Smolny Cathedral
The cathedral is part of the majestic complex of the Smolny Monastery, famous in Tsarist Russia. It is located in one of the most picturesque places of the northern capital next to the Neva.
Address:
Chernyshevskaya, pl. Rastrelli, 1
The cathedral is a striking example of the Baroque style, which is combined with motifs of ancient Russian architecture.
The author of the cathedral project was the famous architect B.F. Rastrelli. Its height reaches 93 meters, the total capacity is 6,000 people. The temple is also used as a concert hall. According to legend, Empress Elizabeth wanted to become a nun at the end of her life, so she initiated the construction of a monastery for this purpose on one of the best places on the Neva, where the royal palace had been located in the past.
The foundation of the temple was laid in 1748, in the center of the monastery complex. The work was completed only after 87 years; the author of the project and the customer, naturally, did not see the result of their labors. The complete interior design of the Smolny Cathedral was completed only in 1835. Smolny Cathedral.
Initially, the complex was called the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent, and then received the name Smolny. And the central cathedral was consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of Christ. Ten years later, an educational institution for girls who had a noble or bourgeois origin opened in the monastery. Later, Empress Catherine II founded the Alexander Institute next to the complex, which accepted students of the lower classes. Thanks to its considerable height, the temple looks upward, light and airy.
Its appearance harmoniously combines the blue color of the walls and white carved decorations and details. Around the cathedral there are house churches with helmet-shaped domes, the facades of which are decorated with arcades of two tiers. The temple is five-domed, with only the main dome attached to the temple, the other four, onion-shaped, are bell towers. Smolny Cathedral, top view The famous architect of the 19th century V. Stasov was involved in the design of the inside of the temple.
The interior he created does not contain complex or elaborate solutions; it is laconic and solemn at the same time. The main hall is decorated with marble and has three iconostases, in front of which there was a balustrade made of crystal. The pulpit for the sermon was decorated with elegant carvings. The main relics of the temple are currently considered to be two images: “The Resurrection of Christ” by the artist A. Venetsianov, as well as “The Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary” by the same author. After the revolutionary pogroms, the balustrade made of cut crystal was removed from the Smolny Cathedral, the pulpit was dismantled, and later the iconostasis was dismantled. During the Soviet era, warehouses were located here. In 1990, the cathedral was opened as a venue for concerts and exhibitions. He still works in this capacity today.
The author of the cathedral project was the famous architect B.F. Rastrelli. Its height reaches 93 meters, the total capacity is 6,000 people. The temple is also used as a concert hall. According to legend, Empress Elizabeth wanted to become a nun at the end of her life, so she initiated the construction of a monastery for this purpose on one of the best places on the Neva, where the royal palace had been located in the past.
The foundation of the temple was laid in 1748, in the center of the monastery complex. The work was completed only after 87 years; the author of the project and the customer, naturally, did not see the result of their labors. The complete interior design of the Smolny Cathedral was completed only in 1835. Smolny Cathedral.
Initially, the complex was called the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent, and then received the name Smolny. And the central cathedral was consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of Christ. Ten years later, an educational institution for girls who had a noble or bourgeois origin opened in the monastery. Later, Empress Catherine II founded the Alexander Institute next to the complex, which accepted students of the lower classes. Thanks to its considerable height, the temple looks upward, light and airy.
Its appearance harmoniously combines the blue color of the walls and white carved decorations and details. Around the cathedral there are house churches with helmet-shaped domes, the facades of which are decorated with arcades of two tiers. The temple is five-domed, with only the main dome attached to the temple, the other four, onion-shaped, are bell towers. Smolny Cathedral, top view The famous architect of the 19th century V. Stasov was involved in the design of the inside of the temple.
The interior he created does not contain complex or elaborate solutions; it is laconic and solemn at the same time. The main hall is decorated with marble and has three iconostases, in front of which there was a balustrade made of crystal. The pulpit for the sermon was decorated with elegant carvings. The main relics of the temple are currently considered to be two images: “The Resurrection of Christ” by the artist A. Venetsianov, as well as “The Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary” by the same author. After the revolutionary pogroms, the balustrade made of cut crystal was removed from the Smolny Cathedral, the pulpit was dismantled, and later the iconostasis was dismantled. During the Soviet era, warehouses were located here. In 1990, the cathedral was opened as a venue for concerts and exhibitions. He still works in this capacity today.
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