Konstantin Thon

Konstantin Andreyevich Thon, also spelled Ton (October 26 1794, St Petersburg - January 25 1881, St.Petersburg), was an official architect of Imperial Russia during the reign of Nicholas I. His major works include the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Armoury in Moscow.

Byzantine Revival

In 1830, Thon completed his most ambitious design to date, that of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The Byzantine Revival style of his project, intended to underline similarity of the new church with old cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, displeased many of his fellows, who wanted to see the cathedral built in the severe Neoclassical style. Nevertheless, the emperor personally approved his design. Thon and his disciples continued to work on the cathedral for the next 50 years, until the master's death in 1881.

Related Topics:
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour - Byzantine Revival - Moscow Kremlin - Neoclassical - 1881

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In 1836-42, Thon supervised the construction of another ponderous church with a spacious interior, that of Presentation to the Temple for the Semenovsky regiment in St Petersburg. He followed this with dozens of Neo-Byzantine designs for churches and cathedrals in provincial towns, including Sveaborg, Elets, Tomsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Krasnoyarsk. Some of his revivalist projects were assembled in the Model Album for Church Designs (1836).

Related Topics:
Sveaborg - Elets - Tomsk - Rostov-on-Don - Krasnoyarsk

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From 1838 to 1851, Thon was employed in construction of the Neo-Byzantine Grand Kremlin Palace and the Armoury in Moscow. The grandiose palace, famed for opulent interiors of its 700 rooms and halls, was meant to symbolise the grandeur of the Russian state. It was a daring design which incorporated parts of earlier structures that had been standing on the spot. The palace has served successively as an official residence for the Russian tsars, Soviet rulers, and the Presidents of the Russian Federation.

Related Topics:
Grand Kremlin Palace - Armoury - Moscow - Palace - Hall - Residence

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