Published on: 2026-08-25
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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The “Grotto” Pavilion is a unique architectural monument of the 18th century. It is one of the main attractions of the Kuskovo estate. The whimsical decoration made from thousands of sea shells transports visitors to a fantastic underwater kingdom, and the view of the estate pond complements this illusion. “Mosbilet” told how specialists take care of the architectural pearl of the estate.
A masterpiece of the German master and serf architect
Count Pyotr Sheremetev built the pavilion in 1761 according to the design of his serf architect Fyodor Argunov. The decoration of the building took 14 years. The invited German master Johann Focht combined 24 types of sea shells in the pavilion’s decoration. Shells from tropical seas (the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans) were embedded in the walls and ceilings. Among them were rare ones such as the common turritella, trumpet tun shell, pelican’s foot, sea ear, painted pearl oyster, and many others.
The central rotunda of the pavilion and its two wings are situated on a stylobate in the form of three smooth steps. The left cabinet is decorated with shells from the northern seas in muted tones, while the right one, brighter due to the sunny side, has become a treasury of southern seas. The rotunda is adorned with wooden columns painted to resemble marble and gilded stucco decorations. The facade is executed in the Rococo style with rich stucco work, lion masks on the windows, and statues of ancient deities.
In the summer, distinguished guests were received in the cool pavilion. Empress Catherine II herself drank tea here, admiring through the windows the exotic birds swimming on the pond. And the last owner of the Kuskovo estate, Sergey Sheremetev, placed a personal museum with various curiosities in the “Grotto.”
After the revolution, the fate of the “Grotto” was under threat. The unique monument was turned into a beer hall, and only in the early 1960s was the pavilion restored to museum status. In 1977, the declining “Grotto” was mothballed, and in 2017, a large-scale restoration of the masterpiece began.
“Due to the careless attitude of visitors, almost all the frescoes on the lower levels were lost, but on the upper parts of the walls and on the ceiling they remained in their original condition. However, the plaster on the ceiling had detached from the base and threatened collapse. The pavilion’s foundation and its supporting structures were also in an emergency condition,” said Sergey Avdonin, director of the Ostankino and Kuskovo museum-reserve.
About 500 thousand shells
The work on the pavilion began with strengthening the foundation and restoring the waterproofing. Specialists made over 150 shafts for injections of special reinforcing solutions. To restore the shell decoration, about 90,000 shells were brought from the Mediterranean, Japanese, Baltic, and Caribbean seas. The “Grotto” was restored based on historical photographs, carefully selecting each detail.
Sergey Avdonin added that initially about 500,000 shells were used for the pavilion decoration. For restoration, at least 120,000 shells were ordered from around the world. Specialists were also assisted by the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The difficulty was that modern species differ from the shells of the 18th century, due to climate change. And some of them, such as the noble pen shell, are prohibited from being exported. Therefore, craftsmen created exact replicas from polymers, porcelain, and ceramics.
To avoid damaging the fragile shells, they were restored and reinforced right on site. Over two years, 15 specialists performed meticulous work, repairing damaged shells and mounting them into the ceiling and walls using sturgeon glue.
Experts from the All-Russian Art Scientific-Restoration Center named after Academician I.E. Grabar restored eight statues of Roman gods on the facade, sculptures in the niches, and unique shell panels inside the pavilion. The craftsmen recreated the painting of the interior decoration, restored the plaster coating and rich stucco decor, regilded the door and window grilles, restored lost elements of the balustrade and decorative vases, painted the facades, and covered them with a special protective compound.
Today, the museum-reserve staff carefully monitor the preservation of the only grotto with shell decorations in Russia.
In the unheated pavilion, a constant temperature is maintained without sudden fluctuations. Every spring, specialists check for leaks in the roof: water can wash away the plaster and glue that hold the shells. To preserve the decor, visitor access to the offices is prohibited. Therefore, guests can admire the sea treasures only from a distance. Craftsmen regularly clean the shells with special brushes, and carefully vacuum the dust from the joints between them.
Since its restoration, the “Grotto” pavilion has been visited by over a million residents and tourists of the capital. Tickets to the Kuskovo estate can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
“Mosbilet” — the official service on the mos.ru portal, through which you can purchase tickets to theaters, museums, concert halls, and other institutions under the Moscow Department of Culture, without commissions or markups. The service page features announcements of the most anticipated events, season premieres, activities within city festivals, exhibitions, performances, and concerts that will take place over the upcoming weekend.
You can buy a ticket directly through the service. For events that require personal data to purchase a ticket, it is not necessary to enter the visitor’s last name, first name, patronymic, and information: if the user has a standard or full account, it is enough to leave the default value Mos ID in the document selection field. Mandatory fields must be filled in manually if the account is simplified. When booking tickets for young guests through the service, all data must be entered only by the accompanying adult. For children under 14, only last name, first name, patronymic, and date of birth can be indicated; when attending cultural events, showing the child’s document is not required.
In addition, authorized users will be able to open QR codes in the mobile applications “My Moscow,” “My id,” and “Moscow Public Services.”
The mos.ru portal is the core of the capital’s digital ecosystem. Today, it offers more than 460 services that help solve almost any issue online. In a convenient digital format, you can pay bills, check your child’s school grades and schedule, submit meter readings, book a veterinary appointment for your pet, buy tickets to plays and concerts, and much more. To ensure reliable access to important digital services, experts recommend using “Yandex Browser” or installing certificates on your device. Ministry of Digital Development of Russia.
A large-scale resource appeared on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key areas of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector. The special project helps to learn how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives allowing to make the lives of city residents even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage, and Leisure Industry” you can learn about how architectural monuments are preserved in the capital.
Moscow is the cultural center of the country and ranks among the leading megacities in terms of the number of museums and exhibition halls. The city has established a film cluster that unites the Moskino Film Factory on Ryazansky Prospect, the Gorky Film Studio, and the Moskino Film Park.
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