Irkutsk > Decorating wooden buildings > Shelashnikov's mansion

Shelashnikov's mansion

Governor Konstantin Shelashnikov's mansion sparked numerous city legends. Although little of this 19th-century architectural landmark is extant today, you can still admire individual fragments of its wood-carved facade decorations. The first draft of the mansion was produced by Irkutsk architect Alexei Razgildyaev in 1847 following a request from special commission officer K. Daragan.

It was a log construction assembled in the round saddle-notch technique and planked to imitate rustication. Windows in the central part of the mansion were embellished with arch-like decorations and crowns imitating architectural stone elements. This shows that traditions shaped by famous Irkutsk architect Alexei Losev, author of 18th-century stone buildings, were supported by his successors. Wood carvings became the key element of decor in buildings of the late 19th century.

Floors were divided by wide friezes made of square cavities with round rosettes. The entablement rested upon double fluted columns and their capitals and feet were embellished with carved-out floral patterns. The main tier was separated from the rest of the building by a meander frieze. Wooden hood moulds above windows were also decorated with relief carvings.