Background
Montferrand was born in the parish of Chaillot, France (now the 16th arrondissement of Paris). He was styled at birth Henri Louis Auguste Leger Ricard dit de Montferrand; the aristocratic de was probably his parents' invention.
Commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia (2014)
Montferrand was born in the parish of Chaillot, France (now the 16th arrondissement of Paris). He was styled at birth Henri Louis Auguste Leger Ricard dit de Montferrand; the aristocratic de was probably his parents' invention.
In 1806, Montferrand joined the former Académie d'architecture, joining class of Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine.
He was called upon to serve in Napoleon's armies. After the defeat of Napoleon's forces, de Montferrand began to look for work as an architect abroad, and during the occupation of Paris was granted an audience with Alexander I, presenting the Russian Emperor with an album of his drawings.
The architect arrived in St. Petersburg in 1816, with a letter of recommendation from the renowned watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet to Augustin de Betancourt, head of the Commission for Construction and Hydraulics. Despite his lack of experience, he was selected as the architect for the rebuilding of St. Isaac's Cathedral almost immediately, although his designs were not officially approved until 1818. Meanwhile, he worked with Betancourt on the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, where the surviving Saviour Cathedral is a clear precursor of St. Isaac's. In 1821, he designed the Cathedral of St. Spyridon of Trimythous in the Admiralty building.
De Montferrand's 1818 designs for St. Isaac's were the subject of intense scrutiny, and received heavy criticism from other architects, who claimed the plans were structurally unsound. A second contest was announced to rework the plans, which de Montferrand again won (although even the architect himself admitted the truth of his peers' criticisms), and his revised plans were approved in 1825. Construction of the cathedral and its fabulous interiors took a further 23 years (it took a decade alone to source the 48 red granite columns of the main portico), and de Montferrand supervised every aspect of the building and decorating, with contributions from some of the greatest artists of the day, including Karl and Alexander Bryullov and Peter Clodt.
He was also assisted by several of his countrymen. The mathematician Gabriel Lame and the engineer and physicist Beonoit Paul Emile Clapeyron, both teachers at the Institute of Transport, provided the calculations for the cathedral's dome. The sculptor Henri Lemaire created two bas-reliefs for the northern and eastern gables, and Charles de Steuben assisted in the painting of the cathedral's frescoes. De Montferrand almost shared the tragic fate of his fellow countryman Jean-Francoise Thomas de Thomon when, in November 1837, he fell from the scaffolding around the cathedral's dome. Fortunately, he was caught by some of the workers.
While the cathedral was being constructed, Auguste de Montferrand fulfilled several other commissions, overseeing the repair and completion of Kazan Cathedral (1827-1837), and designing the Alexander Column on Palace Square as a memorial to his mentor, Alexander I (1829-1834). His final project was the Monument to Nicholas I in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral, commissioned by Alexander II in 1856.
St. Isaac's Cathedral was completed and eventually opened on 30 May 1858. A little over a month later, on 10 July, Auguste de Montferrand died at the age of 72. His wish to be buried in St. Isaac's Cathedral was not granted as he had not converted to the Orthodox faith, and his remains were returned to Paris, where he was buried in the Cimitiere de Monmartre.
Monferrand was married twice, the first wife's name is unknown. In 1835, Montferrand married Elise Debonniere, an actress who had arrived in St. Petersburg nine years earlier. The relationship began in the 1820s and lasted until his death.