Manor Znamenskoye Rayok, Rayek, Tver Oblast, Russia
Znamenskoye-Rayok, the estate of Glebovs-Streshnevs is called the pearl of creative works of Nikolai Lvov, a masterpiece of Russian Palladian architecture, one of the most romantic and mysterious Russian estates. The most accurate impression of the estate is conveyed in its name – Rayok (“Little Paradise”).
The traveler who is not lazy and will turn at the corresponding sign from the highway Moscow – St. Petersburg will come to see a paradise landscape that suddenly emerged among the forests of Central Russia on a hill above the Logovezh River. The General of the Empress Catherine Fyodor Glebov created it as a gift to his young wife Elizaveta Petrovna Streshneva. It is better to look at the perfectly symmetrical layout of the estate complex on the draft: a pergola looking like a huge necklace connects the main house of the estate with the four outbuildings and gates resembling a triumphal arch. Architectural harmony is felt physically in the large closed honor court.
The special decoration of the main house is the paintings on the vaults of the hall and the imperial portrait series. These paintings highlight the fact that the owners were somehow related to the Romanov dynasty. Rayok was created as an estate of palace level, where one could welcome the royal guests on their way between the two capitals.
In addition to Nikolai Lvov, the works on the ensemble of Znamenskoe-Rayok involved the architects Karl Bucci and Andrei Trofimov, as well as the Englishman Walter Irven and the Italian Franz Ruska. Glazed tile stoves, parquet flooring, interior design items and utensils were created by the sketches of Lvov.
A park behind the house was continuing the clear axial composition and was an integral part of the surrounding landscape. The main alley leads to the Logovezh River, picturesque corners are marked with pavilions and grottoes. Two systems with cascading ponds are designed in the southern and northern parts.
Znamenskaya Church – the oldest building of the complex – is located near the main house. It was built in 1766 on the Raysky graveyard by Ivan Glebov, the father of Fyodor Ivanovich.
Epic Russia Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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