Maltese Chapel. The architectural complex of this palace includes a Catholic chapel. What is included in the architectural complex of the Vorontsov palace

The wonderful Maltese Chapel of the Vorontsov Palace. It has been closed to the public for the second year.

Under Paul I, the Order of Malta was granted a palace, after which the Russian emperor naturally became the Grand Master of the Order of Malta. The Maltese Chapel is a Catholic church of the Order of the Knights of Malta, built by order of Emperor Paul I in 1800 by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The chapel is part of the Vorontsov Palace. The extension on the eastern side of the building of the palace of the Catholic chapel for the chapter of the Order of Malta dates back to 1798-1800.
The chapel was built by his worthy brother and involuntary rival Francesco Rastrelli, one of the exponents of new architectural ideas - Giacomo Quarenghi.
The interior decoration of the chapel is a Corinthian order colonnade, the walls are lined with artificial marble.
The interior of the Maltese Chapel was restored for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

By creating this small building next to Rastrelli's palace, Quarenghi slightly violated his usual classical rigor. He attempted to soften the line of the facade by introducing rounded profiles at the junction of the new building with the old building. Without deliberate emphasis, only with these seemingly insignificant details, he sought to connect the artistic appearance of the chapel with the architecture of Rastrelli’s building.
The interior decoration of the chapel is still well preserved - a colonnade of the Corinthian order, paintings, stucco decoration of the walls, lined with artificial marble. A thorough restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N.P. Nikitin.

The hall of the Maltese Chapel, as well as the church hall in the palace, acquired special value as Quarenghi’s interiors, since almost all the others of this palace complex on Sadovaya subsequently underwent significant alterations or were completely destroyed.
In the Chapel, the “Walker” organ was restored for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to it - the organist had the key to the door, which naturally was missing, since the chapel no longer accepts people since 2012 - that is, it is completely closed.

One of the most interesting buildings in St. Petersburg is the Maltese Catholic Chapel, hidden from the eyes of citizens and tourists behind the facade of the Suvorov School.

How the Maltese Chapel appeared in St. Petersburg

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Russian fleet became the main threat to the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. This led to a rapprochement between the Order of Malta and the Russian Tsar. In 1797, Paul I organized a new main priory of the order on the territory of the Russian Empire. The Hospitallers needed a patron since they were expelled from Malta by Napoleon.

Emperor Paul greatly favored the Maltese. On the territory of Russia, he provided members of the Order with “all those distinctions, advantages and honors that the famous Order enjoys in other places.” Three commanderies were organized, the head of the Main Priory in Russia was introduced to the State Council. Russian nobles were encouraged in every possible way to join it.

In 1799, Emperor Paul awarded the Commander's Cross to commander Alexander Suvorov. The Hospitallers opened the Corps of Pages in St. Petersburg, which produced many military leaders. The Corps of Pages later became the Suvorov School. It was then that a Catholic (Maltese) chapel appeared on the territory of the military school.

However, Paul’s flirting with the Catholic Church, his rapprochement with Rome did not like the Russian Orthodox Church (Russian Orthodox Church) and the entire policy of the emperor towards a foreign religious order was another, among many others, reason for his murder in St. Michael’s Castle in St. Petersburg on the night of March 13 1801.

The new Emperor Alexander I, in the very first months of his reign (August 1, 1801), renounced the title of Grand Master of the Order and ordered the Maltese cross to be removed from the state emblem.

However, the Corps of Pages (now the Suvorov School is based in the building) and the Maltese Chapel remained in St. Petersburg. Lately she has served as concert hall. So in order to look at this unusual building for our latitudes, you need to buy a concert ticket.

p.s. Unfortunately, the chapel is currently under renovation and there are no concerts. But they do conduct excursions. Official website of the chapel:

Address: Russia, Republic of Crimea, Alupka, sh. Dvortsovoye, 18
Date of construction: 1840
Architect: Furasov P.I.
Coordinates: 57°19"07.5"N 43°06"40.4"E

Content:

Short story

The luxurious palace, named Vorontsovsky in honor of Count Vorontsov M.S., is a unique building that became the embodiment of the Romanticism era. It is located on the Crimean peninsula in the city of Alupka.

The beginning of its construction dates back to 1828, when Governor-General Vorontsov, responsible for the Novorossiysk region, chose the site for the construction of the future main building and drove pegs into it. However, the palace did not appear quickly - its construction took 20 years.

