Aleksey Gornostayev (1808 – 1867) — architect.
The gifted Nizhny Novgorod residents of the Gornostayev family produced five architects for Russia in the nineteenth century, four of whom became academicians. The most celebrated among them, Aleksey Maksimovich — creator of the complex of buildings and churches at Valaam Monastery — is rightly regarded as the founder of the "Russian style" in architecture.
The roots of this master's singular creative gift — he who "created the new himself while continuing the old architectural Rus" — are to be found in a deep affection for everything native to Russia, an affection formed near the Vyksun factories of the Batashov and Shepelyov families, situated on the very outskirts of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. The youngest child of a factory manager's family, Aleksey showed an early inclination toward art and drew everything that caught his eye. His first serious successes were recognized by Pavel Petrovich Svinin, publisher of the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, who visited Vyksa in the summer of 1823. On meeting the Gornostayev family, he was enchanted by the drawings of fourteen-year-old Alyosha and instilled in him the idea of obtaining an artistic education and "serving the glory of Russia." In 1826 the Gornostayevs moved to St. Petersburg. Not wishing to be a burden on the family, Aleksey took on any work he could find: coloring pictures for print sellers and drawing labels for pomade jars. The defining event of those years was his appointment as an artistic assistant to Svinin. The celebrated traveler and collector of antiquities took him along on his journeys through Russia for three years running. The Russian North became a true museum of indigenous national antiquity for the future builder of Valaam; the drawings he made there would later appear in Svinin's splendid publication Kartiny Rossii ("Scenes of Russia")… With the money earned during his wanderings, Aleksey traveled to Moscow and took private lessons from the celebrated architect Gilardi, who planted in his soul the dream of visiting Italy and studying architecture under Italian masters. In Moscow, Aleksey formed a close friendship with the brothers Ivan and Mikhail Scotti, who served at the Shepelyov serf theater in Vyksa. In 1831 Gornostayev returned to St. Petersburg, where he took part in the construction of the Mikhailovsky Theater (now the Maly Theater). This work was directed by the celebrated architect Alexander Petrovich Bryullov, brother of the famous painter. A brilliant teacher and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Bryullov encouraged the young man and advised him to seek accreditation at the Academy. The result exceeded all expectations. For a design of "a country house for a wealthy resident of the capital," the council of the Academy of Arts awarded Aleksey Maksimovich the title of Free Artist in 1834. The future architect had to work hard to save enough money for a journey abroad. Over four years he visited numerous cities in Italy, Germany, and France. Two albums of sketches were filled with drawings. Particularly beautiful are the depictions of the ruins of an ancient house with columns, murals, and human figures. The finest of these were presented by the artist to Nicholas I. Impressed by the artist's skill, the tsar ordered these works, deemed "excellent and exemplary," to be transferred to the Academy of Arts for copying. In 1838 the council of the Academy conferred on Gornostayev the title of academician. Meanwhile, the academician himself was working alongside Alexander Petrovich Bryullov on the construction commission for the restoration of the Winter Palace after the fire. The architect had no shortage of commissions, but his principal creative activity began with work on the buildings of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg and, above all, the architectural ensemble of Valaam Monastery. The worldwide fame of this northern monastery is due precisely to the works of this remarkable native of Nizhny Novgorod. The genuine masterpiece Gornostayev created on Valaam is the church on Krestovy Island. It stands at the highest point of the western tip of the island, separated from Valaam by three straits, and rises to a height of more than 32 meters. This lighthouse-church, marking the entrance to the bay, is likewise an outstanding monument of the "Russian style" in architecture. In all, Gornostayev erected nine buildings on Valaam, each of which "bears a close connection to the surrounding nature… akin to the plant kingdom." The final years of Gornostayev's life were occupied with designs for major structures that he was unable to bring to completion himself. The most famous of these is the tomb of Prince Prince Pozharsky at the Savior Euthymius Monastery in Suzdal. Alas, the days of this still-young and vigorous architect were numbered. Dropsy — a cruel disease long lodged in his family — had caught up with him as well. Aleksey Maksimovich died on 18 December 1862 and was buried at the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage "among his finest creations." Several years later, a white marble funerary cross bearing depictions of the twelve most significant of his buildings was erected over the architect's remains.