A Journey Through Time

In 1854, the plot was acquired by Major General and Actual State Councillor Count Andrey Pavlovich Shuvalov. By his order, architect Hermann Paucker built a three-story L-shaped residence and a four-story wing along the right boundary of the property. In 1858, Shuvalov invited architect Luigi Ferracini, who renewed the facade and enlarged the windows on the third floor, giving the mansion a brighter and more ceremonial appearance.

In 1912, the mansion passed by inheritance to the Count's daughter, Elizaveta Vorontsova-Dashkova. At her commission, architect Ivan Fomin created new interiors in a refined neoclassical style, with an emphasis on noble proportions and light tones.

Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova and her husband lived in a mansion on the English Embankment, while the building on Mokhovaya served as an income house. Among those who rented an apartment here was the composer and musicologist Boris Asafiev, who lived in the mansion from 1909 to 1917. At the time, he served at the Mariinsky Theatre. The ceremonial rooms of the second floor and part of the third were always occupied by the owners of the house. Later these were Elizaveta's sons: first Alexander, then Illarion with his family.

In 1913, a faulty flue of a marble fireplace set fire to the beams of a third-floor room. After the fire, repairs and restoration of the decor were required, so the Vorontsov-Dashkov family invited I. A. Fomin — one of the most prominent masters of neoclassicism. The architect refinished the halls anew and created interiors in the neoclassical style. The house acquired electricity, a telephone, and an elevator.

In his book “I. A. Fomin,” the renowned Saint Petersburg scholar of the architect's work, V. G. Lisovsky, wrote: “The interiors of the house [at Mokhovaya, 10] can be considered among the finest works of Fomin in the 1910s. Of greatest interest is the richly decorated ground-floor room [now the ACADEMIA Shuvalov bar-restaurant]. One wall of the study is designed as a monumental four-column Ionic portico. Between the columns is a niche spanned by a coffered arch. The ceiling of the study is superb: an oval decorated dome adorned with alternating trapezoidal and rhombic coffers filled with rosettes of extraordinarily fine workmanship. Such delicacy of stucco is a characteristic feature of most of Fomin's decorative compositions.”

The Vorontsov-Dashkov family left Russia in 1919, and house No. 10 stood empty for a long time. During the Siege of Leningrad, the mansion suffered heavily from shelling, and on November 14, 1941, a high-explosive bomb struck it. The building collapsed both within the courtyard and on the facade side; the bomb shelter was buried and the water supply destroyed. Forty-five people were injured, and thirty were killed.

After the Great Patriotic War, the mansion was in a more than deplorable state: the walls at ground-floor level were destroyed, the glass shattered, the window frames ruined, and the front facade lost. Caring people tried to repair it, but the house had no permanent owner.

Today, the carefully restored building, with its reconstructed cultural-heritage elements, houses the ACADEMIA Shuvalov Mansion hotel. The mansion lives a new life and once again warmly welcomes guests.

Coat of Arms of the Shuvalov Family

The Shuvalovs owed their rise to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. In 1741, the brothers Alexander and Peter helped the rightful heiress ascend the throne. Five years later, the loyalty of the Shuvalovs was rewarded with the grant of the title of count. The coat of arms was approved in 1746, yet it was entered into the General Armorial of the Noble Families of the Russian Empire only in 1882.

At the center of the coat of arms is a silver unicorn with golden eyes, horn, and hooves on a scarlet field. In heraldry, it is a symbol of prudence, purity, caution, severity, and chastity.

The shield is crowned by a count's coronet and three count's helmets, two of them crowned. On the central helmet rises a black double-headed imperial eagle with golden beaks and talons — a sign of the special trust and closeness of the Shuvalov family to the Russian throne. The third crest is a black Life Campaign grenadier's cap, indicating the Shuvalovs' membership in the company of grenadiers who carried out the coup of 1741. It is adorned with the imperial eagle and three ostrich feathers placed between two black eagle's wings, each bearing three silver stars. The mantling of the central and third helmets is black and gold; that of the second, scarlet and silver.

The shield is supported by a silver unicorn and a silver griffin. The unicorn signifies inner purity and nobility, while the griffin is an ancient symbol of the guardian: it protects the honor of the family just as, according to legend, it guards treasures and borders.