Initially, the project of the future Vorontsov Palace was developed in the style of strict classics, and the famous Italian architect named Francesco Boffo and his colleague from England Thomas Harrison worked on it.

The year 1829 was the beginning of the implementation of their joint project, and as all the preparatory work was completed, the foundation was immediately laid and the first masonry was made. However, an unpleasant surprise soon occurred - in the midst of preparing working drawings, the architect Harrison died.

To keep the construction going, Boffo needed a new partner. It was Edward Blore, a young architect working in the romantic direction of English architecture.

Stone staircase with white marble lion sculptures

Why did Count Vorontsov choose him and decide to make changes to the project of the future palace in the Crimean Alupka? The fact is that in those years he was in England, and he was impressed by the local architecture and new fashion trends in the construction of buildings. Therefore, the count revised the already developed project and entrusted the new architect with adjusting it so that the result of the work would be a real castle, combining the rigor of English architecture and the luxury inherent in Indian palaces.

And since 1832, construction work on the construction of the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea has already been carried out according to an updated project, but without distorting the previously completed stages. The execution of all work was entrusted to the best craftsmen - stonemasons, modelers, stone and wood carvers, artists, furniture makers and other workers, who approached the orders entrusted to them with all responsibility. As a result, the construction of the palace cost Vorontsov 9 million rubles.

From left to right: formal dining room, winter garden

Layout of the Vorontsov Palace

The entire palace complex, erected by order of Vorontsov, is represented by several solid buildings, designated as:

• central;
• dining room;
• guest;
• library;
• economic.

The building intended for receiving guests was later called Shuvalovsky, since on the right side there was the room of Vorontsov’s daughter, who became Countess Shuvalova after her marriage.

Northern façade of the main building

Oddly enough, the construction of the palace began with the construction of the dining building, and this work took 4 years (from 1830 to 1834). The construction of the central building took 6 years - 1831 - 1837. From 1841 to 1842, work was carried out on the construction of a billiard room, which complemented the building with a dining room. The construction of the guest building, all the towers, outbuildings, outbuildings and the design of the Main Courtyard also took a lot of time (these were 1838 - 1844). And finally, the library building, built from 1842 to 1846, joined the palace complex.

The decoration of the central staircase were sculptures of lions, the production of which was entrusted to the Italian master Giovanni Bonnani. And the entire luxurious palace ensemble ended with a lion terrace, that is, many figures of lions.

Right - Clock Tower

Features of the architecture of the Vorontsov Palace

Vorontsov Palace, which became the decoration of Alupka in Crimea in the middle of the 19th century, was a kind of innovation that violated some architectural and construction principles. In those days, it was customary to place the buildings of palace ensembles in a strict geometric grouping, but the architect Blore deviated from this rule and distributed all the buildings that were part of the Vorontsov Palace on the ground so that they stood in the direction from west to east, as if in accordance with the movement of the mountains. This approach allowed all the buildings to fit harmoniously into the local landscape - the Vorontsov palace complex found its place in the Crimean expanses.

Moving from building to building, you can clearly trace the stages of development of medieval architecture, starting from its earliest forms and ending with the traditions of the 16th century.

Shuvalovsky building

However, when developing projects for all buildings, the emphasis was still placed on the English style. Why is Vorontsov Castle in Crimea so attractive? Its peculiarity is its appearance, reminiscent of a castle-fortress from the ancient 8th - 11th centuries. When you find yourself in the courtyard of the utility buildings, you involuntarily stumble upon blank walls and find yourself in confined spaces, and when you try to get to the central building you find yourself surrounded watchtowers round shape. Further general impression The inaccessibility is complemented by narrow loophole windows and high walls of rough masonry. But suddenly an openwork suspension bridge made of cast iron appears and adds a festive touch to this harsh composition. And so, as you move away from the arch of the western entrance, signs of the architecture of the following eras become more and more apparent.

West Entrance Towers

Having crossed the openwork bridge and getting rid of the feeling of enclosure, you can find yourself in the Front Courtyard, which offers a view of Mount Ai-Petri. But this is not just a view - it is a unique picture, because the landscape is, as it were, limited by an architectural frame represented by a clock tower, an eastern wing and a retaining wall with a fountain.

