Znamenskoye-Rayok, Neoclassical estate in Torzhok District, Russia.
Znamenskoye-Rayok is a neoclassical estate in the Tver region with a substantial main residence. The main house connects to side wings through a curved colonnade of 136 columns that vary in height, creating a unified and symmetrical composition.
Construction of the stone estate began in 1781 beside the Church of the Sign, built in stone in 1766–1768 by General-in-Chief Ivan Fyodorovich Glebov, and was finished in July 1787 for his son Fyodor. The architect was Nikolai Lvov, though no documentary proof of his authorship has been found. In 1888 the Glebov-Streshnev descendants sold the estate to Princess Alexandra Dubasova, wife of Admiral Fyodor Dubasov. After 1917 it was nationalized and served as a rest home and, during the war of 1941–1945, a military hospital.
The estate's name comes from the Church of the Sign of the Mother of God (Znamenie), built in stone in 1766–1768 by Ivan Fyodorovich Glebov beside an older wooden church. Before the 1917 revolution the church held the Glebov family icons, including one of Saint Nicholas of Myra and several icons painted by Borovikovski. The oval colonnade encloses a cour d'honneur, and a columned gate in the form of a triumphal arch faces the house at the head of a long avenue.
The estate lies in the village of Rayok, Tver Oblast, roughly midway between Tver and Torzhok near Marino. The colonnade, wings and main house stand around a flat oval cour d'honneur; the church and the surviving upper and middle ponds of the cascade lie within the park. The site is a federal cultural heritage property, and restoration plans were backed by President Vladimir Putin in 2024.
The oval courtyard is closed by a colonnade punctuated by four pavilions with Greek pediments and topped by cupolas. Facing the house stands a columned gateway shaped like a triumphal arch, opening onto a long formal avenue. The house itself is crowned by a belvedere whose drum is pierced by semicircular windows.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,695 contributors worldwide.