At the base of the coat of arms, on a scarlet ribbon, is the motto: “FOR LOYALTY AND ZEAL,” where the word “zeal” (revnost) is used in the sense of “ardor, devotion, diligent service.”

The Shuvalov Family

In 1834, the historian Bashutsky called the street on which the mansion stands “a realm of the finest society”: statesmen, titled aristocrats, merchants, writers, scholars, and artists lived on Mokhovaya. Gatherings, ceremonial receptions, balls, and dinner parties were held here. It would be no exaggeration to say that within these walls the rich history of our country was written. And the mansion is remarkable not only for its magnificent interiors, but also for the history of its owners. Allow us to introduce you to it.

On 25 November 1741, yet another palace coup took place in Saint Petersburg, as a result of which the daughter of Peter the Great — Elizabeth Petrovna — ascended the throne. Members of the ancient Shuvalov family played a key role in this change of power, entering the select circle of the highest aristocracy.

In 1746, Elizabeth granted the brothers Alexander and Peter the dignity of count and a coat of arms with three unicorns. These mythical creatures are the principal heraldic symbol of the Shuvalov family.

Count
Andrey Pavlovich Shuvalov

Count Andrey Pavlovich Shuvalov (1817–1876) — marshal of the nobility of the Saint Petersburg Governorate, chairman of the provincial zemstvo assembly, writer, Major General (1865), and Actual State Councillor (1873).

At the age of seven he lost his father. Emperor Nicholas I appointed an official guardian for Andrey and his brother Peter — Mikhail Speransky, the renowned Russian reformer and a close friend of the boys' late father. Speransky took his new role seriously: he saw to it that the brothers received a fine education, personally selecting their tutors.

Opposed to his mother's third marriage, to Prince Butera di Radali, in 1835 the Count joined the army and left for the Caucasus, where he served in the same regiment as Lermontov. A strong, lasting friendship arose between the two young men: contemporaries claim that it was Andrey who inspired the writer to create Pechorin — the protagonist of the novel “A Hero of Our Time.”

Andrey Shuvalov served for quite a long time. Taking part in military expeditions, he was wounded and earned the Cross of St. George. He retired only in 1865, with the rank of Major General. The Count took an active part in the work of the Saint Petersburg zemstvo assembly, which was closed in January 1867 by order of the emperor, who saw in its activity a spirit of rebellion and willfulness. As the most active orator of the assembly, Shuvalov was exiled to Paris for three years. In 1869 he was permitted to return to his homeland.

On his return to Saint Petersburg, the Count was elected marshal of the nobility of the Saint Petersburg Governorate, which is not surprising: Shuvalov was a skilled orator who sincerely wished the country well and supported its spiritual growth. In this office he received the rank of Actual State Councillor.

In 1876, Andrey Shuvalov delivered a speech in the city duma in which he said: “My only aim was the public good.” With these words he summed up his life, and that very day he died suddenly. The Count spent his final years in this mansion.

Countess Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova

The daughter of Count Shuvalov, to whom the house soon passed, inherited her father's strength of spirit and nobility. She delved into economic and social matters, engaged in charity, and even helped her husband handle military affairs during his grave illness.

Elizaveta spent most of her life happily. She was very close to her husband, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov. Affectionately calling his wife “Lily,” this most influential courtier would even decline his duties whenever she fell ill.

Uniting in her hands the holdings of the Vorontsovs, the Shuvalovs, and the Vorontsov-Dashkovs, Elizaveta Andreevna and her husband became the largest landowners. They owned 21 estates covering more than 160 thousand hectares of land, several oil mills and factories, a manufacturing plant and several income houses, and 10 oil-bearing plots on the Absheron Peninsula.

Elizaveta Andreevna and Illarion Ivanovich were close friends of the imperial family. The following generations of the family maintained warm relations with it as well: the children of the Vorontsov-Dashkovs belonged to the inner circle of Nicholas II.

