The Jordan Staircase at the Hermitage
The Jordan (Ambassadors’) Staircase is the ceremonial entrance to the Winter Palace and one of the strongest first impressions in the Hermitage. It is Room 1: this is where the tour of the state interiors begins, and almost every route through the museum starts here.
Architecture
The staircase was created in the mid-18th century by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli — pure, triumphant Baroque. Broad flights rise through a double-height space flooded with light from tall windows and multiplied by mirrors. The eye is drawn upward to a painted ceiling of sky and clouds, so that the ceiling seems to dissolve.
The full wealth of palace decoration is deliberately gathered here:
- white marble steps and gilded stucco on the walls;
- statues and vases in niches and along the balustrade;
- mighty columns of grey Serdobol granite (installed during the restoration in place of the earlier ones), visually carrying the upper tier.
The effect is precisely judged: as you climb, you feel like a participant in a court ceremony.
The painted ceiling and sculpture
Crowning the space is a great painted ceiling of the Olympian gods among clouds: the ceiling seems to open into the sky, and the staircase appears to rise into infinity. In niches and along the parapets stand allegorical statues — Wisdom, Justice, Grandeur, Abundance and other virtues meant to accompany the visitor ascending to the court. Gilded stucco, white marble, mirrors and painting together create the “parade” effect Rastrelli was after: this is the entrance not to a house but to an empire. Compare its severe splendour with other interiors — the Malachite Room or the St George Hall — each has its own character, but the Jordan Staircase sets the tone for the whole visit.
Why “Jordan” and “Ambassadors’”
The staircase has two historic names. It was called the Ambassadors’ because foreign envoys arriving for an audience at court ascended it. It was called the Jordan because at Epiphany a religious procession went down from the palace to a “Jordan” ice-hole on the Neva for the blessing of the waters, and the procession passed along this very staircase.
The 1837 fire and restoration
Like the whole palace, the staircase was badly damaged in the great fire of 1837. The restoration was led by the architect Vasily Stasov, who carefully repeated Rastrelli’s design while replacing some of the earlier wooden columns with sturdier granite ones. So the Baroque masterpiece has come down to us almost in its original form. For more on the fire, see the Winter Palace.
A visitor’s tip
The Jordan Staircase is one of the most photographed spots in the Hermitage, and it is crowded in the daytime. To catch it without the throng, come right at opening or look in again near closing time. As you climb, don’t hurry — turn and look back and up: from different points on the staircase you best see the sweep of Rastrelli’s design, the play of mirrors and the ceiling overhead.
How to find it
The Jordan Staircase is Room 1, the very start of the route on the first floor. It is the natural place to begin the one-day itinerary; find your bearings with the floor plan.
FAQ
Which room number is the Jordan Staircase? Room 1 of the Winter Palace — the ceremonial entrance where the visit begins.
Why is it called the Jordan Staircase? After the Epiphany procession to a “Jordan” ice-hole on the Neva, which passed down this staircase.
Who built it? Rastrelli, in the Baroque style; after the 1837 fire it was restored by Vasily Stasov.
Where should I start a Hermitage visit? Right here, at the Jordan Staircase (Room 1), going up into the state rooms of the first floor.
This is an unofficial, informational website. The availability of rooms changes — confirm details on the official museum website.