Smolny Cathedral description and photos - Russia - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg
Smolny Cathedral description and photos - Russia - Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects. Photo and descriptionOne of the most famous temples of the cultural capital of Russia is the Smolny Cathedral (its other name is Voskresensky). It is part of the monastery of the same name, located on the Nevsky bank. The temple was founded in the 40s of the 18th century, its construction lasted for many years and was completed only in the 30s of the 19th century. The height of the building is almost ninety-four meters. The author of the project is the famous Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, who did a lot to create the unique look of the northern Russian capital. Construction of the templeOnce on the site of the aforementioned monastery there was the so-called Smolny House (also known as Smolyana) - the palace where Elizaveta Petrovna spent her childhood. Already being an empress, She decided to build a monastery on the site of this house, where she could quietly and peacefully spend her old age. The main buildings of the monastery were supposed to be a temple and a higher educational institution, intended for girls from noble families. In the late 40s of the 18th century, the foundation of the temple took place. By the beginning of the 50s, the preparatory work was completed, the construction of the foundations was completed, the construction of the monastery walls began. The scale of construction has been quite impressive. The Empress did not spare money for the construction of a new monastery. About two thousand soldiers and one and a half thousand artisans were engaged in construction work every day. The latter were paid for their work: they were paid three kopecks daily. The monastic walls grew very quickly. Various interior details were already prepared, projects of iconostases were developed, several bells were cast ... But the Seven Years War began. Funding for construction has dropped dramatically. Work on the construction site now proceeded much slower than in the pre-war period. After the death of the empress, construction continued for some time. The author of the project of the cathedral left Russia. During the life of the customer, a fairly large part of the work was done, but still the cathedral needed finishing. It was decided to appoint Yuri Felten as the new chief architect (instead of the one who had left). The pace of construction work was extremely negatively affected by insufficient funding. The builders had to deviate from the original project. For example, it was necessary to abandon the construction of the bell tower (although the foundation for it was ready long ago). However, the facade of the temple was plastered, and sculptural decorations were also installed. But the construction of the temple was still not completed. Around the end of the 60s of the XVIII, it finally stopped. The building stood unfinished for almost seven decades. His condition was getting worse. Water accumulated in the high basements, and cracks crept along the vaults. It seemed a little more - and the building would simply collapse. In the 20s of the 19th century, an imperial decree was issued to continue the construction of the temple. A competition was announced for the best design of the building. The emperor opted for the project, the author of which was Vasily Stasov. Construction work resumed. The cracked walls, arches and vaults were repaired. Damaged bricks replaced by new ones. The basements, where water and debris had accumulated for decades, were cleared. Galvanized iron was used to cover the domes and domes. The facade of the building was painted with yellow paint. The domes became azure, they were decorated with golden stars (this was the desire of the emperor). Twelve new bells appeared (in addition to the eight that were cast back in the 18th century). One of the most difficult tasks for the builders was the installation of chimneys: they were not provided for in the initial design of the building, since the temple , as conceived by the first architect, was summer (cold). The floor was laid with Revel marble, larch was used for the manufacture of doors and window frames. The interior walls were painted white, and artificial marble was chosen for the columns. Construction work lasted for about three years and was completed in the mid-30s of the 19th century. Revolution and beyond Soon after the completion of construction work, the building was consecrated. It received the status of a temple of all St. Petersburg educational institutions. On one of the walls of the cathedral there was a rather long list, which included city institutes and schools. Their names were written in gold. Students often came to church services. It should be noted that services in the famous cathedral have been held regularly for almost ninety years. Sometimes they were attended by members of the imperial family. Not far from the temple, on the territory of the monastery, a higher educational institution was opened for girls-nobles. Its opening marked the beginning of women's education in the country (previously there were no such institutions in Russia). Moreover, it became the first state institution of higher education for girls in Europe. In the early 1920s, despite numerous requests from believers, the temple was closed. All valuables were removed from it (this happened a year before the closure). For a long time, the building was used as a warehouse. Theatrical scenery was kept here. The high cellars of the temple were turned into a bunker. Later, anti-nuclear protection was installed in them. In the 40s, the building still housed an iconostasis, although it was dilapidated. Remains of the department were preserved. In the second half of the 60s of the XX century, the building was reconstructed. The former temple, which has now become a museum, housed exhibitions on the history of the city. The dismantling of the iconostasis was carried out only in the early 70s. Oddly enough, in the 90s, when many churches in the country were reopened for believers, the cathedral was used as a concert hall. Various exhibitions were also held there. The 21st century began for the temple with destruction: during a terrible thunderstorm with a hurricane wind, the gilded cross that crowned the central dome collapsed; the fallen cross, whose height is six meters, damaged the roof (stuck into it). The reason was not only the hurricane wind: lightning struck the cross, as a result of which it broke at the very base. Restoration work was carried out, three years later the cross returned to its original place. An organ was installed in the temple. Choral music sounded within the walls of the cathedral. Visitors to the temple could climb to the observation deck, from which a magnificent view of the city opened. In 2009, a divine service was held in the building - the first in many decades. It took place at the end of May. The following year, services here became regular, but for a number of reasons, the final transfer of the building to the Russian Orthodox Church took place only six years later. Architectural features of the building< img src="/preload.png" data-src="/uploads/posts/2019-06/travel-image-2946.jpg"> The building of the temple with its bow gables and lucarnes is one of the most striking examples of Elizabethan Baroque. While exploring the temple, pay attention to the following architectural features. - Like many Orthodox churches, the cathedral is five-domed, but there is one significant difference from most Russian churches. The fact is that the architect was going to erect a one-dome building (according to European models), but at the last moment the empress insisted on changing the project. Therefore, the four small domes surrounding the large (fifth), in fact - the domes of the bell towers; only the fifth dome crowns the temple building itself. This architectural solution is not typical for Russian cathedrals. The bell towers are two-tiered, with bulbous domes rising above them. The shape of the fifth, central dome is different: it resembles a helmet topped with a bulbous cupola. - It is interesting that the lower part of the building evokes associations with palace architecture: it is more "heavy" than the upper part, more "mundane" ... This is done in order so that the temple fits organically into the architectural ensemble of the monastery, in harmony with other buildings. - Pay attention to a kind of optical illusion: from a distance the cathedral seems taller than up close. But despite the fact that when approaching the building it seems to decrease, the temple makes the same strong impression. Let's say a few words about the territory of the monastery. Its shape resembles the outline of a Greek cross, in the center of which is the cathedral. There are four small churches in the corners. The absence of a bell towerThe design of the cathedral bell tower (which was never built) has survived. The height of this building was supposed to be one hundred and forty meters. In the 18th century (when the construction of the temple began) it would have been one of the tallest buildings in Europe. The bell tower was supposed to consist of five tiers, three of which were the belfries themselves. The second tier was supposed to be occupied by a gate church, and the first was a high arch. There is a version that the construction of the bell tower was abandoned not at all due to lack of funds, but at the direction of the chief architect, who decided that the tall building would be dominate and divert attention from the cathedral. Notes
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