Znamenskoye-Rayok Estate

Znamenskoye-Rayok Estate
Native name
Усадьба Знаменское-Раёк (Russian)
LocationRayok, Tver Oblast, Russian Federation
Coordinates56°57′19″N 35°15′11″E / 56.95528°N 35.25306°E / 56.95528; 35.25306
ArchitectNikolay Lvov

Znamenskoye-Rayok is an estate in Тver Oblast (Maryinskoe Rural Settlement [ru], Тorzhoksky District), Russia, that was built in the second half of the 18th century by Fyodor Glebov.[1][2]

History

View of the front gate
Bird's eye view of the estate
Church at the Znamenskoye-Rayok Estate
Plan of the estate and park in 1787

The architect Nikolay Lvov, was commissioned by the Glebov-Stershenev to build the estate, which was constructed between 1787–1798[3] К. Butsi, А.Trofimov, V. Irwin, and F. Ruska worked on the design and construction of the estate.[citation needed]

The architectural ensemble of the estate includes the manor's house and an oval-shaped colonnade connected to the side wings and a double dome above the central hall. the facade on the park side aligns with the river; the park includes a pond with an man-made island and pathways.[3] Most of the pavilions and gazebos from the manor park have been lost.[citation needed]

The heart of the estate is the Church of Our Lady of the Sign, built by Ivan Glebov [ru]. Before the revolution of 1917, the church housed the family icons of the Glebov Family [ru] which included a Saint Nicholas icon and an Our Lady of the Sign icon, as well as several icons made by Vladimir Borovikovsky. At the moment, the church is open to the public.[citation needed]

Since 2017, part of the manor buildings of the palace and park complex have been owned by "Ray Holding LLC," which has implemented a program to develop a rural settlement into a resort complex, which has historically been directly part of the estate. Currently, a one-story building is being renovated; this is the future business center of Ray Holding.[citation needed]

Since 2022, the management of the estate has been carried out by the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture "All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum."[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Знаменское-Раёк". Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  2. ^ Brumfield, William (2021-02-26). "The country estate at Znamenskoye-Rayok: Faded Shangri-La". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  3. ^ a b "Tentative Lists: Historic Town Centre of Torzhok and Country Estate Properties Designed by Nikolay Lvov". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 12 June 2023.