History of Sennaya Square. The history of one name: Sennaya Square Sennaya Square 19th century
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“The Belly of St. Petersburg” Sennaya Square is an important transport hub of the Northern capital and a place where the noise of cars and voices, the sounds of self-taught musicians and the splash of water of the Griboedov Canal never ceases. In the old days they traded hay here - hence the name; later thieves and petty swindlers were flogged for their offenses, and in modern times they built a metro and connected a lot of bus and trolleybus routes. In the 2000s, Sennaya attracted tourists with its original Peace Tower, but today people come here for shopping: there are two large shopping centers and the famous Sennaya Market nearby. There are also a lot of different restaurants and cafes on the square.
You can read about what Sennaya Square was like in the 19th century in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment.”
A little history
Sennaya Square dates back to the 18th century. Initially it was called Konna and Bolshoi. Over time, carts of hay traders began to come here - this is how the square received its characteristic name. The Sennaya was also used for public punishments: thieves and swindlers were whipped here. The place was notorious among the residents of St. Petersburg: the slums around the square were inhabited by the urban poor. At the end of the 19th century, the Haymarket building appeared on the square, and at the beginning of the 20th century a tram was launched here. During Soviet times, a metro station lobby appeared on the square, and in the 1990s, many stalls spontaneously appeared. In 2003, on the occasion of the city’s anniversary, the “Tower of Peace” monument was erected on Sennaya, but in 2010 it was dismantled. Work on the reconstruction of Sennaya Square continues today.
Sennaya Square is the starting point for fascinating historical walks around St. Petersburg.
Things to do
Sennaya Square in St. Petersburg still remains primarily a trading platform; there are, one might say, no attractions here.
Those wishing to go shopping are advised to carefully explore two shopping centers - PIK and Sennaya shopping center with a standard assortment of mass brands of clothing, shoes, perfumes and cosmetics, as well as electronics and accessories. Here you can also visit the cinema. In shopping malls you will find many chain cafes, pizzerias and fast food outlets.
You should definitely visit the colorful Sennaya Market. The original building from the end of the 19th century has not survived, and a Soviet remake will appear before your eyes, but inside you can vividly imagine how the trading life of Sennaya was seething a century and a half ago.
Sennaya Square is the starting point for fascinating historical walks around St. Petersburg. On fine days you can breathe in the humid air of the canals on the Griboedov and Fontanka embankments. Following Griboyedov Street, you can walk to the Mariinsky Theatre, Lion's Bridge and the Conservatory. Yusupov Palace is also just a five-minute walk away. And on Gorokhovaya Street you will find the apartments of Pushkin and Gogol, Rasputin’s house and several old mansions from the 19th century.
Near Sennaya Square on Sadovaya Street, it is worth paying attention to house No. 37 - this is the building of the former Guardhouse, erected in 1820 according to the design of Italian architects.
Practical information
The vestibules of the Sadovaya, Spasskaya and Sennaya Ploshchad metro stations overlook the square.
The construction of Sennaya Square, one of the oldest in St. Petersburg, began under Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1737. A year before, the Marine Market, located not far from the current Palace Square, burned down. Fearing a recurrence of fires, city authorities decided to move the market away from the city center. To the south of the Bolshaya Perspektivnaya Road, which today is called Nevsky Prospekt, there was a vacant wooded area that was perfect for the construction of a new market square.
In the early years, they traded mainly in hay, straw and firewood on Sennaya Square, which is what accounts for its modern name. It is interesting to note that the hay was weighed directly from the cart on huge scales.
A street was built from Sennaya Market to Nevsky Prospekt, called Sennaya, and later renamed Sadovaya. In the 18th century it was the main shopping and merchant street of the city. Later, from Sennaya Square, a road was built strictly south leading in the direction of Moscow, Kyiv and the royal residence of the Tsarskoye Selo. Most guests entered St. Petersburg along this route. Thus, Sennaya Square, located at the entrance to the city center, also served as a kind of “entry” of St. Petersburg.
