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Early History of Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia - Encircle Photos

1 Early History of Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia

Among the land acquired by the Russians after their victory over the Swedes in 1709 was the Sarishoff estate (Sarskaya Myza). In 1710, Peter the Great gifted the property to his fiancée, Catherine Alexeyevna. Her name had been Marta Skavronskaya before converting to the Russian Orthodox religion five years before. As her summer residence was being built, the town of Tsarskoe Selo emerged to house servants and builders. After the death of Peter I in 1727, she became Catherine I, Empress of All Russia, for two years. During her reign, the palace that bore her name was relatively modest. But by the mid-18th century, Catherine Palace evolved into an extravagant imperial residence. Its lavish Russian Baroque design rivaled the most beautiful European palaces. When Catherine the Great died in 1796 and her son became Russian Emperor Paul I, he abandoned the palace. Although other Russian rulers of the Romanov dynasty occasionally used the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace until 1917, it never regained the glory of the 18th century. Catherine Palace is located in the municipal town of Pushkin, a suburb of Saint Petersburg about 15 miles from city center.

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Early History of Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia

Garden St, 7, Pushkin, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 196601

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