Senate and Synod Building

Both the Senate and Synod originally occupied the building of the Twelve Collegia.{{citation needed|date= June 2024}}

The first building on the current site of these institutions was the half-timbered house of Prince Alexander Menshikov, who fell from grace and saw his house on the Neva Embankment (on the portion now known as the English Embankment) become the property of Vice-Chancellor Andrey Osterman. In 1744, Empress Elizabeth granted the house to Chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who had a Baroque building erected for himself.{{citation needed|date= June 2024}}

After the accession of Catherine the Great, Bestuzhev-Ryumin's house passed to the treasury and the Senate took up residence there, having been rebuilt by architect Alexander Vista. During the 1780s and 1790s, Bestuzhev's Baroque house was rebuilt once again, with its facades receiving a new, classicist architectural treatment. The name of the architect who designed the building reconstruction project is unknown. Based on the drawing of the western façade of the building, which is preserved in the collection of the Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts, it is believed that the project was created by architect Ivan Starov.{{citation needed|date= June 2024}}

In 1806–1823, with the construction of the Admiralty Building, the previous buildings on Senate Square no longer matched the new appearance. There was a need for reconstruction and a competition was held for the design of new buildings for the Senate and Synod.[http://www.citywalls.ru/house6937.html Здание Правительствующего Сената] на сайте Citywalls.ru[http://gov.spb.ru/culture/culture_history/arcitecture/arch_ensemble/dekabristov/senate Сенат и Синод] на официальном сайте Администрации Санкт-Петербурга[http://www.rian.ru/society/20091013/188655283.html Здания Сената и Синода в г. Санкт‑Петербурге. Справка] — «РИАН.Ру» On 24 August 1829, construction of the Senate building began, and in 1830, that of the Synod buildings. Construction was completed in 1834 under the supervision of architect Alexander Staubert and designed by Carlo Rossi.{{citation needed|date= June 2024}}

From 1925 to 2006, the building was used as headquarters of the Russian State Historical Archive.[http://www.newsru.com/russia/29mar2006/ksrf.html Здания Сената и Синода в Петербурге освобождают к приезду Конституционного суда] NEWSru 29 March 2006.

In December 2005, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg proposed using the Senate and Synod building for a highest court headquarters or a museum.[http://www.regnum.ru/news/561323.html В зданиях Сената и Синода может быть Конституционный суд Российской Федерации или музей (Санкт-Петербург)] Regnum.ru 16 December 2005. This idea was initially proposed by then-speaker of the Federation Council, Sergey Mironov, in October of that year.[http://www.newsru.com/russia/06oct2005/ks.html Спикер СФ Миронов собирается перенести Конституционный суд в Санкт-Петербург] NEWSru 6 October 2005. On March 22, 2006, the State Duma adopted a law in the first reading to transfer the Constitutional Court from Moscow to St. Petersburg.[http://www.newsru.com/russia/22mar2006/ks.html Госдума в первом чтении одобрила переезд КС России из Москвы в Петербург] NEWSru 22 March 2006.

On 27 May 2008, the first session of the Constitutional Court took place in the Senate and Synod building.[http://www.newsru.com/russia/27may2008/novosel.html Конституционный суд переехал в Петербург, но работа стоит: нет ни персонала, ни оборудования] NEWSru 27 May 2008.

In May 2008, a project to reconstruct the former Synod building was unveiled to house the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library. As part of the project, the library provided for the possible placement of patriarchal chambers and apartments for the President of Russia, with separate entrances leading to the recreated general presence hall for meetings between secular and religious authorities.[http://kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=891418 Президент и патриарх встретятся в библиотеке] Kommersant 14 May 2008. The library was opened on 27 May 2009, and since then the building has housed the Patriarch's office, as well as a representative area for the Russian president, including an office and a reception room. On the same day, Patriarch Kirill performed a minor consecration ceremony for the restored house church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils and presided over a session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church for the first time since it had been held in the Synod building during the synodal era.[http://patriarhia.ru/db/text/657435.html Предстоятель Русской Церкви совершил освящение восстановленного храма в историческом здании Синода в Санкт-Петербурге] patrirchia.Ru 27 May 2009.[http://patriarhia.ru/db/text/657694.html В Санкт-Петербурге под председательством Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла открылось заседание Священного Синода Русской Православной Церкви] patrirchia.Ru 27 May 2009.

File:Центральная лестница.jpg|The Grand Staircase

File:Большой Конференц-зал Библиотеки им. Б.Н. Ельцина.jpg|The Great Conference Room

File:Конференц-зал Библиотеки им. Б.Н. Ельцина.jpg|The Conference Room

File:Putin in the Constitutional Court.jpg|The Courtroom

• The Senate Palace (Moscow)

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{{Commons category|Senate & Sinod building}}

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Category:Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg

Category:1834 establishments in the Russian Empire

Category:Tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg

Category:Buildings and structures in Saint Petersburg

Category:Government buildings completed in 1834

Category:Neoclassical architecture in Russia

Category:Carlo Rossi buildings and structures