Many peasants traveling along the Moscow road to St. Petersburg to trade stopped at Sennaya Square to sell hay, straw, meat, fish, chickens, vegetables and butter. So at the beginning of the 19th century they began to trade products here. In spring and early summer, you could also buy trees and flowers at the Sennaya Market. At this time, the right side of the square turned into an impromptu garden, which, as a rule, disappeared by Trinity Day.
In the 1740s, construction began on the wooden Church of the Presentation of the Lord, which, however, was soon dismantled. In its place, in 1753-1765, a stone church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary grew up, built at the expense of the famous millionaire merchant Savva Yakovlev, who owned the southern half of Sennaya Square and the entire block from Sadovaya to Fontanka between Gorokhovaya Street and Obukhovsky Prospekt.
The Baroque Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was so beautiful and perfect that art historians for a long time believed that it was built by the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. However, today it is precisely established that the church was built by the wonderful Russian architect Andrei Vasilyevich Kvasov.
The five-domed, light and airy temple became the architectural dominant of the square. Capable of hosting up to 5 thousand believers, it was one of the largest churches in the Northern capital. People often called it Spas-on-Sennaya. In the 19th century, the temple was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded, as a result of which the architecture of the temple became somewhat heavier. The western portal of the temple was in perfect harmony with the portico of the building of the Sennoy Market Guardhouse, erected in 1818-1820 by V. I. Beretti for police supervision at the market. This modest ensemble served as a kind of propylaea at the entrance to the city center along Sadovaya Street. The one-story guardhouse building with a four-column portico is today practically the only building from the 19th century preserved on the square - the rest were destroyed during the war.
In the second half of the 19th century, Sennaya Square turned into one of the most crowded squares in St. Petersburg, and therefore the improvement of the square and the market located on it became an extremely urgent task. For this purpose, in 1883-1886, four buildings of the Haymarket food market were built according to the design of the architect I. Kitner. But, despite all the attempts of the city authorities to improve and ennoble Sennaya Square, dirty and crowded, it remained the hottest place in St. Petersburg. Many low-quality drinking establishments, brothels, flophouses and brothels were concentrated here.
In the early 1930s, work began on the reconstruction of Sennaya Square. The ancient buildings of the food market were destroyed, and the market itself, which in the spirit of the times began to be called the October collective farm market, was moved to a new location, to the beginning of Moskovsky Avenue. In the early 60s, a decision was made to blow up the Church of the Savior on Sennaya, which, according to the then mayors, did not represent any architectural or cultural value. In 1963, on the site of the temple, the ground vestibule of the Ploshchad Mira metro station was built.
In the 90s, Sennaya Square, which was returned to its historical name in 1991, consisted of endless rows of stalls and sales tents. People with low incomes came to Sennaya Square to buy food products, which were cheaper here than in other places. During the day, Sennaya was always full of people with string bags and huge bags of pasta, stewed meat and cereals, and at night the square turned into a huge garbage dump.
On June 10, 1999, a terrible tragedy took place on Sennaya Square. During rush hour, when there were many people in front of the metro station, the reinforced concrete canopy of the lobby suddenly collapsed. 7 people were killed, 12 were injured.
On the eve of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, large-scale reconstruction work began on Sennaya Square. Finally, the long-term construction was stopped (in the very center of the square the above-ground vestibule of the Sadovaya metro station was supposed to appear), which spoiled the appearance of this historical place. Trees were planted in the square, benches for rest were installed, and decorative paving of sidewalks was done. The unsightly-looking stalls disappeared, and in their place new shopping pavilions appeared, stylized as 19th-century St. Petersburg. During the celebration of the city's tercentenary, the solemn opening of the Peace Tower (sculptor Clara Halter, architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte), donated to the city by France, took place on Sennaya Square. The tower is a stela consisting of two transparent glass hemispheres, on which the word “peace” is engraved in 50 languages. It should be noted that Halter and Wilmott are the authors of a similar Wall of Peace, which is installed in Paris on the Champ de Mars. At the same time, a drinking fountain “Neptune” was installed near the square, the author of which belongs to the famous architect Thomas de Thomon.
