Aleksandr Vitberg
Encyclopedia
Karl Magnus Vitberg was a Russian Neoclassical
architect of Swedish stock.
As a young man he was a member of Alexander Labzin's Masonic lodge
, the "Dying Sphinx, studying Boehmist theosophy
. The lodge, which had been the first to reopen, in 1800, was ordered closed in 1822.
Vitberg won a design competition and in 1817 had the satisfaction of witnessing groundbreaking ceremony for his neoclassical
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, a monument to the Russian resistance in the 1812 War, for which Vitberg was forced to change faith to the Russian Orthodox Church
to meet the stipulations of Tsar Alexander I. After his conversion, Vitberg changed his name from Karl Magnus to Aleksandr Lavrentyevich after the reigning emperor.
Though construction on the Sparrow Hills
was commenced in 1826, a new tsar, Nicholas I later abandoned the "Masonic" plan for a less "Roman Catholic" neo-Byzantine construction. The architect was accused of bribery and exiled to Vyatka
, a city in the Ural Mountains
. There his most successful work was accomplished, among which were his monumental gates for the Alexander garden (1836) and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (1839–1848). A fellow-exile there was Alexander Herzen
, who made friends with Vitberg, portrayed him sympathetically in My Past and Thoughts, and was briefly influenced by Vitberg's strain of mystical thought.
When he was allowed to return to Moscow, Vitberg found little work and died in poverty and official neglect. The dawn of Russian neoclassical revival
in the late 19th century contributed to a reappraisal of his architectural legacy. An exhibition commemorating his output, set in the historical context of his generation, was mounted in Stockholm: Alexander Witberg (1787–1855). En Arkitekurhistorisk Installation Stockholm, 1993-1994.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architect of Swedish stock.
As a young man he was a member of Alexander Labzin's Masonic lodge
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, the "Dying Sphinx, studying Boehmist theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
. The lodge, which had been the first to reopen, in 1800, was ordered closed in 1822.
Vitberg won a design competition and in 1817 had the satisfaction of witnessing groundbreaking ceremony for his neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, a monument to the Russian resistance in the 1812 War, for which Vitberg was forced to change faith to the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
to meet the stipulations of Tsar Alexander I. After his conversion, Vitberg changed his name from Karl Magnus to Aleksandr Lavrentyevich after the reigning emperor.
Though construction on the Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills, Vorobyovy Gory is a hill on the right bank of the Moskva River and one of highest points in Moscow with an altitude up to 220 m ....
was commenced in 1826, a new tsar, Nicholas I later abandoned the "Masonic" plan for a less "Roman Catholic" neo-Byzantine construction. The architect was accused of bribery and exiled to Vyatka
Kirov, Kirov Oblast
Kirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
, a city in the Ural Mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
. There his most successful work was accomplished, among which were his monumental gates for the Alexander garden (1836) and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (1839–1848). A fellow-exile there was Alexander Herzen
Alexander Herzen
Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen was a Russian pro-Western writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism", and one of the main fathers of agrarian populism...
, who made friends with Vitberg, portrayed him sympathetically in My Past and Thoughts, and was briefly influenced by Vitberg's strain of mystical thought.
When he was allowed to return to Moscow, Vitberg found little work and died in poverty and official neglect. The dawn of Russian neoclassical revival
Russian neoclassical revival
Russian neoclassical revival was a trend in Russian culture, mostly pronounced in architecture, that briefly replaced eclecticism and Art Nouveau as the leading architectural style between the Revolution of 1905 and the outbreak of World War I, coexisting with the Silver Age of Russian Poetry...
in the late 19th century contributed to a reappraisal of his architectural legacy. An exhibition commemorating his output, set in the historical context of his generation, was mounted in Stockholm: Alexander Witberg (1787–1855). En Arkitekurhistorisk Installation Stockholm, 1993-1994.