Domenico Andrea Trezzini

Trezzini, Domenico Andrea 

Born circa 1670, in Astano, near Lugano, Switzerland; died Feb. 19 (Mar. 2), 1734, in St. Petersburg. Russian architect and engineer.

Of Swiss origin, Trezzini began working in Russia in 1703. His designs were used in laying the foundations of Kronstadt and the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and in planning part of Vasil’evskii Island in Leningrad. Trezzini also designed the Summer Palace (1710–14) of Peter I the Great as well as St. Peter’s Gate and the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The cathedral’s bell tower and spire, originally 106 m high, has become a dominant architectural feature of Leningrad. Trezzini designed the buildings for the 12 collegiums, now Leningrad University (1722–34), and, on instructions from Peter I, drew up model plans for homes for various strata of the population.

Trezzini’s work is distinguished by clarity of design, restraint in the use of decoration, and the combining of classically simple architectural orders with baroque details.

REFERENCE

Lisaevich, I. Pervyiarkhitektor Peterburga. Leningrad, 1971.