A little less than 35 years ago, one of the most famous Russian monument restorers, the architect Baranovsky, passed away. At one time he lived in a tiny apartment, located in the Novodevichy Convent, in hospital wards. And this more than modest dwelling for several decades was the headquarters where the salvation of Russian culture was organized. More details about the architect Baranovsky, whose photo is presented in the article, will be told today.
Amazing person
Architect Petr Dmitrievich Baranovsky is a very extraordinary figure in Russian history and culture. After all, it was thanks to him that it was possible to restore the Kazan Cathedral, located in Moscow, on Red Square, in its original form.
He stood at the origins of the creation of the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve, was the savior of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery from destruction. Architects call it Habakkuk of the 20th century, and alsoguardian angel who saved church architecture. There is a version that he prevented the destruction of St. Basil's Cathedral, which was the idea of one of the party bosses, Lazar Kaganovich.
Biography of architect Baranovsky
She was truly extraordinary and dramatic. Here are some facts.
- Architect, restorer, one of the creators of new methods of restoration and conservation of objects, was born in 1892 in the Smolensk province into a peasant family. He died in Moscow in 1984.
- 1912 - graduated from the construction and technical school in Moscow.
- 1914 - served on the Western Front as the head of the construction site.
- 1918 - received a gold medal from the Moscow Archaeological Institute (department of art history).
- 1919-22 - was a teacher of the history of Russian architecture in the department of the Moscow Archaeological Institute in Yaroslavl.
- 1922-23 – taught the same subject at Moscow State University.
- 1823-33 - director of the museum in Kolomenskoye.
- 1933-36 - repressed and served his sentence in exile in the Kemerovo region, in the city of Mariinsk. After his release, he was an employee of the museum in Aleksandrov.
- Since 1938 - a member of various state structures for the protection of monuments, one of the founders of the society for the protection of historical and cultural monuments.
- 1946, 1947, 1960 - creator of museums in Chernigov, Yuriev-Polsky, in the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow, respectively.
In the hungry years
Architect Baranovsky began restoration activities in 1911. His first object was the ensemble of the Holy Trinity Monastery, located in the Smolensk province. In the 1920-30s, he organized a museum of wooden sculpture here.
Everyone who communicated with him at that time was amazed by his efficiency, fearlessness in front of his superiors, including high-ranking officials. And they were also surprised by his selfless love for masterpieces of architecture.
Baranovsky worked almost around the clock, managing in the hungry twenties not only to give lectures to students, but also to collect materials for the dictionary of architects, visit dozens of cities in which restoration work was carried out according to his projects.
At the same time, he fought for each of the old houses in Moscow, if those in power planned to liquidate them. Subsequently, the restorer-architect Inessa Kazakevich noted that on such streets as Volkhonka and Prechistenka, all the houses that were valuable historically and architecturally survived only thanks to the influence of Baranovsky.
Museum in Kolomenskoye
In 1923, architect Baranovsky organized the Museum of Russian Architecture, which was located in the Moscow region, in the Kolomenskoye estate, in order to save cultural property that was being destroyed. By that time, the buildings located in the estate were in a deplorable state. The park was cut down for firewood, and the land was occupied by a collective farm called Garden Giant.
At first there were only two employees in the museum - the watchmanand caretaker. The restorer had to bring there alone many exhibits scattered throughout the country. These were ancient icons, church utensils, household items of bygone centuries. Among the objects that he managed to deliver disassembled to the capital were:
- towers taken from the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery;
- corner tower of Bratsk prison;
- The house of Peter I, located in the Novodvinsk fortress.
At the same time, under the leadership of Baranovsky, work was carried out to restore the estate itself.
Main Principle
At the great master it was simple in design, like everything ingenious, but difficult in implementation. He believed that it was necessary to recreate buildings not just in the spirit of the era, but to try to give them their original appearance.
At the same time, without regret, he destroyed all the later layers and structures. Although this principle was accepted with hostility by many, the architect Pyotr Baranovsky stood his ground, because in those years this method was the only way to save monuments from immediate demolition.
In 1925, Baranovsky discovered a new method by which monuments were restored. It consisted in building up the "tail parts of the brick", which are still preserved. Today, this approach represents the cornerstone of any restoration carried out professionally.
Despite the falls
In the same year, the master begins the restoration of theMoscow on the Red Square of the Kazan Cathedral. As eyewitnesses recall, he participated in the restoration work in the most direct way.
So, for example, the architect Baranovsky tied one end of the rope to the cross that towered over the cathedral, and tied the other around the waist. Having secured himself in this way, he was engaged in the liberation of ancient beauties from the details of unnecessary numerous alterations.
At the same time, the architect broke down several times and thereby greatly harmed his he alth. But that never stopped him. There is evidence that even at an advanced age, he climbed the scaffolding of the Krutitsy Compound in order to discuss important nuances directly at the workplace.
The attempt that never happened
The pre-war time in Baranovsky's life became a black streak for him. In 1933, he was arrested, accused of having allegedly concealed a number of church valuables from exhibits in Kolomenskoye. At the same time, the investigator also added anti-Stalinist activities to the case. As Baranovsky himself later wrote, investigator Altman attributed to him participation in the attempt on the life of Comrade Stalin.
And also he was charged with active participation in political organizations that aimed to overthrow the existing government. According to the architect, even three years of camps faded before the horrors of interrogations, monstrous lies, moral torture that he experienced while in prison.
The spirit is not broken
Camp life did not break this wonderful man. From memoriesdaughter, Olga Baranovskaya, the following is known about those years. Upon his return from the camp, he began very hastily to measure, secretly photograph and make drawings of the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square.
The fact is that, by order of the government, they began to destroy it. However, the architect Baranovsky was very upset by the outrage he observed with his own eyes against the unique monument of the 17th century, which he himself restored.
Besides this, he had to endure humiliation and great inconvenience due to the fact that every day at 17-00 he had to check in at his place of residence in Alexandrov as an unreliable person who had returned from exile.
It should be noted that it was possible to recreate the cathedral in its original splendor only because the restorer created accurate and complete materials. It was only made in 1993.
Recent years
Almost until the end of his life, Baranovsky was engaged in the restoration of churches, old mansions, resisted the demolition of monuments. He wrote the first charter of the society for the protection of monuments. It is surprising that, according to the testimony of the environment, the master, who devoted his whole life to the preservation of church architecture, was not a believer.
In his personal life, the architect Baranovsky was happy with his wife, Maria Yurievna, his faithful companion. She died in 1977. By the end of his life, Baranovsky saw very poorly, but retained clarity of mind and, to the best of his ability, was engaged in streamlining his archive.
