Architect. He was a prolific Italian architect, who was known for his Neoclassical architecture in the Russian Empire, especially St. Petersburg during the end of the 18th century. He was likewise known for promoting Palladian architecture. He was appointed to the post of royal court architect by the Empress Catherine the Great, but when her son Paul I came to reign, he fell from favor and had a decade with very little commissions. Fearing for his life for political reasons during Paul I's reign, he joined the Roman Catholic religious order, the Order of Malta, which was under Pavel's protection, and he served the church as their architect until 1800. During this period, he visited his homeland for several short visits. He returned to serve the Russian Royal Court with the reign of Alexander I. He was named "Grand Architect of all the Russias." Born Giacomo Antonio Domenico Quarenghi, one of four children of a painter of noble birth, Leone Melchiore Alosio Quarenghi, he first studied painting before turning to an interest in architecture. He was fortunate enough to be sent to Rome in 1763 to study under several revered masters before studying with architects. At that time, Rome was considered the center of artistic Italian life. After traveling about Italy to study, he was commission in 1771 to rebuild the church of Santa Scolastica in Subiaco. Outside of Italy, he had commissions in France and England, including the Roman Catholic chapel of Henry Arundell at New Wardour Castle. At age 30, he married for the first time to Maria Fortunata. In 1779 Baron Friedrich Grimm secured him with an invitation to Russia from Empress Catherine the Great. He accepted the invitation planning to stay only months yet stayed the rest of his career, settling his family in Tsarskoe Selo. His first major architectural commission in the city was for the Hermitage Theatre, completed in 1787. He designed private homes, public bath houses, schools, churches, hospitals, the Alexander Palace in 1793, the Throne Room in the Winter Palace in 1795, and other structures including bridges, parks and even monuments such as the Narva Triumphal Arch in 1814 near the end of his career. Before Catherine II's death, she presented her grandson Alexander with his wedding present of the Alexander Palace. He was also responsible for the reconstruction of some buildings around Red Square in Moscow in neo-Palladian style. Positioned along the banks of River Neva, his buildings give the city of St. Petersburg an exquisite yet stately character. Besides St. Petersburg, his architect can be found in other cities such as Moscow, Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selò and elsewhere including Ukraine. His English Palace at Peterhof was destroyed during the Nazi invasion of World War II. In 1805, he became a corresponding member of the Imperial Academy of Arts and recognized as Russian nobility. He mainly retired after 1808, yet rebuilt in 1814 the Anglican Church, which was erected on St. Petersburg's English Embankment. In the 21st century, the church is used as a concert hall. He was given the Order of St. Vladimir of the First Order in 1814. A gifted artist, his ink or watercolor drawings of buildings, which were mainly done in his early career, can be found today displayed in Bergamo, Venice, Russia and the United States in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. These drawings, when available, have been sold in 2005 for nearly $17,000 at Christie's Auction House. Although he was easily recognized as a genius, he has been described by his critics as a "short and ugly" man with a loud voice. Artists have painted his portrait, giving him the image of a clown. He married twice and had a total of thirteen children, who mostly returned to Italy. In 2017 the city of Citta Bassa marked the 200th anniversary of his death with a program of events to honor him. The city's library, La Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai, has over 750 architectural designs of his on DVD with English captions.