Topic: Country Estates
Dubrovitsy is an ancient Russian village located 20 kilometres south of Moscow. Besides, Dubrovitsy is one of the most beautiful country estates in Russia, where the Church of the Sign of the Holy Mother of God is situated. The latter was consecrated in the presence of Emperor Peter the Great. The baroque-style church in Dubrovitsy resembles an exotic flower and has nothing to do with the traditional Russian churches. The name of its architect has not been established yet, Director of the Podolsk Museum of Local Lore Lyubov Slashchova says.
"We carefully studied the materials of Priest Romadanovsky who lived in the 19th century and who remembered all the events of the past. However, no evidence that would enable us to establish the authorship has been found yet."
As we have mentioned before, the Dubrovitsy church resembles an exotic flower – a quatrefoil, which is an element of Western art. That is why it is doubtful that it is an example of Russian baroque architecture, Lyubov Slashchova says.
"Baroque came to Russia from Western Europe – from Italy, to be more precise – and splendour is its key feature. And as regards the Church of the Sign of the Holy Mother of God, its splendour is proof of this. All the elements of Baroque are represented there. But I wouldn’t say that this is a Moscow or a Russian baroque style."
The church that dominates the panorama of the Dubrovitsy country estate is also its centre and focal point. The second centre of the Dubrovitsy country estate is the palace that most likely was built in baroque style but that was later reconstructed in classical style. At the end of the 19th century Prince Sergei Golitsyn brought luxurious wooden furniture dating back to the 17th century to the Dubrovitsy country estate from a palace in Rome. There is an old lime-tree park not far from the Dubrovitsy Palace. As legend goes, some of the lime-trees were planted there by Peter the Great. Among the owners of the Dubrovitsy country estate were famous of landed nobility, including Golitsyn, Dmitriyev-Mamonov, and Potyomkin. Representatives of the Romanov House as well as foreign ambassadors visited the Dubrovitsy country estate on many occasions.
© The Voice of Russia. 06 May, 2012