A project to restore the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its historical site is currently being discussed. For this purpose, the lobby of the Sennaya metro station is planned to be moved deeper into the square and thus make room for the temple.
How to get there
Get to the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station. Coming out of the metro, you will find yourself right on the square.
Historical reference
1737 - construction of a new market square south of the Bolshaya Perspektivnaya Road - Nevsky Prospekt.
1753-1765 – construction of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Savior on Sennaya).
1818-1820 – construction of the Haymarket Guardhouse building (architect V.I. Beretti).
1883-1886 – construction of the Haymarket complex (architect I. Kitner, engineer G. Pauker and O. E. Krel).
1930s – reconstruction of the area.
1952 – Sennaya Square was renamed Peace Square.
1961 – the Church of the Savior on Sennaya is blown up.
1963 – the lobby of the metro station “Ploshchad Mira” (“Sennaya-1″) was built.
1991 – the square was returned to its historical name – Sennaya.
June 10, 1999 – tragedy near the Sennaya metro station (7 people died, 12 were injured).
2003 – large-scale restoration work is carried out on Sennaya Square.
Legends and myths
One of the stories around Sennaya Square is connected with the Savior on Sennaya, which stood here until 1961. Next to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary there was a forty-meter high three-tier bell tower, the largest bell of which weighed 542 pounds (almost 9 tons). In St. Petersburg they said that during the life of Savva Yakovlev, with whose money the temple was built, the bell was rung only with his personal permission, and that the tongue of this bell was tied with a chain, the key to which only Yakovlev had.
Another story is about the house of merchant Tairov, in which during the cholera epidemic of 1831 the main cholera hospital was set up. The mortality rate among the poor at that time was very high, but medical care, on the contrary, was at a rather low level. In addition, the police were rampant, tasked with sending anyone suspected of carrying the infection to cholera barracks.
All this caused a certain discontent, which constantly grew, reaching its climax on June 21, when a raging crowd on Sennaya Square stopped a carriage with sick people and freed them. Someone started a rumor that doctors do not treat the sick, but, on the contrary, deliberately spread the infection throughout the city. Particularly impressionable people, and there were quite a few of them, decided to teach the “pest” doctors a lesson. They burst into the hospital and, not really understanding who was right and who was wrong, began throwing doctors out of the windows. The guards regiments arrived in time and pacified the riot. There is another version, according to which Emperor Nicholas I calmed the angry crowd. He allegedly personally went out to the people and drank the medicine in front of the amazed crowd, thereby demonstrating that it did not pose any danger. By the way, an “illustration” of this legend can be seen on the pedestal of the monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac’s Square.
The story about Sennaya Square will be incomplete without mentioning the name of F. M. Dostoevsky. The writer often visited here, went to the Church of the Assumption, and walked along the nearby streets. At decisive moments, the heroes of Dostoevsky's novels found themselves on the Sennaya. Here Rodion Raskolnikov overheard a conversation about the old pawnbroker and planned to kill her, and then here, kneeling down, he repented of the crime he had committed in front of all the people. On Sennaya Square, Prince Myshkin, the hero of the novel “The Idiot,” exchanged his silver cross with a beggar for a tin one.
Sennaya Square
Sennaya Square The vast square, stretching from Bolshaya Sadovaya (now Sadovaya) Street to Fontanka, received the name Bolshaya on August 20, 1739. According to the Commission’s idea of the St. Petersburg building, there should have been “an area made for the import and sale of hay and firewood and other supplies.” The name remained only on paper, but otherwise the Commission’s proposals were implemented. An extensive trade arose on the square, divided into several areas, each of which was named depending on what was being sold on it: in the northern part of the square - the Equestrian area, near the Fontanka - the Sennaya area, and in the middle - the Sennaya and wood-burning area. Gradually the entire square began to be called the Senna; This name was first recorded in the St. Petersburg Gazette in 1764. By the beginning of the 19th century, part of the square adjacent to the Fontanka was built up, and a quadrangle remained at the intersection of Bolshaya Sadovaya with Konny Lane and Obukhovsky Prospekt (now Grivtsova Lane and Moskovsky Prospekt, respectively). Bargaining has not disappeared from the square; in 1885, when markets throughout the city were being roofed, covered shopping arcades were erected according to the design of Hieronymus Kitner, occupying the entire territory of the square. In the 1930s, these rows were dismantled, and the market was moved inside the neighboring block between the square and Fontanka, that is, to where Sennaya Square was originally located. On December 15, 1952, Sennaya Square became Peace Square. On October 4, 1991, the square was returned to its historical name.
