Many architects have provided their knowledge and talent to St. Petersburg to create one of the top architectural masterpieces as a city in Russia, including several Italian architects, such as Carlo Rossi and Domenico Trezzini. There are also multiple French architects, such as Jean-Baptiste le Blond and Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe. However, some of those people didn't do much as the numbers of constructions, still remembered as one of the most prominent people in the architectural history of St. Petersburg. One of them is Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon, who had contributed his talent to the city by designing one of the vital locations of St. Petersburg, the complex of Strelka.
Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon was one of the prominent French architects who worked in the royal court. He was born in 1760 in Berne, Switzerland, to a military family. He started to study architecture in Academie d'architecture in Paris and later continued his study at the French Academy in Rome. After he graduated from French Academy in Rome, he returned to France, where he was hired by the royal family Louis XVI's brother, Charles, who became King Charles X later. After the revolution of 1789 I France, because of his relationship with royal families, Thomas de Thoman fled the country. First to Vienna, where he worked with Austrian nobles, and through his relationship with them, had a meeting with Prince Dmitry Golytsin, which eventually resulted in a job offer from Alexander I in St. Petersburg. Thomas de Thomon accepted the Emperor invitation and arrived in St. Petersburg in 1799, and started to teach at the Imperial Academy of Art in the following year. However, teaching wasn't the only work he had done in St. Petersburg. Thomas de Thomon's first significant commission was the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theatre, which is now demolished and replaced by St. Petersburg Conservatory. His first commission was important enough for him to be placed as one of the highest-ranked architects in St. Petersburg that resulted in the commission of Old Stock Exchange building. That job had turned to be his masterpiece among St. Petersburg attractive places in the tour to Russia. The work had begun in 1805 and completed in 1811. Still, in the meantime, he had the commission to build the Paul I's mausoleum in Pavlovsk, several monumental fountains on the road to Pushkin, which has been moved or destroyed over time, and some works in Odessa. In 1811, a fire struck Bolshoi Theatre, and Thomas de Thomon had commissioned to reconstruct it again, but during the job, he had fallen from scaffolding and had to resign from the work. He died in 1813 and buried inside the Smolenskoe Cemetery.
Strelka
Strelka or the split is one of the vital locations of St. Petersburg, where Neva River split into the Malaya Neva and Bolshaya Neva rivers. This place is a complex of Old Stock Exchange Building, Rostral Columns, and the small park in front of it, all designed by one of the prominent French architects of the time, Jean-Francois Thomas the Thomon. One of the reasons why this place is so important in Russia tours is the fact that you can have one of the best panorama views of St. Petersburg. There you can see the critical Peter and Paul fortress, which will be on your tour to Russia plans, the St. Isaac's Cathedral Golden dome, and the magnificent Winter Palace. We at the Star Travel Company recommend all our tourists visiting Strelka on their travel to Russia for those reasons.
Old Stock Exchange
Old Stock Exchange building is one of the famous buildings in the city, which also represents St. Petersburg on one of the Russian banknotes. The original wooden stock exchange building was built in the 1730s. The plans to replace it with a stone building was started in 1783 when Giacomo Quarenghi was commissioned to design the new building. However, the building that Quarenghi had designed didn't match the expectations of the city officials, and it got demolished soon after it finished making rooms for another project. This time, Thomas de Thomon had chosen to build the present Old Stock Exchange building, which he had modeled Temple of Hera for his design. Thomas de Thomon's construction was finished in 1810, but its official opening postponed to 1816. Thomas de Thomon's design featured 44 red granite columns. On the top of the central porch, there was a giant statue of Neptune with allegorical figures of Neva and Volkhov rivers. Besides the main building, Thomas de Thomon had designed the square in front of the building, which is now become one of the favorite walking paths on Vasilyevsky Island. He also created one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg, the two roman rostral columns. The Strelka, which contains these features, is one of the most critical locations on the Vasilyevsky island because it's the first thing that is visible from the windows of Winter Palace. Strelka has been one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg in Russia Tour, that's why we at the Star Travel Company have recommended it to our tourists who have plans to visit St. Petersburg on their travel to Russia.
Rostral Columns
Among people who travel to Russia, each one of them may find a different symbol for the city, when they visit St. Petersburg. Many people find Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral and its tall bell-tower as the symbol of St. Petersburg. Many believe that St. Isaac's Cathedral and its magnificent dome should be picked as the symbol of St. Petersburg. Various other things can be chosen as the symbol of St. Petersburg, including the two significant rostral columns on Vasilyevsky Island at Strelka. Thomas de Thomon also designs these two magnificent columns in front of the Old Stock Exchange building. While the reasons to put these beacons on the split point of Neva river into Bolshaya River and Malaya River was to indicate the two channels, Thomas de Thomon had decided to struct these columns in the style of Roman rostral columns. People who have visited Strelka on their tour to Russia have seen statues of four allegorical that indicate the four main rivers in St. Petersburg. The bottom of the columns has also been decorated with various figures of sea creatures and anchors. These two columns are even more majestic during the Russian public holidays when the seven-meter-long flames dance above them. We at the Star Travel Company recommend our tourists visiting Strelka, especially during public holidays on their Russia tour.
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