those who served the court of her predecessors. After going through all the architects in St. Petersburg, the Empress was convinced that Francesco Rastrelli is the best. Therefore, Francesco started serving to the Empress only in 1744. In the period 1744–1760 he built all his famous buildings: Summer Palace (destroyed, built up by the Engineering Castle) wooden Winter Palace on the Nevsky (destroyed, urban high-rise buildings) stone Winter Palace (there is, the main building of the Hermitage Museum) Smolny Cathedral and Monastery with four churches and cells Palace for Chancellor Vorontsov (Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg, rebuilt as a military school) Stroganov Palace, (it is a branch of the State Russian Museum now) palace in Tsarskoe Selo (restored, Tsarskoe Selo (museum-reserve)) completion and decoration of the interiors of Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. Ten extant buildings by Rastrelli Boris Vipper has speculated that Rastrelli's last (and unfinished) design was for the Neoclassical Zaļenieki Manor near Mitava. Demolished buildings Posthumous glory Rastrelli is a cult figure of the Russian Baroque. His engravings with landscapes of Tsarskoe Selo were spread throughout Europe during Rastrelli's lifetime, and there are some examples in the collections of Ukraine and Germany. A bust of Rastrelli was installed in Tsarskoye Selo. The second bust of the famous architect was installed on St. Manege Square in St. Petersburg. A square in front of the Smolny Convent has borne Rastrelli's name since 1923. In 1972, the documentary Architect Rastrelli was made (directed by Maria Kligman, Lennauchfilm, Russia). He is the subject of a composition, Rastrelli in Saint Petersburg, written in 2000 by Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero. A quartet of Russian cellists, including Kirill Kravtsov, Mikhail Degtyarev, Kirill Timofeev, and Sergei Drabkin, is called Rastrelli. The quartet works in Germany and plays music from the Baroque to modern times. References External links Italian Baroque architects Russian Baroque architects Rococo architects 18th-century Italian architects 18th-century architects from the Russian Empire Italian emigrants to the Russian Empire 1700 births 1771 deaths Court of Elizabeth of Russia