The 2nd floor of the Agate Pavilion seen across the Hanging Garden

The Agate Rooms run along the "Hanging Garden" from the northern side. Below them is the Cold bath-house; which cannot now be visited, having grown very old and requiring extensive restoration.

It seems, that the building of the Agate Pavilion was done by the master mason Giuseppe Minciacchi, with the help of English workmen, under the guidance of Cameron. The interior decoration and painting of the bath-house was done by Charlemagne.

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A door leads from the semi-circular portico of the Agate Pavilion into the First Study. It has one window, reaching to the floor , overlooking the Hanging Garden. The walls are painted in light blue; the ceiling is vaulted and covered with frescoes in antique style, with rich modeling and a muddled frieze; in the corner is a white marble chimney with a similar bas-relief; against the wall stands a divan of gilded wood in Louis XVI style, covered with white silk. On the chimney stands a clock of alabaster, representing the abandoned Ariadne, two faience cups with Roman views and crystal candelabrums. Near the window is a table of mahogany and bronze with a mosaic upper board.

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The next room is called the Round Dressing Room. It is of oval shape, with two windows, reaching the floor, overlooking the Hanging Garden and the Great Palace. The walls are tinted in pink, with a slight gilt modeling and antique friezes; on the walls are four panels with medallions, executed in gouache; the vaulted oval ceiling is ornamented in antique style; near the window on a black marble pedestal stands a vase of Eastern alabaster, having the form of a cup; on the wall is a white marble bas-relief "Birth of Cupids", and the portrait of the Count Mamonov in a bronze frame; in a corner is a chimney of white marble with antique ornamentation with two porphyry busts; the furniture consists of six big 18th century chairs of gilded wood, covered with white brocade, and a chest of drawers by Boule.

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A door leads into the Jasper Study.

The room is rectangular with one side forming an oval. The centre of the room is divided by two exquisite porticoes; there are two windows, reaching the floor: one overlooking the palace, the other facing the park; the walls and the porticoes are covered with jasper; the columns and pillars have massive bronze bases and similar capitals; on the walls all the cornices and ornaments are of gilded bronze; nine similar bas-reliefs and one mosaic picture in gilt frame adorn the walls; the ceiling has the form of vault: above the porticoes stand jasper bowls; marble busts, overlaid with jasper, are placed in the wall niches; on the doors and window embrasures are jasper and agate ornaments, set in massive gilt bronze; the statues represent "Bacchus" and "Bacchante", "Antinous" and "Caesar"; the bas-reliefs are scenes from antique life. The furniture consists of several tables, ornamented with gilt bronze and medallions of papier-mache in Wedgewood style, of little curved tables, of two Boule glass cupboards with a multitude of drawers, of a Turkish mother-of-pearl card table, and of two round stools, covered with ancient straw colour gros-de-Tours. Here too stands the rolling armchair of the Empress Catherine II. On one of the cupboards, under glass, stands a model of a carved ivory scepter on the other a clock of artificial jasper, shaped like a temple, with capitals of gilt bronze, the work of the 18th century. The bronze and porcelain ornaments in the agate rooms are made by Rachette the "Chief Master of the Imperial Porcelain Factory" .

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The Great Hall

A door of this room opens into the Great Hall of the Agate Pavilion. It has three windows reaching to the floor, overlooking the park and one of the doors communicates immediately with the outside semicircular portico. The walls are covered with rosy artificial marble and are encircled in a row of white marble columns, supporting the modeled ceiling, which is richly ornamented with frescoes. The over doors are made out of marble and gilt bronze; on the walls are eight big medallions with bas-reliefs in bronze frames; opposite the windows are two chimneys of white marble, inlaid with pieces of red marble with white bas-reliefs; before the chimneys stand gilded wooden screens; in the six Wall niches stand big vases: two of cast-iron painted in the style of Pompeii, one of green jasper, one of red agate, a similar one of red porphyry and one of yellow, eastern alabaster. Here too stand two vases from the Imperial china works with bronze ornaments, and portraits of the Count Alexis Orlov , and medallions, on which are represented the plan of the battle of Chesma, and a view of Mitelene. They bear the inscriptions: "Count A. Orlov, the conqueror and destroyer of the Turkish fleet". "Happiness and joy befell Russia. Chesma. June 2-26"; and "New happiness and joy befell Russia. Mitelene. November 13. 1771". The furniture consists of two chests of drawers, Louis XVI style, -of a gilt chair, covered with white brocade of the same period, of one Boule chest of drawers, of two inlaid card-tables, bearing the initials E II and two mahogany writing-tables, with legs covered in foil.