Petersburg in street names. The origin of the names of streets and avenues, rivers and canals, bridges and islands. - St. Petersburg: AST, Astrel-SPb, VKT. Vladimirovich A.G., Erofeev A.D. 2009 .
Sennaya Square
Sennaya Square is located between Sadovaya Street and Moskovsky Prospekt. It arose at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1736, when the Marine Market, located near the current Palace Square, which, in addition to meat and Kalash rows, had rows where they sold firewood and hay, burned down, the market was moved to a vacant lot behind the wooden Gostiny Dvor. But soon, fearing a repeat of the fire, a place was allocated for the market in a free wooded area along the route of what is now Sadovaya Street. This is how a square arose where they began to trade in hay, straw and firewood. In 1739 it was named Big Square, and the adjacent lane was called Senny (now Brinko Lane). In the middle of the 18th century, horses, calves and all kinds of products were traded here, which is why the Big Square began to be called Horse Lane, and Sennaya Lane - Veal Lane. From the Sennaya Market, the name of the square - Sennaya - was firmly rooted at the end of the 18th century. Several names are associated with the Sennaya Market and Sennaya Square. So in the second half of the 18th century, Bolshaya Sadovaya Street (now Sadovaya) in the area between Nevsky and Voznesensky Prospekts was officially called Sennaya Street. In the place where the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station is now located, there was a small wooden church, then the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consecrated in 1765. Later, two chapels were added - in the name of the Savior and Archangel Michael. The five-domed church could accommodate up to five thousand people. It was better known under the name of the Savior on Sennaya. The pedestrian Sennaya Bridge, built in 1931 across the Griboyedov Canal, got its name from Sennaya Square. Currently, there is also a Sennaya market near the square, but not the one we talked about here. The iron trading buildings on Sennaya Square were demolished in the 1930s, and the market was moved to a new location (to the beginning of Moskovsky Prospekt). It was called the October collective farm market. In 1987, it was renamed Sennaya Market - in memory of the historical Sennaya Market on Sennaya Square. In 1952, Sennaya Square was renamed Peace Square. In 1991, the name Sennaya Square, which had existed for two centuries, was restored.
Why are they named like that? On the origin of the names of streets, squares, islands, rivers and bridges in Leningrad. - L.: Lenizdat. Gorbachevich K. S., Khablo E. P. 1967 .
See what "Sennaya Square" is in other dictionaries:
Sennaya Square- Sennaya Square is located between Sadovaya Street and Moskovsky Prospekt. It arose at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1736, when the Marine Market, located near the current Palace Square, burned down, where, in addition to the meat and Kalash rows, there were... Why are they named like that?
