The architectural symbol of Gatchina, its peculiar business card is the Priory Palace. The palace was built in 1799 according to the project of architect Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, a multi-talented and gifted man, "the Russian Leonardo", as he was called. During the construction of the palace, a new construction technology was used: the simplest and cheapest material was used as the material for the walls - ground, which was compacted in special “machines” - formwork, which was strengthened every few centimeters with a special lime mortar. The construction of the palace as a whole lasted two years, but the walls were erected in just three summer months.
Following the assignment, Lvov built a whole architectural complex, spread out on an embankment terrace and resembled a monastery with its high four-pitched roofs, a tower with a steeple and a one-storey annex with Gothic windows - Chapel, giving the impression of Catholic antiquity. Around the main building there was a one-storey kitchen. Next to the Chapel, a miniature garden was laid out, which was once adorned with two marble statues of Jupiter and Ceres, symbolising supreme power and abundance - allegories of the personality of the of the emperor. A gate between the two guard boxes gives access to the the inner courtyard. The interior decoration of the building was also done by Lvov himself. Probably because he picked up all the furnishings in the palace storerooms, rather than custom-made, it was not luxurious.
By decree of Emperor Paul I, the palace was granted to the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also called the Order of Malta. The Prior is the second most important person after the abbot. He, as a rule, is not so much a spiritual father as the economic director of a small monastery located on the lands of the abbey. The Gatchina Priory was essentially one of the branches of the association of knights of this order. It was here that the Prior of the Order of Malta, Prince Condé, fled from the French Revolution. But not more than ten years the palace was the residence of the Maltese Order. For the whole of the nineteenth century, the Priory was a reserve court, to which the Order only occasionally visited by its august owners.
The author of the project expected that his extraordinary palace with its stone spire-tower, reminiscent of Catholic medieval monasteries, would last for fifty years, but the Priory has been standing on the shores of the Black Lake for over two hundred years, reflecting romantically in its waters, and seeming to grow from them. It tirelessly attracts with its extraordinary appearance all who have ever seen it with its unusual appearance.
After the revolution, the Priory was transferred to the Gatchina Palace-Museum, but the it did not become a museum. All of its historical furnishings were moved to the Grand Gatchina Palace. During the Great Patriotic War the Priory survived by a miracle. As a result of the bombing, the roof was almost completely torn off, one of the guard booths and part of the fence wall were destroyed, the glass in the windows was broken, and the interfloor ceilings collapsed.
Now the palace is being reborn to a new life. Numerous visitors to the palace learn about the history of the palace. The most interesting exhibit of the palace is Priory itself, everything about it is interesting: the history of its creation, its name, its architecture, construction, history of existence. The old traditions of the Priory Palace are also being revived. For example, concerts are regularly held in the Chapel, which attract their listeners with excellent acoustics, a cosy and bright hall, magnificent performers who are invited to perform there.
