Konstantin Ton is a famous Russian architect with German roots. According to his project, many buildings were built in Russia. Among them, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior stands apart, in the guise of which the foreign experience of Ton, his skill and knowledge of Russian folk architecture are concentrated.
Biography: early years
Konstantin Andreyevich Ton was born on October 26, 1794 in St. Petersburg. His father was a German by birth, pretty Russified. He had a profitable jewelry store. The family lived in abundance.
Konstantin Ton received a good education at the School at the Lutheran parish of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg. Then he continued his studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied architecture. His mentor was the famous architect Andrei Voronikhin. Tone proved to be a promising student. After receiving his diploma, he remained at the Academy, becoming a teacher.
Soon, Ton was awarded the title of artist of the first degree, for which he also relied on a trip abroad to obtain new knowledge. However, the Academy did not have money for this. And Ton had to get into the Committee of Buildings as an ordinary draftsman. In 1822, he nevertheless went to Italy.
Career
Tone lived in Rome for six years. During this time, he studied the architecture of antiquity, far and wide. In Italy, Ton worked on rebuilding the Temple of Fortune and the Caesars Palace. The architect in a short time gained recognition in Europe. At 26, he became an honorary member of the Academy of Rome.
In 1828, the architect returned to Russia. At that time, Nicholas I reigned. He was impressed by Ton's work to restore the Caesars' palace. The king immediately found him a "bread" place with a solid salary. So Tone became a court architect. It was the good will of Nicholas I that allowed the architect to design and implement structures that are striking in their scope even today.
In his first works, Ton acted as a successor to the traditions of Russian classicism. Later, in his projects, the "Russian ancient" style was clearly traced, later it will be called the "Russian-Byzantine".
In 1839, Nicholas I instructed Thon to design a temple dedicated to the victory over the Napoleonic troops. At the same time, the tsar noted that in his appearance traits of the Russian-Byzantine style, which he really liked, should be traced. The temple was built for 44 years. At the time of consecration, it was the largest in Russia. Despite strong criticism, the temple soon became a symbol of the Russian autocracy.
Ton has many other projects. So, he is the author of the buildings of two stations: Moscow in St. Petersburg and Leningradsky in Moscow. These are two outwardly identical buildings. Also, the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Armory, several small churches were erected according to the Ton project.