Sennaya Square: Sennaya Square is a square in Yekaterinburg. Sennaya Square is a square in Veliky Novgorod. Sennaya Square in the 18th century is part of Strastnoy Boulevard in Moscow. Sennaya Square is a square in the center of Nizhny Novgorod. Sennaya... ...Wikipedia
Sennaya Square- (In Petersburg) … Spelling dictionary of the Russian language
Sennaya Square (metro station, meanings) Sennaya Square names of metro stations: Metro station in St. Petersburg Metro station in Nizhny Novgorod (projected) See also Namesake stations of the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station ... Wikipedia
Sennaya Square names of metro stations: Metro station in St. Petersburg Metro station in Nizhny Novgorod (projected) See also Namesake metro stations ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Sennaya Square (meanings). Coordinates: 59°55′37.53″ N. w. 30°19′13.53″ E. d. / ... Wikipedia
Sennaya Square: Sennaya Square (from 1952 to 1992 Peace Square) is a square in the center of St. Petersburg, located at the intersection of Moskovsky Prospekt and Sadovaya Street. Sennaya Square (Nizhny Novgorod) Sennaya Square (Ekaterinburg) ... ... Wikipedia
It is proposed to rename this page. Explanation of the reasons and discussion on the Wikipedia page: Towards renaming / June 1, 2012. Perhaps its current name does not correspond to the norms of the modern Russian language and/or the rules for naming articles... ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Sennaya Square (meanings). “Sennaya Square” Avtozavodskaya line Nizhny Novgorod metro Opening date ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Sennaya Square (meanings). Sennaya Square Ekaterinburg General information District of the city Oktyabrsky Residential area Center Former names First May Square Sennaya Square (since 1919 Square ... ... Wikipedia
Books
- Walking around St. Petersburg (CDmp3), Guide - the most convenient and affordable way to get to know the city. - Virtual trip on a personal computer: photographs, descriptions of routes, the opportunity to explore and… Category: Other Series: Audiobooks. Guide Publisher: 1C, audiobook
- CD-ROM (MP3). Guide. Walking around St. Petersburg, Guide - the most convenient and affordable way to get to know the city. Virtual trip on a personal computer: photographs, descriptions of routes, the opportunity to explore and... Category:
The name “Sennaya Square” is not original. Such names exist in Kyiv and Odessa, and translated into various languages in many European cities. These areas have long been used for trading in fodder, including hay. Hence the name of the markets. And then the squares began to be called that way. Of course, now they do not trade in either hay or oats. And there are no markets for them now. But the names remained. In this article we will get acquainted with Sennaya Square, which is located in St. Petersburg. What is located on the site of this oldest market in the city on the Neva?
History of the square
In fact, the oldest bazaar in St. Petersburg was not located here. And it was called “Sea”. But in 1736-1737 there were large-scale fires in the city. The entire Morskaya Sloboda burned down, and with it the market. Then the government ordered to move the place of trade closer to the outskirts, behind where Moskovsky Avenue is now located, there was a large road. Merchants and peasants who wanted to sell their products to townspeople followed it to St. Petersburg. And at the gates of the city, the authorities ordered the forest to be cut down and a trading place to be established. This market was first called the Big Market, and then the Horse Market, since its specialization gradually crystallized - the sale of fodder. The name “Sennaya Square” appeared already at the end of the 18th century, when houses began to appear around the marketplace. At the same time, market specialization narrowed. Now they began to trade in hay, firewood and straw.
"The Belly of St. Petersburg"
The city gradually grew. At the beginning of the 19th century, Sennaya Square was no longer a suburb. But since the market was considered cheap and crowded (peasants did not pay trade taxes), the poor settled here. They sold hay and firewood from barns and carts. The square was surrounded by miserable shacks, dirty dens, and cheap taverns. The atmosphere of this area was similar to the world described by Zola in The Belly of Paris, but without the gloss of the French capital. The life of Sennaya Square was reflected in his novel “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Since petty fraud on the part of traders and pickpocketing flourished in the market, the authorities set up a place of punishment right there - as a warning to others. Those caught in the act were beaten with whips and whips in front of all the people. And later they began to punish runaway serfs there. In 1831, a cholera riot was suppressed by force on Sennaya Square, since the epidemic was more pronounced in the unsanitary conditions of the local slums. All attempts by the authorities to develop the area were unsuccessful. In the 1880s, four pavilions for trade were erected here. But the area was still synonymous for St. Petersburg residents with slums, smelly shelters, brothels and suspicious taverns.
Sennaya Square (St. Petersburg): attractions
What does a tourist look like in this place, which has long been a firewood market surrounded by the shacks of the poor? But there are several buildings on the square that are worthy of attention. The guardhouse is the oldest building that has survived to this day. It was built on the market to maintain order. According to the documents, Fyodor Dostoevsky himself was imprisoned. In the writer’s novel “Crime and Punishment” many episodes take place on Sennaya Square. In a tavern near her, Raskolnikov hears about an old moneylender, and a murder plot is born in him. On the same square, repentance comes to him, and he almost confesses to the crime he committed, kneeling in the middle of the Haymarket. But the people there, accustomed to such antics, don’t notice this.
