Smolny Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches in St. Petersburg, it is no less popular with tourists than Kazan and St. Isaac's Cathedrals. It can be called a long-term construction, construction began in the eighteenth century, and ended in the nineteenth.
Smolny Cathedral is one of the most famous sights of St. Petersburg, it has several names: Cathedral of the Resurrection Word of all educational institutions, the Resurrection of Christ Smolny Cathedral, Smolny Cathedral.
It belongs to the architectural ensemble of the Smolny Monastery, which is located on the left bank of the Neva (on the embankment of the same name).
The cathedral is active, so you must follow the rules for visiting temples It was erected on the site of the Smolny House by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who wished to end her days in the monastery (she spent her childhood in the Smolny House).
The names Smolny Cathedral, Smolny Monastery, Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and Smolny House came from the place where they were erected. During the reign of Peter I, on the territory on which the buildings were located, the Smolyany (Smolny) courtyards were stored tar for the Admiralty shipyard and the fleet.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1748 according to the project of Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli and was completed in 1835. The construction was supervised by the architect Christian Knobel, he was an assistant to BF Rastrelli.
It is recognized as an object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation of federal significance and is protected by the state.
The temple is made in the Elizabethan baroque style in gray-blue tones using white and gold, has two side-chapels (the southern one in the name of the righteous Elizabeth and the northern one in the name of St. Mary Magdalene).
Elizaveta Petrovna did not approve of Rastrelli's idea to create a centric temple in the old traditions of Christian architecture of the East and West. The Empress demanded that the architect create a Russian five-domed temple.
Smolny Cathedral embodies the best traditions of ancient Russian architecture, the architect placed the side bell towers almost close to the central dome.
The height of the cathedral is 93.7 m. According to Rastrelli's plan, the cathedral was to be supplemented by a high bell tower. According to the project, the bell tower is 18 meters higher than the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Fortress (including the spire), the construction of the bell tower began, but it was not completed.
By decree of Nicholas I, the project of the Smolny Cathedral was revised and completed. In 1828, cracks formed in the walls of the temple, and some of the bricks were significantly damaged.
The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1835, after the interior decoration was completed by the architect V. P. Stasov.
There is a legend that Giacomo Quarenghi (an architect who was hostile to Rastrelli's work) stopped at the main entrance to the Smolny Cathedral, took off his hat and enthusiastically exclaimed in Italian: "This is a temple!"
