The story of a people's unwavering dedication to an 18th-century Russian palace and of the enduring beauty they struggled to preserve. Constructed by Maria Feodorovna, Catherine the Great's daughter-in-law, Pavlovsk was the distillation of the most exquisite architecture, landscape design and decorative arts of the 18th century. When all Russian culture was threatened with obliteration by the Nazis in this century, Russians hid thousands of priceless objets d'art from the palace at the risk of their own lives. During the 900-day siege of nearby Leningrad, Pavlovsk was burned to the ground. The survivors returned to Pavlovsk determined to restore the palace to its original splendour. The photographs in this book document their work, revealing the old palace, the ruins and Pavlovsk today, a symbol of the Russian spirit.