ITALIANITÀ AND RUSSIAN ARCHITECTURE OF XIX CENTURY

The practice of the Eclecticism opposition to the Classicism, stepping forward as a sign of Russian architecture participation in the international architectural process, is accepted long ago in the native bibliography on History of Russian architecture. The idea of “italianità” in its relation with Russian Classicism of the end of XVIII — beginning of the XIX century embodies in the concrete architectural images and names, such as Giacomo Quarenghi, Domenico Gilardi, Luigi Rusca and others. With deviation from Classicism as an international aesthetic “norm” Italy — a direct heir of antique world and mediator in the transmission of classical taste in contemporary Europe — seems to drop out of Russian architects' sight, synchronous reorientation of architecture on the non-classical traditions of West and East.