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The next room is called the Anteroom.

It is oval shaped, with two windows, reaching the floor, overlooking the park and flower-garden; the walls and doors are also adorned with jasper and agate in frames of gilt bronze. The ceiling is vaulted and richly muddled and gilded. In the wall niches stand marble statuettes; "Gladiator", and a "Faun with a Kid". On the walls, hang some pictures, a mosaic in a bronze frame "Roman View", by Arvatti in 1770; "Veduto del Tempio della Sibilla Tiburtina in Tivoli Cesare Arvatti fece in contro la Chiesa de Greci Roma 1770". Here also stand two white porcelain vases with bronze handles, made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the time of Catherine II. The furniture is composed of two stools, of two "sets of shelves" of mahogany with bronze; of a little mahogany table covered with Morocco leather; of an inlaid table; of a gilded wooden screen; and of a common table of painted wood, with an interesting upper board, on which are pen and ink sketches of newspapers and cards, of a map of Russia's territorial acquisitions since the second division of Poland; and of a medallion portrait of the Empress Catherine II as Minerva with an inscription.

The newspaper is the one, in which the nomination of Zubov as general field-artillery-marshal was, being announced. The ink sketch was done by a lieutenant of the artillery William Vogt in 1791.

A door leads out of this room onto a spiral granite staircase, having an issue into the park. On the upper landing of the staircase is a door, opening into the last room of the agate chambers, which served in the time of Catherine II, as a library; the walls' cupboards have book-cases. A door leads from the library into the half-round portico, which forms the entrance into the Agate Pavilion.

The sloping descent "Pente douce" was the last piece of work , constructed by Cameron during the life of Catherine the Great. In 1793 the Empress could, during her walks, descend the "Pente douce" straight from' the glass Loggia into her magnificent garden, where she fully gave vent to her "mania of building and planting", as he liked to say in jest.

During the reign of the Emperor Alexander, copies from antique altars were placed along the slope, where in her time had stood ancient statues. Below, at the issue into the park, rise two gigantic bronze vases. As well as the statues, they were carried away from Tsarskoe Selo by the order of Paul I, and were brought back again to the same place during the reign of the Emperor Alexander I When at last, after many years of building, Cameron's plan was completed (not without many misfortunes, as for instance, the downfall of the vaults under the Agate Pavilion), the Empress with a particular joy passed the time in her new and truly royal residence.

She liked to walk in the gallery during bad weather, and to dine in the glass hall of the colonnade; she passed long hours in the agate rooms, whence with her arrival her favorite books from the library were transported. The colonnade opened an extensive view on her "child", the town of Sophia, over the parks and on the entire stretch of land till the banks of the Neva. From the garden of the maids-of-honour below, arose a perfume of flowers, and here the aged Empress enjoyed physical rest and comfort. Still strong in spirit she even intended to send from here her best leader the General Suvorov, to suppress the anarchy which was spreading over France and over the whole of Western Europe.

From here, surrounded by a splendid and extraordinarily luxurious circle, of courtiers and grandees, she ruled with a strong hand over Russia, that reached during the 34 years of her reign, the zenith of its power. Here she passed the last summer of her life, continually informing Grimm, in spite of her enemy's envious disappointment, that she was quite well, in health and spirit. Two months after her departure for Petersburg an apoplectic fit ended the life of this Great Empress, and 9 years later Catherine's Eagles were to survive the day of Austerlitz, not having had time to recover after the storm, which had swept over them during the reign of her unfortunate son.