Turkish Bath

Sergey Nikolayevich Viltchkovsky wrote in his book "Tsarskoe Selo" issued in 1911 :

The road along the bank turns from Sugar Hill, and passes a small headland, on which in 1848 the Emperor Nicholas Pavlovich ordered to build a Turkish Bath in remembrance of the victorious Turkish campaign of 1828-29.

The circumstances under which this bath was constructed are curious. In February 1848 by Imperial order the Minister of the Court sent to the architect Monighetti Rossi's plans for a Turkish Bath, which had not satisfied the Emperor. Monighetti had to make fresh plans, where marble ornamentation brought by the Emperor from Adrianople could be employed. Monighetti's designs were approved by the Tsar in April 1850, and an order was given to begin the construction immediately; but in spite of the fact that Monighetti's calculations were equivalent to 37,838 rubles, 12 3/4 kopecks, the Emperor gave only 30,000 rubles for the building, and ordered the architect to "make due" which he did, by handing over the work to the architect Camuzzi for the sum, allowed by the Emperor. The work was finished in 1852.

The interior of the Turkish Bath is magnificently decorated in the Moorish style. At the entrance a small vestibule leads to, the dressing room, the walls of which are covered with various colored marble mosaic, while their upper parts are decorated with carvings and painted ornamentations; a fountain plays in a niche between the dressing room and the bath room. The niche, is cut out of marble and is gilt like the majority of the decorations. The bath room is lighted from above, and is decorated in the same style as the dressing room. Two marble basins are made in the walls, and they are supplied with hot and cold water. From here an arch leads into a round hall, which is crowned by a cupola, the windows of the hall let in a feeble light. In the center of the hall is a white marble basin with a gilt fountain while near the walls there are two basins supplied with water. Above them the walls are of carved marble with ancient inscriptions. On one side of the hall there is an alcove with columns on either side, in which plays a fountain, with a rich ornamented marble back. Another arch leads into a small dimly lighted hexagonal room, where stand two marble basins; all the floors are of marble, the walls are partly of natural marble and partly of imitation marble.

Articles for home reading:

• Archive of Giovanni Bianchi - article about photographer who shooted the first shots of Turkish Bath in 1852.

• The Turkish Bath pavilion - article from Saint Petersburg encylopaedia

Europe / Russia-Urals West

Lat: 59° 42' 32.04" N
Long: 30° 23' 27.2" E

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Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

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Creaking Pagoda in the Catherine Park