Elizaveta Andreevna's deeds fully reflected the motto of the Shuvalov comital family. During the panic in Tiflis in December 1914, caused by the setbacks of the Russian army at Sarikamish, she was offered evacuation, to which the Countess replied: “Only cowards run away. Instead of organizing the defense of their native land, their native city, part of the population is fleeing shamefully, sparing no expense. I will not leave.”

To the very end, this strong and proud woman remained faithful to her family and her country. Her husband died in 1916, and Elizaveta Andreevna took the loss hard. After the February Revolution, the Countess left for Yessentuki, where most of the family soon gathered. Later she was arrested and imprisoned in Pyatigorsk. In April 1919 she managed to leave Russia aboard one of the English ships bound for Malta. In 1924, Elizaveta Andreevna died in Wiesbaden.

The descendants of the Vorontsov-Dashkovs still live in France and the United States.

We sincerely believe that Count Shuvalov and his family would be happy that the memory of them is preserved within the walls of our hotel.

The majestic Shuvalov Mansion, set among the quiet streets of central Saint Petersburg, holds within it more than mere history — it breathes with the life of its inhabitants. Its walls remember the footsteps of noble lords, conversations by candlelight, the sound of the grand piano, and the rustle of ceremonial gowns. Here lived an aristocracy that left as its legacy not only marble staircases and stucco ceilings, but also the atmosphere of an age filled with taste and style.

This house has survived more than one century, and today its halls — including the Count's and Countess's suites — are recognized as objects of cultural heritage, protected by KGIOP (the Committee for the State Control, Use, and Protection of Monuments of History and Culture). These rooms are the true gems of the mansion, its heart, its soul. It is they that give us the chance to touch real, living history — not in museums, but in a space where time seems to slow down, allowing us to feel the breath of a bygone era.

Our designers approached the recreation of the mansion's historical atmosphere with special care. Some of the objects were found right here in the house. The rest were selected with equal thoroughness at antique auctions and from collections. All of this came together as expressive strokes in the portrait of the former owner and the era in which he lived.

Here eras meet — from austere neoclassicism to graceful Art Nouveau, from intimate luxury to quiet comfort. These rooms do not divide time but unite it: they show how harmoniously one century flows into another, how each leaves its own imprint. Here the past does not vanish — it helps us understand the present and becomes the foundation for the future. Within these walls lives the many-sidedness of art, time, and human memory.

A story awaits you about Countess Dashkova and Count Shuvalov. But not about how they shone at balls or held hunts. We will show you how they lived — day by day.
Through their space. Their belongings.

French fireplace screen

The main gem of the interior is an antique fireplace screen from the second half of the 19th century, from France. It is adorned with fine hand embroidery that recalls a bygone age full of grace and beauty.

In the past, such screens protected against sparks from the fireplace; today it serves as an exquisite decoration of the interior.

Mother-of-pearl fan

A graceful, feminine accent in the interior — an authentic fan from the second half of the 19th century, from the Netherlands. A beautiful object that has left our daily life, as has the secret language of communication between lovers, in which every movement of the weightless fan carried meaning.

Collectible porcelain

Graceful figurines from the early 20th century, which came to us from Western Europe, impress with the refined detailing and the gracefulness of their poses. It seems one can overhear their conversation. Eternal questions and timeless subjects — it is all about love, joy, and pleasure.

Table lamp

A refined interior object in the eclectic style, made in Russia in the early 20th century, with a genre scene of lovers that sets a mood of lightness, flirtation, and conversation.

These echoes of love stories do not end in the suite. They continue one floor below — in the mansion's boutique restaurant, where cocktails from the “12 Flavors of the Year” cocktail menu are served in graceful “Water Lily” glasses.

They say the water lily is the flower of quiet confession. It requires no words, yet it responds to feeling. And these glasses, created in its image, are no accident: their smooth petal-like lines seem to echo the curves of the floor lamp in the suite, the silhouettes of the porcelain ladies, the gestures of the figures in the painted scenes.

Yet, despite all the exquisite French refinement, the spirit of the room is Russian. It reflects the image of Countess Dashkova herself — an intelligent and free-spirited woman who read Voltaire, worked on educational reform, and knew how to combine rigor of thought with elegance of taste. The interior is filled with objects that reflect not only the aesthetics of different centuries, but also the imprint of the character of those times.

