location near landmarks like the Neva River, Millionaya Ulitsa, and the Palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich makes it a key point in Saint Petersburg's historic center, accessible via the Admiralteiskaya metro station. The building's well-preserved state, thanks to recent renovations, underscores its enduring role as a symbol of imperial Russia's architectural legacy.