Church of the Savior
But the most significant attraction of this place is the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station (St. Petersburg). This building has a long history. It is older than the city metro. As you know, no market in Rus' could do without a church or at least a chapel. There, sellers lit a candle for profitable trade. There was a similar wooden temple at the Senny Market. In 1753, the wealthy merchant Savva Yakovlev ordered the Russian architect Andrei Kvasov to build a larger stone church on the site of a small church. Erected in 1765, the temple was a striking example of the late Baroque. Five-domed, light and airy, it could accommodate up to five thousand people. The church was rebuilt three times, but it retained its Baroque appearance. The temple was spared by the bombing of German aircraft, but the Soviet authorities treated it worse than the occupiers. The fact is that in 1961 the church was blown up, and in its place a metro station lobby was built.
How to get to Sennaya Square
Naturally, it is easier to get to the “belly of St. Petersburg” by subway. The metro station (blue line) goes directly to the square. Plus the lobby is kind of a sad historical landmark. After the revolution, the market was called Oktyabrsky, and in the 30s it was completely liquidated. In 1991, the place was returned to its previous name (instead of Peace Square - Sennaya Square). Once upon a time, in the center stood a stele donated by the French for the 300th anniversary of the city. But now it has been dismantled. Sennaya Square can also be reached by land transport. These are tram number 3 and buses number 49 and 181.
Sennaya Square is one of the oldest in St. Petersburg. Previously, this was a trading area, a hot spot that was notorious among city residents. The negative image of Sennaya was also promoted by the presence of a guardhouse on it, as well as a special scaffold for public punishment of criminals. Everyone knows the famous poem by Nekrasov, in which a young peasant woman was beaten with a whip on Sennaya for attempting to escape.
The square is often mentioned in Dostoevsky's works. Once the writer ended up in the local guardhouse - memories of this event were etched into his memory.
Sennaya is located at the intersection of two major transport arteries of the city on the Neva - Sadovaya Street and Moskovsky Prospekt. This made the square crowded and lively and, at the same time, made it one of the most problematic places in St. Petersburg.
In the 18th century, hay was actively traded on the square - the name of the object is connected with this fact.
The history of Sennaya began in 1737, when the market located in Morskaya Sloboda completely burned down in St. Petersburg. For the safety of city residents, it was decided to move the shopping arcades from the center to the outskirts.
In the free area beyond the Moika River, a dense forest was cut down. In the area freed from trees, a square with trading pavilions and places for selling hay and firewood was equipped.
Merchants arriving in St. Petersburg along the road now called Moskovsky Prospekt did not reach the city center and unloaded their goods on Sennaya. The market on the square was considered very cheap, so it was always crowded.
Residential and commercial buildings gradually began to be built around the square, and a wooden temple was erected.
In the mid-19th century, a terrible disaster came to St. Petersburg - cholera. The epidemic has reached enormous proportions due to a lack of hospitals, doctors and the lack of proper treatment methods. The lack of education of the population also contributed to the tragedy - working people and peasants were sure that hospitals were not treating cholera, but, on the contrary, they were infecting it.
On June 22, tens of thousands of dissatisfied St. Petersburg residents came to Sennaya Square and threatened to destroy the Infectious Diseases Hospital. Emperor Nicholas I ordered the guards to restore order. Forceful methods did not produce results, and then the king personally arrived at the square. According to official historiography, the sovereign kissed the man closest to him and assured everyone that the disease would soon recede. The popular revolt, called cholera, was stopped in the bud.
During Soviet times, the market was partially dismantled and moved to the entrance to the city. The buildings around Sennaya Square have been renovated. In 1952, the old toponym was replaced by a new one - Peace Square. The new name lasted until 1991, when the facility was returned to its previous name.