The architecture of the main building of the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea is also interesting. Its walls are extended out of the plane at different levels, as required by the English Tudor style. The central part is decorated with a main entrance and decorated with bay window projections and side projections. The roofs of the towers are onion domes. The northern facade of the building is decorated with narrow polyhedral semi-columns, the crowns of which are pinnacles (decorative tops).

Chapel

Graceful pinnacles and battlements, domes and chimneys, decorated with flower-shaped finials, smooth out the roughness of the stone texture of the walls and their massive luggage.

Considering the carved stone decorations that decorate the Vorontsov Palace, it is worth noting their pronounced similarity with some elements of Western and Eastern architecture. Thus, true architecture connoisseurs will immediately notice the Gothic chimneys and minarets of the mosque, and it is precisely this compatible incompatibility that makes the palace complex special. This similarity is especially acute as you move to the southern facade of the building, called the main one. In the rays of the sun, its outlines seem unusual and bizarre.

From left to right: formal dining room, winter garden, main building

But the main motive for the design of the palace is the arches of the various shapes- they are flat, and keel-shaped, and horseshoe-shaped, and lancet. And you can see them everywhere, from the balustrade of the balconies to the decoration of the portal of the southern entrance to the Vorontsov Palace. Besides, architectural ensemble, erected by order of the Governor-General, also has its own “zest” - these are 6 identical lines in Arabic, indicating that the winner is only Allah. You can see the inscription in a niche decorated with a Tudor flower and an Indian lotus.

Description of the park surrounding the Vorontsov Palace

During the construction of the palace, work was also carried out to lay out the adjacent park. But if the construction of the Vorontsov Palace took two decades, work on creating the park does not stop to this day. On an area of ​​40 hectares, a wide variety of plants brought from all over the world coexist harmoniously.

Shuvalovsky passage with a view of the openwork bridge

In general, the palace park is divided into Upper and Lower. The upper park is decorated with several glades - Kashtanovaya, Contrast, Solnechnaya. And each of them is notable for its trees (Italian pine, oriental plane tree, yew berry, Himalayan cedar, Chilean araucaria, or monkey tree, etc.). In addition, on the territory Upper Park there is Swan Lake, where these beautiful birds really live, Upper and Mirror lakes and a waterfall.

In the Lower Park, surrounded by the most beautiful and rare representatives of the flora, there is a small tea house, which at one time was used by the Vorontsov family to spend holidays on the seashore. Then this place was often illuminated with fireworks and fireworks.

Shuvalovsky passage with a view of the western gate

Being here, you can really feel the holiday atmosphere, because it was not without reason that the architect chose the place to build the house here. Surrounded by many unique plants, it creates the feeling of being in a fairy tale, since the entire territory of the Lower Park is conducive to creating an enchanting mood. And the lower part is decorated Vorontsovsky Park in Crimea in the Italian style of a regular park.

Use of the Vorontsov Palace complex in different years

Since 1990, the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka has become a palace and park museum-reserve. Several interesting exhibitions are located in nine state rooms. Thanks to their content, everyone can get acquainted with the way of life of the count’s family, who lived in the palace before the October Revolution, and the character of the palace’s interiors.

Exit from the yard

But in 1990, the opening of the Vorontsov Palace as a museum was secondary - its building was first used as a museum in 1921.

But with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War of 1941, valuable museum exhibits could not be saved, and the building itself was repeatedly threatened with destruction. However, thanks to the efforts of one of the museum employees S.G. Shchekoldin. The Vorontsov Palace Museum still survived. Of course, many artistic treasures were lost during the war, but after it ended, some paintings were still found and returned to the museum.

Vorontsov Palace.

Vorontsov Palace is a palace in the central part of St. Petersburg, located on Sadovaya Street opposite Gostiny Dvor. Built by the architect Count Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in 1749-1757 for Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. The palace is distinguished by the rich, elegant decoration of its facades and luxurious interior decoration. The palace has more than 50 state halls and rooms. The palace is decorated with stucco, gilded carvings and other elements characteristic of the Baroque style.

Vorontsov Palace is the main building on the territory of the estate of Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, a noble nobleman, state chancellor, participant in the palace coup of 1741, which brought Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to power.

The construction of the palace was carried out according to the design of the court architect of Elizabeth Petrovna - Federico Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the period from 1749 to 1757.

The estate occupied a vast area between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River. Breaking the traditions of urban estate construction, Rastrelli placed the palace not near the river, but closer to Sadovaya, separating the building from it with an artistic fence.

