Smolny Convent

Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection (Voskresensky), located on Ploschad Rastrelli, on the bank of the River Neva in Saint Petersburg, Russia, consists of a Cathedral (sobor) and a complex of buildings surrounding it, originally intended for a convent.

Construction on the complex was begun as a Russian Orthodox monastery for nuns. It was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, after she was disallowed from succession to the throne and opted instead to become a nun. However, as soon as her Imperial predecessor, Ivan VI, was overthrown during a coup d'état carried out by the royal guards in 1741, Elizabeth decided against entering monastic life and accepted the offer of the Russian throne. However, work on the convent continued with royal patronage.

The convent's main church (catholicon or sobor), a stunning blue-and-white building, is considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also created the Winter Palace, the Grand Catherine Palace (Yekaterininsky) in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), the Grand Palace in Peterhof and many other major St. Petersburg landmarks.

The Cathedral is the centerpiece of the convent, built by Rastrelli between 1748 and 1764. The projected bell-tower was to become the tallest building in St. Petersburg and, at the time, all of Russia. Elizabeth's death in 1762 prevented Rastrelli from completing this grand design.

When Catherine II assumed the throne, it was found that the new Empress strongly diapproved of the baroque style, and funding that had supported the construction of the convent rapidly ran out. Rastrelli was unable to build the huge bell-tower he had planned or finish the interior of the cathedral. The building was only finished 1835 by Vasily Stasov with the addition of a neo-classical interior to suit the changed architectural tastes of the day. The Cathedral was consecrated on 22 July 1835, its main altar is dedictated to the Resurrection and the two side altars are dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and Righteous Elizabeth. The church was closed by the Soviet authorities in 1923.

Today, Smolny Cathedral is used primarily as a concert hall and the surrounding convent buildings house various offices and government institutions.

The nearby Smolny Institute is named after the convent.

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Fernando T.
27 February 2016
Much more beautiful outside than inside: it's empty! You can climb the tower and have nice pictures of the city
Spotted by Locals - city guides by locals
Its 50 meter high Belfry is the highest observation deck in the city, with the spectacular panoramic view of the Neva bend, Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge, Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, and other sights
Vasilisa Nakhabtseva
2 December 2015
It's just beautiful, but don't be afraid of meeting grumpy students around ???? (the way it looked like 1,5 months ago)
Tolga E
6 September 2018
if you have time, you can go and see. But remember; mostly all churches and cathedrals are rebuilt in last 15 years. So they are new buildings :)
Tavon .
11 November 2016
Good view of the city from the top. Don't forget to walk through the Смольный complex.
Larissa Ferroni
3 October 2015
Beautiful architecture, one of my favorite places in Petersburg!
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