Benoit Nikolai L.

Nikolai L. Benoit was born on July 1, 1813 in St. Petersburg in the family of maitre d'hotel of the court of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Louis Jules Benoit. Middle son of Jules-Louis Benoit, Nicholas, developed the boy from childhood who owned the French and German, was to link the life of Russian art. Being engaged in the German school, SW. Peter and Paul, where he joined in 1822, nine years, and then to the Reformed Church, Nicholas drew a lot. His first drawing teacher was known at that time teacher cables, which is constantly praised his pupil.

. The mother of Nicholas, which, after her husband's death in 1822 went to care about the future of children, to apply to the Empress Maria Feodorovna on the admission of his son in the Academy of Arts
.

Benoit studied fine. Diligence and extremely conscientious attitude to everything, whatever he was engaged, were his hallmarks.

In February 1831 the distribution of academics to art workshops Nicholas was appointed to Academician VA. Glinka, but he studied briefly. In July of that year Glinka died. Five of his students, including Benoit, went to Academician X.F. Meyer. In April 1834 in this workshop Benoit has created a draft of a country house of a wealthy landowner. For this architectural composition he gets his first silver medal - small.

. In December 1834 a silver medal, this time a large, winning its architectural composition, as well as the museum project, executed in April 1835.

. For graduation project in 1836 Benoit chose the project "Law School", a highly appreciated
. At the ceremonial meeting on Sept. 27, 1836 Benoit was awarded for his "big gold medal", he was also awarded a sword and released from the academy with the title of artist of the fourteenth class.

. The brilliant ending of the Academy gave the right of foreign pensionerstva
. But pensionerstvo begin no earlier than three years after graduation, during which the graduates had to the rules to get the Academy building practice.

. Benoit began service in the First St. Petersburg High School, where he was appointed architect in November 1836
. Substantive same practice Benoit passed, he was an assistant to. Ton.

. At the end of May 1840, received the award in a thousand rubles "for their efforts in building a temple in the name of Christ the Savior," Benoit begins to prepare for travel abroad.

. Abroad Benoit fully subjected to the influence of ideas that had permeated the atmosphere of that time in Europe, - the ideas of Romanticism
.

From 1840 to 1846 Benoit lives in Italy. In Switzerland, Benoit sent to Cologne, it is paying tribute to his love of the Gothic cathedrals, making them a number of subtle, beautiful watercolors.

Important event for seniors was the arrival in Italy in December 1845 Nicholas I. During the inspection of the ancient buildings of Rome, the king had a long talk with Benoit and Rezanov.

On the way back to Russia Benoit visited France and England. It was a great opportunity to see the country in which the architecture of the Middle Ages reached perfection.

. November 3, 1846 Nikolai Benoit returned to St. Petersburg, having stayed abroad for six and a half years, full of desire as soon as possible to apply the knowledge gained during pensionerstva
.

December 18, 1846 an architect was appointed to serve in the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty, with a salary. Nicholas I, mindful of the meetings in Rome, take pleasure in it. Followed orders to the royal family wore, however, applied nature.

. Received the highest approval of designs applied products for the royal court, . In August 1847 he began work on a major project in the stables of the court building in Peterhof Gothic, . so-called Gothic stables, . occupy a central place in his work,
. The stables were built on the personal order of Nicholas I, equipped with modern amenities his summer residence

. In 1847 "in respect of different talents of art and knowledge" Benoit awarded the title of academician, . and in 1850 he was appointed chief architect at the Peterhof palace rule and was now relevant to all, . that was built in Peterhof, . immediately followed the construction and condition of buildings.,

. When constructing the third largest building in Peterhof - the railway station (the project was made in 1854 by order of the owner of the road Baron Stieglitz) - the architect was again turned to the Gothic style
. Along with the station in Peterhof Benoit made the projects and involved with the construction of small plants of the same railway: in Strelna (1856), Sergiev (1855-1857) and the Red Sele (1858).

. He also owns the building almost in the style "Gothic", a project which he completed in 1850 together with AK
. Kavos.

In 1850-ies Benoit performs several works for Peterhof. Hospital with the services (1850-1857) settled the architect in the classical manner with a focus on the widespread trend "style of Louis XVI". In 1856, Benoit was built in Peterhof, the steward's house, located in the heart of the city, and in 1861-1868 years - Verhnesadsky minister's house near the Grand Palace - both buildings in the style of early French classicism.

. In 1851, Benoit was appointed to the First District of Railways, which marked the beginning of his involvement in the management of the construction part of St. Petersburg
. In 1852, Benoit began service in the Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of State Property.

In 1857, the architect does, finally, independent work in St. Petersburg - is building a Catholic Church of St.. Mary on the Vyborg Side. It was the only church building, created by Benoit in the Romanesque style of interest, especially because it was buried himself an architect.

In the same year, Benoit became a professor of the Academy of Fine Arts. June 19, 1861, he joined the committee in charge of the affairs of buildings in Petrovsko-Razumovsky.

. From 1862 to 1865 the architect built in the Petrovsky Academy main building - is the only building in Moscow, and his last major public building erected by him in Russia.

. Buildings undertaken Benoit in the second half of the century, the bulk of these are small in volume, but also the purely individual characteristic that only the architect features.

. Major orders in 1860's Benoit gets from family Sheremetyevy
. In early 1870 Benoit has some work to Peterhof. Several private orders he receives, and in St. Petersburg: rebuilding a house F.K. Schultz on Liteiny Avenue (1871-1872), next year is building a house VK. Kroeber on Nadezhdinskaya.

From 1890 to 1893 was chairman of Benoцўt Saint-Petersburg Society of Architects. Despite his advanced age, he retained the vigor and ability to work, had perfect vision and a year before death ... could draw and paint, as if he was eighty-four, and twenty-four years. "

The latter makes his project architect for two years before his death, in 1896. This project is a girls' school in Yeniseisk. Benoit was then eighty-three years. In the same year he was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Arts.

Benoit Died Dec. 11, 1898.