Cameron Gallery

The Cameron Gallery in the Catherine Park of Tsarskoye Selo, located 23 km south of St. Petersburg, was completed in March 1787 under the direction of architect I. V. Neelov. The idea for its creation dates back to the Roman drawings of Ch.-L. Clerisseau, the engravings of G. B. Piranesi, and the motifs of paintings by H. Robert. Empress Catherine II loved to stroll along the gallery's belvedere, which offers a view of the landscape park, the Tsarskoye Selo pond, and the Sophia Cathedral, and a separate door led from the Hanging Garden to the Mirror Cabinet. The frieze of the structure is decorated with wreaths, the cornice with lion masks, and busts are installed on the colonnade, including a copy of the bust of M. V. Lomonosov and Italian copies of ancient originals from the 2nd century BC, made in 1826 by architect Vasily Stasov.