Grand tour memories In Maria Feodorovna’s Pavlovsk Park, St Petersburg, 1782–1825

Abstract

The gardens surrounding Pavlovsk Palace, just outside St Petersburg, at the turn of the nineteenth century were recognized by contemporaries as the most visually appealing in the Russian Empire. This status was largely due to the efforts of its patron from 1777 to 1828: Maria Feodorovna. During this period, she was daughter-in-law to Empress Catherine II, wife of Paul I, and mother to Alexander I and Nicolas I. Her tenuous status as a non-ruling monarch did not prevent her from achieving a position of significant power at the Russian court. This paper reveals Maria’s ability to influence her husband and the court during this period, a time when Russia was at the centre of many European events. Her manipulation of Catherine II and Paul I has been downplayed in history, and the use of Pavlovsk Park as the main tool in achieving relevance and influence has been overlooked. The Grand Tour was a major source of inspiration for Maria’s decisions of patronage and directions in design, and she turned Pavlovsk into a memory device to recall her travels. By implementing these ideas, she was able to maintain her relevance at court by successfully appealing to people in power.