The border of the extensive courtyard-garden, located behind the fence, is formed by the main building of the palace and its side wings. A similar layout with the letter “P” has long been called “peace” in Russia.

The main three-story building with a quadrangular courtyard is located in the depths of the estate. Two symmetrical two-story wings are brought forward and placed along the red line of the street. The central part of the main facade is decorated with double columns and pilasters, the windows are decorated with decorative frames.

The palace was built in the style of a magnificent and elegant Baroque. As you know, Rastrelli was a master of this style, which reached its peak in Russian architecture during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. This is evidenced by such names of this style of the mid-18th century as “Rastrelli Baroque” and “Elizabethan Baroque”.

Behind the main building there was a regular garden, stretching to the Fontanka, with numerous pools, fountains, alleys of trimmed trees, and other “ventures”.

Above the one-story building facing the park, there was an open terrace overlooking the river. From here it opened beautiful view to the fireworks displays held in the Anichkov Garden. The interiors, also decorated in Baroque traditions, were also luxurious. Fifty ceremonial halls were located in an enfilade pattern along the main facade and in the side buildings. In the central part of the Vorontsov Palace there was a large double-height hall; another spacious hall housed the Vorontsov Library, then one of the best in St. Petersburg.

In 1763, M.I. Vorontsov was forced to cede the palace to the treasury to pay off debts for 217,600 rubles, since construction required huge investments.

After the accession of Emperor Paul I to the throne in the late 1790s, the palace was transferred to the Order of Malta, and the chapter of Russian orders was also located here. The former Vorontsov Palace was ordered to be called the “Castle of the Knights of Malta.” The order's coat of arms was strengthened above the lattice gates of the palace: a white Maltese cross with four bifurcating rays on a red background.

Two churches were built on the territory of the estate - an Orthodox church and a Catholic chapel of the Order of the Knights of Malta (architect Giacomo Quarenghi).

Later, the Corps of Pages was located in the palace. For the needs of this educational institution, which was located in the palace from 1810 to 1918, the premises were rebuilt in 1827 according to the design of the architect Alexander Egorovich Staubert; At the same time, the previous baroque decoration of the interiors was lost.

Today, organ music concerts are held in the Maltese Chapel. The decoration of the interior of the chapel is well preserved - a colonnade of the Corinthian order, paintings, stucco decoration of the walls, lined with artificial marble. The restoration of the chapel was carried out in 1927 by the architect N.P. Nikitin.

After the revolution, the First Petrograd Infantry School for the command staff of the Red Army was located here, on the basis of which the Leningrad Infantry School named after. S. M. Kirov. In 1958, the building was completely given over to the Suvorov Military School.

Building type Church Architectural style classicism Author of the project Giacomo Quarenghi Founder Paul I First mention Construction - years Date of abolition Status An object cultural heritage RF № 7810648002 State It does not work Website Roman Catholic Church of John the Baptist on Wikimedia Commons K:Wikipedia:Link to Wikimedia Commons directly in the article

Maltese Chapel- Catholic Church of the Order of the Knights of Malta, built by Giacomo Quarenghi at the end of the 18th century. The chapel is included in architectural complex Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg (attached to the main building of the palace from the garden side).

Story

The Vorontsov Palace was erected by the architect B. F. Rastrelli in -1757 for the chancellor Count M. I. Vorontsov. The construction and decoration of the palace required such large investments that in 1763 Count Vorontsov was forced to cede it to the Russian treasury for debts. The building was empty until 1770, and later began to be used as a guest house. IN different time the palace was occupied by Prince Heinrich of Prussia, Prince of Nassau-Siegen and Count I. A. Osterman. After the accession of Paul I to the throne and his assumption of the title of Protector and then Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the Vorontsov Palace was given to the Knights of Malta, who were forced to seek refuge after Napoleon Bonaparte's capture of the island of Malta in 1798.

Chapel in the 20th and 21st centuries

Architecture and decoration

The temple has the shape of a rectangle with a barrel vault. Two rows of artificial marble columns divide the interior of the chapel into three naves. The choirs are located above the side naves. The planes of the walls are enriched with decorative arches, sculptures of angels, Maltese crosses and plaster garlands. The ceiling of the church consists of semi-circular box vaults, covered with paintings consisting of floral ornaments and rosettes, and plaster garlands.

