The Hermitage
This grand ensemble of buildings, located on the bank of the Neva river, houses one of the world’s greatest art collections. Built up by successive tsars, the museum boasts priceless masterpieces by Picasso and Rembrandt, as well as exhibits devoted to prehistoric, Classical and Oriental art. The Hermitage also contains the Winter Palace, the pre-revolutionary residence of the tsars, and the headquarters for the Provisional Government after the initial 1917 Revolution. It has been said that it would take a visitor 11 years to examine every one of the Hermitage’s exhibits.
Dvortsovaya pl. 2 • 710 9079 • Open 10:30am–6pm Tue–Sun (to 9pm Wed) • Adm: adults 400 roubles; children and students free; free to all on first Thu of every month • tickets valid for two days are also available • www.hermitagemuseum.org
1. Palace Square
This imposing square, designed by Carlo Rossi, overlooks the Hermitage’s main entrance. The setting for the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905, the square today often hosts concerts and demonstrations.
2. Winter Palace
The opulent Winter Palace was built for Tsarina Elizabeth between 1754–62. It contains the Malachite Room, decorated with over two tonnes of ornamental stone, and architect Rastrelli’s masterpiece, the Main Staircase.
3. The Old Hermitage
Designed by Yuriy Velten, the impressive Old Hermitage was constructed between 1771 and 1787 to house Catherine the Great’s growing collection of paintings. It was opened as a public museum by Nicholas I in 1852.
4. The New Hermitage
This building was specifically designed as a museum because of Nicholas I’s desire to make the exhibits more accessible to the public.
5. General Staff Building
This landmark building’s two wings are connected by a magnificent double arch topped by Victory in her chariot (1829).
6. Alexander Column
This column is the world’s largest freestanding monument. Dedicated to Alexander I, it was erected in 1834.
7. Pavilion Hall
This gold and white hall has striking marble columns and crystal chandeliers. It houses James Cox’s Peacock Clock, which was once owned by Prince Grigory Potemkin, Catherine’s secret husband.
8. Winter Palace State Rooms
These rooms were designed for state ceremonies. The St George Hall is used for state meetings even today.
9. Raphael Loggias
This corridor is a copy of the Vatican’s famous 16th-century gallery. It depicts 52 chronologically arranged biblical scenes.
10. Atlantes
Ten 5-m (16-ft) tall granite Atlantes prop up the former public entrance to the Hermitage. It is a tradition to rub the toe of one of them and make a wish.
The Hermitage Under Siege
The Hermitage came under frequent attack during the WWII siege. The Nazis had pledged to “completely destroy Leningrad” (as St Petersburg was then known), and the Hermitage soon became a symbol of the city’s resistance. Although many museum workers died of starvation, and snow piled up inside its lavish halls, the Hermitage continued to support the city’s cultural life.
Tip: For a breathtaking and original view of the Hermitage, step off Nevskiy prospekt and, sticking to the left-hand side, follow Bolshaya Morskaya ulitsa to its very end – as the street bends round to the arch of the General Staff Building, the Hermitage is revealed in all its glory. Tip: As a visit to the Hermitage can easily take up an entire day, it is a good idea to have lunch on the premises, making use of the café on the ground floor.Hermitage Works of Art
1. Madonna Litta
Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna Litta (c.1491) is a powerful work that was often copied by his contemporaries. It is one of two paintings by the artist in this museum, the other being Benois Madonna.
2. Abraham’s Sacrifice
This 17th-century masterpiece by Rembrandt depicts the dramatic moment in the Old Testament when an angel prevents Abraham from sacrificing his son to God.
3. Bacchus
Bacchus (1638–40), by Peter Paul Rubens, depicts the Roman god of wine and intoxication as a bloated, obese man, wholly abandoned to his own pleasure. The painting was part of a private collection acquired by the Hermitage in 1772.
4. Music
Music was created by Henri Matisse in 1910 for Sergey Shchukin’s Moscow mansion. The painting, which depicts bright red figures lost in their own world, was denounced as barbaric at the time due to its evocative rendering of abandonment and spontaneity.
5. Three Women
Picasso’s Three Women (1908) is a precursor to the Cubist style that developed in France between 1908 and 1914. There is a distinct African influence in the bold use of colour and the faces of the women, which are inspired by tribal masks.
6. St John the Divine in Silence
A rare example of Russian art in the Hermitage, this icon (1679) was created by a painter from the Kirillo-Byelozyorsk monastery in Arkhangelsk. It depicts St John in deep contemplation of the bible with his hand touching his lips – a sign that he is keeping silence in accordance with his holy vow. The icon’s date and place of creation is recorded on its reverse.
7. Crouching Boy
The meaning of Michelangelo’s marble sculpture has been a source of contention among scholars over the years. Some believe the figure is a grieving man or a conquered soldier, others say that it represents a soul yet to be born. Whatever its meaning, there is no denying the energy contained in the figure’s pose.
8. St Sebastian
St Sebastian was created by Titian in 1576, towards the end of his life, when he painted what are widely considered to be his most moving works. He applied the paint with his fingers or a palette knife and this, coupled with the deep colours employed, produces a dramatic effect.
9. Statue of Voltaire
The statue of Voltaire dates from 1781, and is Jean-Antoine Houdon’s most famous work. The lifelike face of the philosopher shows a remarkable depth of characterization. The sculpture was prepared from life studies that took place when Voltaire visited Paris in 1778.
10. Woman with Fruit
This painting is representative of Gauguin’s work during his stay in the French Polynesian Islands in the 1890s. The bright colours and flowing lines evoke a tropical paradise – some say the woman carrying fruit symbolizes Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great, a self-confessed “glutton for art”, came to power in Russia in 1762. In 1764, she made the first significant purchases for the Hermitage. This initial batch of paintings – 225 works of European art bought from a German merchant – is generally regarded as the birth of the Hermitage as an art gallery. From this point on, large-scale purchases of art became the norm, as Russian ambassadors and envoys were ordered to build up the collection, buying in bulk from impoverished English, Italian and Dutch aristocratic families. The tsarina’s personal favourites were works by Rubens and Leonardo.
