Matvey Fyodorovich Kazakov was a renowned Russian architect who worked during the era of Catherine II and was known as a proponent of the Russian pseudo-Gothic style.

He was born in 1738 into the family of a copyist clerk. His father, Fyodor, came from serf peasants and was supposed to become a sailor, but by a fortunate turn of events, he remained at the Admiralty office. This allowed the family to escape serfdom and settle in the center of Moscow, near the Borovitsky Bridge. When Matvey turned 11, his father died, and his mother decided to send him to an architectural school.

He studied at the school for nine years and gained extensive practical experience by participating in the repair of aging Kremlin buildings. He was entrusted with measurements and the preparation of drawings and estimates. This experience proved invaluable when he later restored the burned city of Tver, including the Empress's Way Palace, which was in ruins. The construction was rushed in winter, as the empress's visit was expected.

Later, Matvey worked with the famous architect V. Bazhenov on the Grand Kremlin Palace. Although the project was not completed, the experience gained over seven years of collaboration stayed with him.

Kazakov's first major independent work was the Prechisten Palace. After the project was approved by the empress, he received numerous offers and the title of architect. He began work on the Way Palace on the Petersburg road and designed the Senate, which became a hymn to classicism.

Kazakov preferred rotundas, and many of his buildings included this element. He was offered to participate in the construction of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate, but he declined, anticipating his main project, Moscow University, the construction of which took ten years.

Another challenging task was designing a house for the Noble Assembly. His original estates in Moscow became examples of taste and prestige, many of which were built on Tverskaya. Almost every old district of the capital has an estate created by Kazakov.

He shaped the appearance of Moscow before the fire of 1812. At the start of the war, the elderly architect was evacuated to Ryazan. Upon learning of the fire, he quickly surrendered and passed away on November 7.