. The Architectural magazine. , to that modification of it employed inItaly. One or two of the churches in Petersburg and Moscowexhibit some mongrel attempts at Gothic, or at Turkish orSaracenic architecture ; but these are buildings erected pre-viously to the middle of the 18th century. All the edifices which 122 Domestic Architecture in Europe. have been built since the time of Catherine are in the modernclassical style. In their construction they do not display anyparticular mathematical or mechanical skill ; nor, indeed, isthis required in a style of architecture in which the arch is butli
. The Architectural magazine. , to that modification of it employed inItaly. One or two of the churches in Petersburg and Moscowexhibit some mongrel attempts at Gothic, or at Turkish orSaracenic architecture ; but these are buildings erected pre-viously to the middle of the 18th century. All the edifices which 122 Domestic Architecture in Europe. have been built since the time of Catherine are in the modernclassical style. In their construction they do not display anyparticular mathematical or mechanical skill ; nor, indeed, isthis required in a style of architecture in which the arch is butlittle employed. In public buikhngs, such as the bridges,churches, riding-houses, and exercising-iiouse (the two lastbeing most important buildings in such a climate as Russia),considerable skill has been shown in the construction of roof of the Grande Salle (/Exercice, at ^Moscow, which wehave described in ouv Encijclopevdia of Architecture, p. 970. (andof which ^fig. 26. shows one half of one of the trusses), is ge-. nerally considered to be that of the largest span in Europe,the house being 150 French feet wide. In the spires, towers,and domes of churches, no great skill is shown ; on the con-trary, the columns and supporting walls are generally dis-figured by wrought-iron tie rods in every direction. If theRussians were to attempt to construct churches or other buildsings in the Gothic style, they would utterly fail; unless theyadopted a very superior mode of execution, as well as of con-struction, to what they have at present, or to what the classicalstyle requires. The Gothic style, however, is not adapted to arude and unscientific people; nor even that composite modi-fication of the classic style, in which columns support semi-circular arches, as in the beautiful elevations of the Hungerfordmarket, &c. The most suitable style for Russia, in its presentstate, is that which has been adopted, tlie plain post andimpost. It is not to be expected that Russia should hav
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectarchitecture, bookyear1834
