Ten kilometers from Mglin, on the Voronusa River, lies the village of New Romanovka. In 1712, a wooden church was built here. The village was founded in 1694 by the centurion Ivan Romanovsky. The original appearance of the estate is unknown, but its modern look began to take shape in the early 19th century with the construction of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in 1811. This monument is associated with the name of the famous Russian artist Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, who created icons for the original iconostasis of the Intercession Church at the request of the landowner Stepan Lashkevich.
In 1853, a stone house was built according to the design of the St. Petersburg architect D. E. Efimov, which has survived to this day. The park was likely laid out much earlier, and its regular geometric layout may be linked to an existing "fruitful garden" from the early 18th century.
The well-known Russian landscape painter L. Lagorio depicted the estate in 1886 in its established form, which has largely been preserved to this day.
The estate occupies 26 hectares and is bordered on two sides by the floodplain of the Voronusa River. Previously, the southeastern part of the park adjoined the shore of a large artificial lake created by a dam. Straight alleys divide the park area into regular-shaped plots.
The central alley, over half a kilometer long, runs from east to west and serves as the planning axis of the park. All parts of the estate ensemble are "strung" along it. The alley begins at the lake's shore, runs alongside the house, crosses the parterre area of the park with flower beds and playgrounds, delves into the park, divides the inner lake into two parts, approaches the Church of the Intercession, and ends at a transverse alley of the fruit garden.
The house, an example of mid-19th century estate architecture, is designed in a style reminiscent of country villas of the Italian Renaissance. It is a large single-story building (two stories in the northern part) with a basement, extensions, and a belvedere, built of brick and plastered. The composition is asymmetrical and consists of several volumes. The main part, rectangular in shape with a clear base, features two risalits with rounded corners and a deep loggia with four Tuscan columns on the eastern facade. Above the risalits are low extensions of the second floor: the right one connects with the extension of the northern part of the building, while the left one is adjoined by a two-tiered belvedere tower, dominating the silhouette of the building. The composition is complemented by a five-sided projection on the southern facade and a cut-off southwestern corner, where a greenhouse with a winter garden used to be located. The facade decor is somewhat dry and eclectic.
The Church of the Intercession does not dominate the estate ensemble. Its modest size harmoniously blends with the glade surrounded by large trees. It is a beautiful octagonal tower reminiscent of the famous Tower of the Winds in Athens. Three small four-column Doric porticos and an altar extension protrude from its four sides. Built in the Empire style, the church beautifully complements the nature around it, being a jewel of the ensemble.
The park is distinguished by its beautiful layout, with alternating water and meadow spaces divided by green masses and architectural structures. The estate is well visible from the side of the lake, surrounded by meadows, shrubs, and trees that create a green frame, in the center of which rises the white building. The park is home to local trees such as linden, oak, maple, ash, elm, aspen, and birch. Among the shrubs, one can find hazel, hawthorn, viburnum, and euonymus.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
To leave a comment, sign in with Google.