St George's Hall, and Apollo Hall of the Winter Palace

[
13), 1906: The throne draped and flanked by the Imperial Romanov regalia, the Imperial family (to the left of the throne) and the 1st State Duma await the arrival of the Tsar. "The workmen....looked as though they hated us." [The words of the Tsar's sister Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia who was present at the opening of the 1st State Duma in 1906. Vorres, p.121.] ]

St George's Hall is one of the largest and principal rooms in the Winter Palace, St Petersburg. It is located on the eastern side of the palace, and connected to the Hermitage by the smaller Apollo Room.

The colourful, neoclassical interior design of this great hall, constructed to the designs of Giacomo Quarenghi between 1787 and 1795, was lost in the fire of 1837 which destroyed almost the entire interior of the palace. Following the fire, the Russian architect Vasily Stasov was commissioned to oversee the restoration and rebuilding of the palace. While he retained the architectural features dictated by the exterior of the palace, he completely redesigned the interior, in a more simple classical style. He replaced the columns of coloured marbles with those of a white cararra marble. Where the original painted ceilings, depicting allegorical scenes had been entirely lost in the fire, Stasov introduced a plain ceiling with gilded embellishments.

This room which served as the palace's principal throne room was the scene of many of the formal ceremonies of the Imperial court. Most historically, it was the setting of the opening of the 1st State Duma by Nicholas II, in 1906. The Tsar was forced to agree to the establishment of a Duma as a concession to his people, and an attempt to avert revolution. However, the Imperial family saw it as "the end of Russian autocracy". [Van der Kiste, p.61 ]

It was the first time that ordinary Russians had been admitted to the palace, in any number – a surreal experience for both the peasants and the Imperial family. As the masses of ordinary Russians packed the hall, the Tsar's sister, who stood with the Imperial family on the steps of the throne, recalled: "I went with my mother to the first Duma. I remember the large group of deputies from among peasants and factory people. The peasants looked sullen. But the workmen were worse: they looked as though they hated us. I remember the distress in Alicky's eyes." [Vorres, p.121] Minister of the Court Count Fredericks commented, "The Deputies, they give one the impression of a gang of criminals who are only waiting for the signal to throw themselves upon the ministers and cut their throats. I will never again set foot among those people."Massie, R, "Nicholas and Alexandra", p.242] The Dowager Empress noticed "incomprehensible hatred."

Located behind the throne is the small Apollo Room. This ante room is in fact the upper floor of a bridge linking the palace to the Hermitage. This room has a caisson ceiling adorned with stucco work.

Notes

References

*cite book
last = Van der Kiste
first = John
authorlink = John Van der Kiste
coauthors = Coryne Hall
title = Once A Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II
publisher = Sutton Publishing Ltd
date= 2002
location = Phoenix Mill
pages =
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0-7509-2749-6

*Massie, Robert K., "Nicholas and Alexandra" 1967
*Vorres, Ian, "The Last Grand Duchess", London, Finedawn Publishers, 1985 (hardcover)