The Hermitage of St. Petersburg: Museum of Art and Architecture

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

Completed in 1795, the Hermitage Museum complex is a marvel of Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, located next to the Neva River. From left to right, one can see the Hermitage Theatre, the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Small Hermitage, and the Winter Palace at sunset. Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock

One of the largest art museums in the world and the former residence of the Romanov czars, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, is in the historical center of the city.

Composed of five buildings, the Hermitage hosts about 3 million items dating from the Stone Age to the present, including old masters’ paintings. But it’s much more than a museum; it’s also an architectural work of art.

In 1754, Empress Elizabeth of Russia commissioned architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to design the Winter Palace, a sumptuous baroque-style residence that took more than eight years to build. Catherine the Great then expanded the building and transformed much of the baroque interiors into neoclassical designs, the architectural fashion at the time.

Catherine was also interested in art, and new buildings in neoclassical styles surfaced next to the royal residence to house her impressive art collection. Successively, the Small Hermitage, the Great Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre, and the New Hermitage emerged. Completed in 1795, the new array of buildings along with the palace became known as “Hermitage” (from the French “retreat”).

Each building and each room of the Hermitage is an architectural marvel. The exterior of the Winter Palace is a masterpiece of Russian baroque architecture, with its abundance of molded decorations, featuring golden stucco.

Most interiors are in the neoclassical style, as shown in St. George’s Hall, a large state hall with Corinthian pink marble columns and patterned floors. Other highlights of the complex include the Pavilion Hall with Gothic, Oriental, and Renaissance elements; the Raphael Loggias gallery with frescoes inspired by the Vatican Palace; and the Auditorium in the French Rococo style.

The buildings that hold archeological and artistic masterpieces are themselves great works of art.

The elegant Winter Palace is a striking example of the baroque style in 18th-century Russia. Painted in green and white, the monumental palace exterior combines both decorative arts with traditional architecture. The three-story building is composed of four facades featuring two-tier colonnades and golden stucco moldings. Abundance is the key word here: Windows are abundant, as are the cornices (decorative moldings) and sculptured figures, conferring a majestic appearance to the palace. Katvik/Shutterstock

St. George’s Hall in the Winter Palace, also known as the Throne Hall. Designed by architect Giacomo Quarenghi between 1787 and 1795 in the Russian neoclassical style, the room was destroyed by a fire in 1837 and slightly altered afterward. A few original elements remain, such as the two tiers of windows, the Corinthian marble columns, the gilded ceiling, the throne designed for Empress Catherine II at the end of the room, and the patterned parquet floor made from a variety of woods. Popova Valeriya/Shutterstock

A room made out of gold: the gold-drawing room was designed by architect Alexander Briullov between 1838 and 1841. Refurbished by Andrei Stackenschneider after the 1837 fire, the architecture follows the opulent Byzantine style, with its vaulted ceiling, gilded-wall moldings, and gilded doors. The décor is completed by a magnificent parquet floor. Anton Ivanov/Shutterstock

The Malachite Room, designed by Alexander Briullov in 1839, is yet another impressive room of the Winter Palace. The right wall is decorated with allegorical figures representing Night, Day, and Poetry by artist Antonio Vighi. As for the rest of the room, it's composed of malachite columns, a mosaic floor, and the furnishings of the former Jasper Room, forming a great example of 19th-century decorative art. volkova natalia/Shutterstock

A rare example of the “Second Rococo” style (the revival of the Rococo style) in the Winter Palace. Designed by architect Harald Bosse in 1853, this boudoir features exquisite ornamentation, with gilded furniture, red brocatelle (silk fabric), and an ormolu chandelier reflected in the central mirror, giving an overall impression of luxury and comfort. Karasev Victor/Shutterstock

The Italian Skylight Room is one of the three rooms of the Palace that has skylights. Large Italian paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries are displayed on the red walls, and the molded ceiling is decorated with blue and gold Renaissance motifs. Mrvlad/Shutterstock

One of the most famous rooms of the Great Hermitage is the Raphael Loggias. Commissioned by Empress Catherine II in the 1780s, it's an exact reproduction of the frescoes in the Papal Palace in Vatican City. The copies of the frescoes are in the tempera technique. The vaults here are decorated with scenes from the Holy Scriptures (known as “Raphael’s Bible”), and the painted walls are decorated with “grotesques” (ornamentation motifs). Nigel Jarvis/Shutterstock

Located in the Small Hermitage, this is one of the most opulent rooms in the complex. The Pavilion Hall, designed by Andrei Stackenschneider in 1858, combines Gothic, Oriental, and Renaissance elements. Crystal chandeliers are found throughout the room, supported by white marble columns and gilded stucco ceilings and walls. The mosaic set on the floor is a copy of an ancient Roman mosaic. Popova Valeriya/Shutterstock

The foyer of the Hermitage Theatre is a sumptuous room decorated in 1903 by architect Leonty Benois, in the French Rococo style. The blue walls are decorated with gilded plant garlands, and Rocaille elements (a type of Rococo ornamentation based on curves and nature-inspired elements) on the picture frames, wall panels, windows, and doors. The paintings on the ceilings are copies of 17th-century paintings by Luca Giordano, depicting mythological scenes. Mistervlad/Shutterstock