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Thomas de Thomon, an architect and draughtsman, was taught by Ledoux in Paris and went to study in Rome in 1785/86. From 1798 he was active in Russia, where he was appointed court architect to Emperor Alexander I, in which capacity he exercised considerable influence on the development of Russian architecture. Numerous representative buildings in St. Petersburg, executed in a rigorous Neo-classical style, have influenced the aesthetic appearance of the city on the River Neva and testify to the architect’s creative capacity and artistic prestige. One of his most famous buildings is the Old Stock Exchange on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, which was begun by Quarenghi and completed by Thomon between 1805 and 1816. The two Rostral Columns on either side of the monumental, strictly Doric temple, which were designed by Thomon, are one of St. Petersburg’s architectural landmarks.