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One of the first imaginative treatments of
style came from a painter, Alexander Lavrentievich Witberg, 1787-1855, who
after graduating from the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, had the idea of
studying architecture by himself, and design a grandiose temple to commemorate
the victory of the Russian army in 1812 and express gratitude to God for saving
Russia. In his notes Witberg speaks of his fellow architects and feels sorry
for those who created "Colorless imitations." He questioned the
confidence of others who expected foreigners to produce something national,
Orthodox or Russian.
Witberg's idea of how to design a monumental cathedral was indeed original. He
began with the notion that a human being is composed of three elements: body,
soul and spirit; and that the Lord's house should reflect them. He found
confirmation for his idea in the life of Christ, which can be also divided into
three major parts: incarnation, transfiguration and resurrection. In accordance
with this, the design he presented for confirmation to Alexander I called for a
three story cathedral. The first story, an underground mausoleum, would receive
the bodies of those who gave their lives for Russia in 1812. The second,
constructed on the ground level and in the form of a cross, was supposed to
express life which, according to Witberg, consisted of light and dark, good and
bad. From here an enormous staircase led to the third top story, a round church
full of light and air, expressing man's spirit.
The size of the planned edifice was gigantic indeed, almost 300 feet higher
than the Cheops pyramid in Egypt and by far the biggest monument in the world.
Not without reason, Hertsen (Gertsen) called it "Brilliant, frightful and
mad and as such deserving to be realized." Witberg found that a hilly site
would be the most suitable for the construction, and provide depth for the
mausoleum. In the beginning he found that the Moscow Kremlin would be the best
spot for the cathedral, the same spot which Bazhenov before him had chosen for
his grandiose palace. When be was refused, he decided on the Sparrow Hills that
overlook Moscow, from which Napoleon saw the ancient Russian capital for the
first time. Today the Hills are called Lenin's and the cathedral, if it had
been built, would be standing in the observation area in front of the new
University building. Alexander I was delighted with the project and in his
presence the ground was broken in 1817. However, all sorts of problems and
difficulties appeared not long after. Contractors seldom fulfilled their jobs
in time and what they did was often poorly done. Of particular concern was the
erosive and sandy ground, very close to the river Moskva, and some architects
felt that it was an unsafe location for such a massive and heavy construction.
Then came the sudden death of the Emperor, the chief sponsor of the cathedral,
without whose support Witberg could not do much. The commission that was formed
to investigate the whole matter concluded that further work would be risky and
impracticable. Though he never took a bribe, Witberg was found guilty of
"Negligence" with some contractors and was exiled to the town of
Viatka, now called Kirov. Here he spent some time with another exile, the
revolutionary leader Alexander Herzen, and designed in would-be Gothic style
the local cathedral, the only edifice designed by him ever to be built.
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