Private Life and Legacy
In 1859 Cavos completed the rebuilding of Mikhaylovsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. The architect's last work was a competition entry for the design of the Paris opera; according to Alexander Benois, his drafts were approved by Napoleon III of France but when Cavos died, at Peterhof, the job was awarded to Charles Garnier. Apart from theatres, Cavos is credited with design of dozens of buildings in Saint Petersburg and its suburbs. Most of these buildings were subsequently expanded and rebuilt, losing their original architectural trim.
The private life of Alberto Cavos and his family has been made public by his grandson, Alexander Benois. According to Benois, Cavos was overwhelmed by lucrative contracts and quickly made a fortune that allowed him, in addition to Saint Petersburg lifestyle, to keep a luxurious home on the Grand Canal in Venice and amass a vast collection of art there. After his death these treasures were brought to Saint Petersburg and split between his numerous heirs.
Alberto's first wife, Aloysia Carolina (née Carobio), died of tuberculosis in 1835. She and Alberto had four children. Alberto Cavos married Xenia, his second wife, when she was only 17; they had three children. However, his extramarital adventures destroyed the marriage; in the end, Alberto Cavos bequeathed his business interests to his new mistress, having nearly ruined his legitimate wife and children. Among these children,
- Caesar Cavos (1824–1883) also became a notable Saint Petersburg architect and businessman;
- Constantin Cavos (1826–1890) was a diplomat in Imperial Russian service;
- Camilla Cavos (1828–1891) married Nicholas Benois (then a junior partner of Alberto Cavos) and gave birth to nine siblings of the Benois family, including Albert Benois (1852–1936), Leon Benois (1856–1928), Alexander Benois (1870–1960) and Yekaterina Benois who married Eugene Lanceray (Sr.) and became the mother of Eugene Lanceray and Zinaida Serebriakova. Sir Peter Ustinov was Leon Benois's grandson.
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