 Pomerantsev was born in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1874.He furthered his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1874–78), winning the Academy scholarship for a five-year study tour of Italy, France and Switzerland (1878–1883).In 1887 he was awarded title of "Academic of Architecture" for his study of Cappella Palatina (1887, revised edition 1911).