Испания и Россия в судьбе Агустина де Бетанкура

Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия: История России. 2025. Т. 24. № 1. С. 44–57.

Volosyuk O. V.

The article examines the main stages of the career of the Spanish engineer Agustin de Betancourt, who had a significant influence on the development of engineering in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century and made a significant contribution to the formation of the country's cultural heritage. Particular attention is paid to poorly studied aspects of his biography: the reasons behind his move from Spain to Russia and the role played by the Russian ambassador in Madrid Ivan Muravyov-Apostol, as well as clarifying certain previously unknown details of his stay in the Russian Empire. Based on documents from Russian and Spanish archives (AVPRI, GARF, National Historical Archive, General Archive of the Indies, Historical Archive of the Nobility), and on documents from Orotava Foundation in the Canary Islands, as well as on memoirs, the study traces the subtleties of the scholar’s relationship with Emperor Alexander I, whose favorable disposition initially granted Betancourt a complete carte-blanche in his work. The article explains the reasons for the disgrace of Spanish engineer, which led to the “oblivion” of his contribution to the architectural and engineering landscape of St. Petersburg for almost a century and demonstrates that apart from the monarch’s displeasure, the architect Auguste de Montferrand played a certain role, effectively claiming sole credit for the joint work of the Spanish engineer and the French architect.

Keywords: Russian-Spanish relations, российско-испанские отношения, Agustín de Betancourt, Агустин де Бетанкур, Filipp Vigel, Филипп Вигель