The Smolny Cathedral

When I lived in St Petersburg in 2000-2004, I loved walking around this area with my cassette player. The cathedral was part of a complex planned by the Empress Elizabeth to include a nunnery and a new school for girls - the first and most famous girls' state school in the Russian Empire. However, in December of that year, Elizabeth died, and work on the monastery came to a halt. Rastrelli was relieved of his duties at Smolny by Catherine the Great, and left Russia in October 1763.

By the early 1830s, much of the cathedral had fallen into disrepair and was becoming overgrown. In 1832, Nicholas I commissioned Vasily Stasov to finish the building. Construction was officially completed in 1835, and the cathedral was on July 22 of that year. After the revolution, the cathedral suffered a similar fate to most of the churches in St. Petersburg. In 1922, all of its valuables were looted, and in 1923 the cathedral was closed. For many years, the building was not even heated, had no electricity or water, and it slowly decayed.

Photographer:

neja

Uploaded:

2024-02-06

Tags:

2018 Smolny Convent The Smolny Cathedral church religion russia saint petersburg st petersburg summer sunny travel

Camera:

Nikon F55

Film:

Kodak Pro Image 100 (35mm)

Lens:

AF Nikkor 28-80mm f3.5-5.6G

City:

Saint Petersburg

Country/region:

Russia

Year:

2018

Albums:

Saint Petersburg 2018- part 5

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