The altar part is an apse with columns located close to the walls. In the center there is a marble altar, behind which there was an altarpiece of John the Baptist (patron saint of the Order of Malta) by A. I. Charlemagne, created by the artist in 1861. To the right of the altar, under a canopy, stood the crimson velvet chair of the grand master of the order. On the left, under a marble plaque with an inscription about the founding and solemn consecration of the church, there is a bishop's chair and several stools. Here, in front of the altar barrier, there were embassy benches with velvet cushions. In the middle part of the hall there were 14 wooden benches with cushions covered with red cloth.

The altarpiece was in the Maltese Chapel until 1928, then it was transferred to the Museum of Religion and Atheism, and from there in 1932 it went to the State Russian Museum. The canvas was stored in the collections of the Russian Museum without a stretcher or frame, wound on a drum, as a result of which it received numerous damages. In February 2006, the leadership of the Russian Museum decided to transfer the altarpiece to the Maltese Chapel for temporary storage. The restoration of the canvas was carried out in the workshops of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps. In September 2007, the image was returned to its historical place.

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Excerpt characterizing the Maltese Chapel

- Everyone has their own secrets. We won’t touch you and Berg,” Natasha said, getting excited.
“I think you won’t touch me,” said Vera, “because there can never be anything bad in my actions.” But I’ll tell mommy how you treat Boris.
“Natalya Ilyinishna treats me very well,” said Boris. “I can't complain,” he said.
- Leave it, Boris, you are such a diplomat (the word diplomat was in great use among children in the special meaning that they attached to this word); It’s even boring,” Natasha said in an offended, trembling voice. - Why is she pestering me? You will never understand this,” she said, turning to Vera, “because you have never loved anyone; you have no heart, you are only madame de Genlis [Madame Genlis] (this nickname, considered very offensive, was given to Vera by Nikolai), and your first pleasure is to cause trouble for others. “You flirt with Berg as much as you want,” she said quickly.
- Yes, I certainly won’t start chasing a young man in front of guests...
“Well, she achieved her goal,” Nikolai intervened, “she said unpleasant things to everyone, upset everyone.” Let's go to the nursery.
All four, like a frightened flock of birds, got up and left the room.
“They told me some troubles, but I didn’t mean anything to anyone,” said Vera.
- Madame de Genlis! Madame de Genlis! - Laughing voices said from behind the door.
Beautiful Vera, who had such an irritating, unpleasant effect on everyone, smiled and, apparently unaffected by what was said to her, went to the mirror and straightened her scarf and hairstyle. Looking at her beautiful face, she apparently became even colder and calmer.