Paired nightstands with marble tops

A luxurious adornment of the interior — French cabinets of the late 19th century made of rosewood, brought from France. This precious wood, delivered from distant India, was prized for its deep natural grain.

The craftsman's finest work is visible in every detail: there is no decorative paint here — each rectangular border is laid by hand with the thinnest slivers of veneer, with filigree precision.

Regency sofa table

A refined yet functional walnut table, made in England in the early 20th century, displays elements drawn from antiquity: lion's paws on the legs and a pattern of acanthus leaves on the octagonal top, upholstered in red leather.

Art Nouveau floor lamp

A graceful wrought-iron floor lamp with a stained-glass shade from the first half of the 20th century, brought from Europe, adds a note of the lighthearted elegance of the Belle Epoque.

The Art Nouveau era brought to art a new view of woman — not merely a muse, but a creator, a personality, a source of inspiration. In these forms one reads nature: stems, nymphs, water, branches. Feminine energy here is like the rhythm of living nature, like the mysterious, soft light streaming through the shade of this floor lamp.

This room is a kind of chronicle of coming-of-age, a metaphor for the path from a refined young lady with a fan to a confident woman endowed with taste, intelligence, and inner freedom.

And this story echoes the image of Countess Dashkova herself.

Late 19th-century bronze floor lamp with lion mascarons

A graceful interior object, made in Russia in the last quarter of the 19th century, with the finish traditional for Saint Petersburg in the form of lion mascarons — symbols of power, strength, and nobility.

The details are cast with exceptional precision, and the elegant table is finished with onyx.

Painting by Émile Tabary

The painting “Boat Ride” by the French realist artist Émile Tabary, created in 1888, adorns the wall of the room. Young aristocratic women, as if frozen in a serene moment, symbolize the refined and carefree life of high society.

A special accent is the Japanese parasol, which entered European art after Japan opened to the world in the mid-19th century. This element underscores the characteristic features of the era: refined taste and openness to new ideas and aesthetic impressions.

Regency side table

The lion motifs continue in a refined walnut table, made in England in the early 20th century. Lion's paws on the legs and the traditional antique pattern of acanthus leaves on the octagonal top, upholstered in red leather, seem to reflect the continuity of time.

Porcelain figurines

Porcelain figurines from the German Unterweissbach manufactory, depicting a characteristic gallant subject of the Rococo era — a promenade.

The filigree underglaze painting, gilding, and elegance of the details of this composition draw the eye and set a mood of lightness and serenity. These graceful compositions became the brand's signature, a symbol of refined living and attention to detail.

Folding fan in its original frame

Another rare exhibit — a fan from Antwerp (the Netherlands), late 19th to early 20th century, exquisitely decorated with beads and bugle beads.

The detailed painting and embroidery on the finest crepe, the delicate carving, and the gilding on the sticks of the fan's frame fully demonstrate the highest level of craftsmanship of the Belle Epoque.

Bronze candlesticks

On the table stand a pair of antique candlesticks with floral motifs. Note the graceful casting and the flawless chasing with gilding, executed by French masters of the late 19th century. An exquisite French accent, characteristic of the European interiors of the era.

Coffered ceiling

The ceiling of the suite is decorated with a coffered composition — an element that came from ancient temples. Originally arising as a structural feature of wooden ceilings, coffers became a decorative symbol of refinement, recurring in Roman and Greek temples and, centuries later, in the ceremonial interiors of the aristocracy.

In this element, as in the house itself, interior and architecture resonate — the outer and the inner, united by the spirit of antiquity.

The facade of the Shuvalov Mansion employs the same classical devices as the decor of this room: symmetry, weightiness, and coffers.

These are authentic details of the mansion's interior, under the protection of KGIOP, which we have carefully restored.

Antique suite of furniture

The antique furniture draws the eye and fills the space with the refined nobility characteristic of a truly aristocratic home.

The suite (a sofa, armchairs, and chairs) of mahogany, made in the workshops of Saint Petersburg in the early 20th century, is executed in the Art Nouveau (Modern) style.

The composition is complemented by an English table with legs in the form of lion's paws and a top finished in red leather.