The Small Hermitage
When, after her coronation in Moscow, Catherine II returned to the capital, the Winter Palace presented to her the solemn coldness of stately halls. An atmosphere of constant gossiping predominated among the courtiers. Both friends and enemies alike reminded her about her impetuous and illegal accession to the throne. In the palace she remained unapproachable in her magnificence as Empress. As she wrote to Mme Joffrin, a foreign correspondent: "When I come into the room everybody stops what he or she is doing and puts on a haughty air. I often cry out in indignation against this custom... and the more I get angry, the less natural they are with me..."

However, in the intimate circle of her "solitary corner", where she played the role of charming and considerate hostess, Catherine II's guests behaved in a completely different manner, gaily and without constraint. The stage for this performance was the Small Hermitage constructed at the behest of the Empress next to the official residence.

The Small Hermitage building was designed by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, who, following the retirement of Rastrelli, virtually took his place as preferred architect in the Winter Palace. The Small Hermitage was under construction from 1764 to 1769 and consists of two wings, a North and a South Pavilions, which are joined by the Hanging Garden and by galleries (completed in 1775). Construction of the building was directed by Yury Velten.

In the period of 1765-66, a two-storey residential pavilion was built in the southern part of the Hanging Garden which was laid out above the royal stables and the riding-school. The outward appearance displays features of the Late Baroque, such as refined façades with fancy-shaped window frames and rounded corners of the building. These are combined with features of Early Classicism such as the restrained decoration of the first and mezzanine floors. The decoration of the ground-floor façades of the South Pavilion goes well with the Baroque style of the Winter Palace, which has a similar treatment of the façade.

In this South Pavilion, called the "Favourite's Wing", Catherine II lodged Grigory Orlov. His luxurious apartments were connected with the Empress's rooms in the palace by a private passage. She wrote about her favourite: "He is the most handsome man of his time. Nature was very generous regarding his appearance, intellect, heart and soul". The love affair with this brilliant officer of the Guards brought her a son. He also was responsible for the breath-taking political plot that swiftly brought her to power. After the coup d'etat, Count Grigory Orlov hardly interfered in state affairs at all.

Unlike Orlov, another favourite of Catherine II, Grigory Potiomkin, who also lived next to the Empress in 1774-80, in the wing of the riding-school, went deeply into all the fine points of politics and the Empress willingly discussed them with him. She highly appreciated his opinion and ability to act, and she wrote in a letter of 1783: "I feel helpless without you". After the death of Prince Grigory Potiomkin, she said: "He had a wonderful intellect, hot temper, kind heart. He looked at people with a scowl and therefore was not admired, but even when he delivered insults to his enemies, he did them a lot of good. It is hard to replace him... Now all the burdens of rule rest on me alone".

In the period of 1767-69, a pavilion for secluded rest, also housing an official hall and some reception rooms, was built in the northern part of the Hanging Garden. The greenhouse which formed part of the structure gave the North Pavilion its name - the Orangery House. Positioned along the Neva River in alignment with the official residence, this pavilion was designed in the style of Early Classicism. It is distinguished by strict proportions that are in harmony with the architecture of the Winter Palace. The rhythm of the Corinthian colonnade in the first tier of the façade of the North Pavilion expressively underscores the artistic unity of these two buildings, notwithstanding their different architectural styles.

It was in the Orangery House that Catherine II arranged her "small hermitage assemblies" - parties to which persons especially close to the Empress were invited. The hostess created there a refined atmosphere for enjoying the arts and relaxed merriment. The guests amused themselves and participated in games and performances for which quite often the Empress herself wrote plays on subjects drawn from Russian history. The parties ended with a supper served in the room with lifting tables.

The courtiers were to come to the "small hermitage assemblies" in Russian-style dress and to speak only Russian. Catherine II wrote the special rules of behaviour which were posted in the gallery connecting the Winter Palace with the Small Hermitage. These instructions stated that "titles should be left at the door like hats, the more so swords, seniority and arrogance; guests should make merry but nevertheless not spoil, crush or gnaw anything; they should not speak very loudly, so that the others would not have a headache; nor should they argue heedlessly, nor sigh deeply or yawn, thereby preventing others from partaking of the entertainments; they were not to drink excessively, should eat with appetite and not wash their dirty linen in public". Those who violated the rules were fined ("ladies included"). They had to drink a glass of cold water, recite some lines from a poem or learn by heart verses from Vasily Trediakovsky's poem Tilemakhida, which was very hard to understand.

Collections of art works - paintings, sculptures, jewellery and cameos - were displayed in the galleries on either side of the Hanging Garden to regale the selected guests and to help create the image of the hostess as a connoisseur of fine arts. Though in a letter to the German writer and diplomat Baron Melchior Grimm, Catherine II wrote that her treasures were admired only by her and the mice, nonetheless, the very fact that a Hermitage collection had been created should have shown to enlightened Europe that Russia deserved to be called a European power.

Miniature of Count Grigory Orlov
Andrei Cherny
Larger view

Portrait of Prince Grigory Potemkin - Tavrichesky
Giovanni Baptist Lampi
Larger view

Hanging Garden, view from the opposite side of the North Pavilion
Nikolai Sablin
Larger view

The Picture Gallery
Apollon Mokritsky
Larger view