Dmitry Ukhtomsky

Prince Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky (Russian: Дмитрий Васильевич Ухтомский; 1719–1774) was the chief architect of Moscow, Russian Empire during the reign of Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Ukhtomsky was born in a village to the north of the city Yaroslavl, where his Rurikid ancestors used to be rulers. At the age of 12, he moved to Moscow and studied there at the School of Mathematics and Navigation until 1733. He studied architecture and worked at Ivan Michurin's workshop until 1741, later working for Ivan Korobov (1741–1743). In 1742, Korobov supported Ukhtomsky's nomination for his first professional title and delegated him the management of a firm. In 1744, Ukhtomsky acquired a full architect's license and the rank of captain in state hierarchy. Ukhtomsky's first public successes were the temporary pavilions and arched for the coronation of Empress Elisabeth I of Russia in 1742. In 1753-1757 he rebuild one of these arched into landmark Red Gates, which stood until 1927. Since the 1740s, he built numerous buildings in nearby Basmanny District, notably the extant Church of Martyr Nikita, the largest mature Baroque building in Moscow. The grand bell-tower of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, 81 meters tall, was one of several projects where Ukhtomsky worked first with his mentor Michurin, and then independently until 1760.