Sennaya fully confirmed its reputation as a hot spot in the 1990s. The cheapest food in St. Petersburg was sold in stalls and tents, which led to crowds of citizens. At night, homeless people slept in the market; the crime situation in the square was considered the most unhealthy in the city.
One of the most tragic pages in the history of the square was 1999, when the canopy of the lobby of the Sennaya Ploshchad station collapsed on metro passengers. As a result of the incident, 7 people died.
In 2003, the implementation of the plan for the reconstruction of Sennaya began. Trees were planted on the square, the Neptune fountain was built, and beautiful benches were installed.
Nowadays, Sennaya is still one of the most important shopping areas in St. Petersburg, but the well-groomed area allows it to be considered an excellent place for recreation for citizens and guests of the Northern capital.
Sights of Sennaya Square
Experts consider the destruction of the Church of the Savior on Sennaya to be one of the heaviest architectural losses in St. Petersburg.
The church was built in 1765 with the money of the richest merchant of Russia S. Yakovlev. The temple project was developed by the architect A. Kvasov. It was a stunning five-domed building in the Baroque style, a real decoration of this part of St. Petersburg.
There could be 5 thousand parishioners in the church at a time. The height of the bell tower of the Savior on Sennaya was 70 meters: for a long time this building was the second tallest after the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The temple survived the revolutionary times and the years of the Second World War, but was demolished in 1961 during the construction of the metro lobby.
In 2016, a plan for the restoration of the Savior on Sennaya and its bell tower was adopted. Fundraising is currently underway to implement this idea. At the time of writing (11/13/2017), no work is being carried out on Sennaya Square.
In 1820, the architect V. Beretti completed the construction of a building in the classicist style on Sennaya Square, which it was decided to use as a guardhouse.
Architecturally, the building is a classic urban pavilion with a portico supported by four Doric columns. Beretti oriented the portico towards the entrance to the Church of the Savior on Sennaya.
The building housed a military guard. Detained criminals were also kept here. In the courtyard of the house there were outbuildings, which were separated from the square by a metal fence.
In 1886, the guardhouse building was converted into a laboratory that studied the quality of products at the Sennaya Market. During Soviet times, the pavilion was used as a bus station.
Trade is still going on briskly on Sennaya Square. One of the first malls in St. Petersburg was the Sennaya shopping center, where tourists can combine shopping with relaxation in excellent conditions. The first floor of the complex is dedicated to numerous boutiques and shops. Here you can also use the services of hairdressers, beauty salons and dry cleaners.
On the second floor there are cafes and restaurants, on the third there is a bowling center and a billiard room.
One of the few markets located in the historical center of St. Petersburg. From the Sadovaya metro station, this place can be reached on foot in 5 m. Every day, the Sennaya Market is visited by more than 25 thousand city residents.
The retail establishment is famous for the quality of its products. The administration has entered into agreements with the best farms in the Leningrad region, supplying Sennaya with selected vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy products, fish, etc.
In 1998, a complete reconstruction of the Sennaya Market was carried out, thanks to which it became modern, convenient and safe.
Another large shopping and entertainment center on Sennaya Square is the PIK shopping and entertainment center. This is a large five-story building with a huge number of shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes. On the fifth floor there are panoramic windows that offer a magnificent view of the historical part of the city on the Neva.
The shopping center houses a huge cinema, a billiard room, a children's amusement hall, and a grocery hypermarket.
The Neptune fountain was installed on Sennaya Square in 2003 at the height of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. This historical monument was created by the French architect Jean-François Thomas de Thomon in 1809. Initially, the object was located on the Tsarskoye Selo road and was used as a watering station for horses.
The appearance of the fountain is quite simple and at the same time elegant: Thomas de Thomon placed a bronze bas-relief of Neptune on the rounded antique stele.
In 2015, information appeared that the St. Petersburg road department plans to remove the Neptune fountain from the square and use the free space to expand the highway. Residents of the area demanded that this decision be reversed. As of November 13, 2017, the situation is frozen, the fountain is in the same place.
