Pavlovsk Palace and Park near St. Petersburg. Catherine II started building this palace complex for her son, then Grand Duke Paul (later Paul I, ruled 1796-1801) in 1777. The main architect at the first stage of building was Charles Cameron, and Vincenzo Brenna took over the work after him. Depicted here is "The Old Sylvia" or "Twelve Paths" designed by V. Brenna in 1793. The bronze statue (one of many) here is Apollo Belvedere, cast by E. Gastecloux from F. Gordeyev's model in 1782. This and the other pictures are from V. A. Belanin Pavlovskii Park, photographs by V. A. Davydov and G. S. Shablovskii, Leningrad, Vneshtorgizdat, 1988. Along this path are benches like the one Prince Myshkin adn Aglaia might have met in Dostoevsky's The Idiot.

The Temple of Friendship, Charles Cameron, 1780-1782.

The Great Circles Terrace. V. Brenna, 1799. In the background you can see a park bench which might be like the one where Prince Myshkin met Aglaia in Dostoevsky's The Idiot.