The conversation continued in the living room.
- Ah! chere,” said the countess, “and in my life tout n”est pas rose. Don’t I see that du train, que nous allons, [not everything is roses. - given our way of life,] our condition will not last long for us! And all this is a club, and its kindness. We live in the village, do we relax? Theaters, hunting and God knows what. Well, how did you arrange all this? I’m often surprised at you, Annette. You, at your age, ride in a carriage alone, to Moscow, to St. Petersburg, to all the ministers, to all the nobility, you know how to get along with everyone, I’m surprised, how did this work out? I don’t know how to do any of this.
- Oh, my soul! - answered Princess Anna Mikhailovna. “God forbid you know how hard it is to remain a widow without support and with a son whom you love to the point of adoration.” “You’ll learn everything,” she continued with some pride. – My process taught me. If I need to see one of these aces, I write a note: “princesse une telle [Princess so and so] wants to see such and such” and I go myself in a cab at least two, at least three times, at least four, until I achieve what I need. I don't care what anyone thinks about me.
- Well, well, who did you ask about Borenka? – asked the Countess. - After all, yours is already a guard officer, and Nikolushka is a cadet. There is no one to bother. Who did you ask?
- Prince Vasily. He was very nice. Now I agreed to everything, reported to the sovereign,” Princess Anna Mikhailovna said with delight, completely forgetting all the humiliation she went through to achieve her goal.
- That he has aged, Prince Vasily? – asked the Countess. – I haven’t seen him since our theaters at the Rumyantsevs’. And I think he forgot about me. “Il me faisait la cour, [He was trailing after me,” the countess recalled with a smile.
“Still the same,” answered Anna Mikhailovna, “kind, crumbling.” Les grandeurs ne lui ont pas touriene la tete du tout. [The high position did not turn his head at all.] “I regret that I can do too little for you, dear princess,” he tells me, “order.” No, he is a nice man and a wonderful family member. But you know, Nathalieie, my love for my son. I don't know what I wouldn't do to make him happy. “And my circumstances are so bad,” Anna Mikhailovna continued with sadness and lowering her voice, “so bad that I am now in the most terrible situation. My miserable process is eating up everything I have and is not moving. I don’t have, you can imagine, a la lettre [literally] no ten-kopeck piece of money, and I don’t know how to outfit Boris. “She took out a handkerchief and began to cry. “I need five hundred rubles, but I have one twenty-five-ruble note.” I am in this position... My only hope now is Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov. If he does not want to support his godson - after all, he baptized Borya - and assign him something for his maintenance, then all my troubles will be lost: I will have nothing to outfit him with.
The Countess shed tears and silently thought about something.
“I often think, maybe this is a sin,” said the princess, “and I often think: Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhoy lives alone... this is a huge fortune... and what does he live for? Life is a burden for him, but Borya is just beginning to live.
“He will probably leave something for Boris,” said the countess.
- God knows, chere amie! [dear friend!] These rich people and nobles are so selfish. But I’ll still go to him now with Boris and tell him straight out what’s going on. Let them think what they want about me, I really don’t care when my son’s fate depends on it. - The princess stood up. - Now it’s two o’clock, and at four o’clock you have lunch. I'll have time to go.
And with the techniques of a St. Petersburg business lady who knows how to use time, Anna Mikhailovna sent for her son and went out into the hall with him.
“Farewell, my soul,” she said to the countess, who accompanied her to the door, “wish me success,” she added in a whisper from her son.
– Are you visiting Count Kirill Vladimirovich, ma chere? - said the count from the dining room, also going out into the hallway. - If he feels better, invite Pierre to dinner with me. After all, he visited me and danced with the children. Call me by all means, ma chere. Well, let's see how Taras distinguishes himself today. He says that Count Orlov never had such a dinner as we will have.

“Mon cher Boris, [Dear Boris,”] said Princess Anna Mikhailovna to her son when Countess Rostova’s carriage, in which they were sitting, drove along the straw-covered street and drove into the wide courtyard of Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhy. “Mon cher Boris,” said the mother, pulling her hand out from under her old coat and with a timid and affectionate movement placing it on her son’s hand, “be gentle, be attentive.” Count Kirill Vladimirovich is still your godfather, and your future fate depends on him. Remember this, mon cher, be as sweet as you know how to be...
“If I had known that anything other than humiliation would come out of this...” the son answered coldly. “But I promised you and I’m doing this for you.”
Despite the fact that someone’s carriage was standing at the entrance, the doorman, looking at the mother and son (who, without ordering to report themselves, directly entered the glass vestibule between two rows of statues in the niches), looking significantly at the old cloak, asked who they wanted whatever, the princesses or the count, and, having learned that the count, said that their Lordships are worse off now and their Lordships do not receive anyone.
“We can leave,” the son said in French.
- Mon ami! [My friend!] - said the mother in a pleading voice, again touching her son’s hand, as if this touch could calm or excite him.
Boris fell silent and, without taking off his overcoat, looked questioningly at his mother.
“Darling,” Anna Mikhailovna said in a gentle voice, turning to the doorman, “I know that Count Kirill Vladimirovich is very ill... that’s why I came... I’m a relative... I won’t bother you, dear... But I just need to see Prince Vasily Sergeevich: because he is standing here. Report back, please.
The doorman sullenly pulled the string upward and turned away.
“Princess Drubetskaya to Prince Vasily Sergeevich,” he shouted to a waiter in stockings, shoes and a tailcoat who had run down from above and was peeking out from under the ledge of the stairs.
The mother smoothed out the folds of her dyed silk dress, looked into the solid Venetian mirror in the wall and walked briskly up the staircase carpet in her worn-out shoes.
“Mon cher, voue m"avez promis, [My friend, you promised me,” she turned again to the Son, exciting him with the touch of her hand.
The son, with lowered eyes, calmly followed her.
They entered the hall, from which one door led to the chambers allocated to Prince Vasily.
While the mother and son, going out into the middle of the room, intended to ask for directions from the old waiter who jumped up at their entrance, a bronze handle turned at one of the doors and Prince Vasily in a velvet fur coat, with one star, in a homely manner, came out, seeing off the handsome black-haired a man. This man was the famous St. Petersburg doctor Lorrain.

 

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