P322 - Russia - Smolny Convent in Saint Petersburg

Smolny Convent, River Neva, Saint Petersburg, Russia

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 begun as a Russian Orthodox monastery for nuns. It was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, after she was disallowed succession to the throne, when she 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 blue-and-white building, is considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also redesigned the Winter Palace, and created 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.

hen Catherine II assumed the throne, it was found that the new Empress strongly disapproved 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 and unable to finish the interior of the cathedral. The building was only finished in 1835 by Vasily Stasov with the addition of a neo-classical interior to suit the changed architectural tastes at the time. The Cathedral was consecrated on 22 July 1835; its main altar was dedicated to the Resurrection and the two side altars were dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and Righteous Elizabeth. The church was closed by the Soviet authorities in 1923. It was looted and allowed to decay until 1982, when it became a Concert Hall.

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.

斯莫尔尼大教堂（Смольный монастырь）位于俄罗斯圣彼得堡的涅瓦河河畔，原是一座东正教修女院。彼得大帝之女叶丽萨维塔·彼得罗芙娜·罗曼诺娃被取消王位继承权后，在此出家修道。1741年，伊凡六世被皇家卫兵的政变推翻，于是她得以继承王位。但是，皇家继续赞助修道院的建造工程。

大教堂是一座令人惊叹的蓝白两色的建筑，是意大利建筑师Rastrelli的杰作（他的作品还有冬宫、皇村的叶卡捷琳娜宫，彼得宫城的大宫殿等许多重要的圣彼得堡地标），兴建于1748年到1764年。当时规划将钟楼建成全俄国最高的建筑，但是叶丽萨维塔于1762年去世，计划未能完成。

女皇叶卡捷琳娜二世继位后，强烈反对巴洛克风格，失去了资金来源，Rastrelli无法建立庞大的钟楼。1835年，瓦西里斯塔索夫增建了新古典主义内部，以适应变化了的建筑品味。大教堂祝圣于1835年7月22日，主祭坛敬拜耶稣复活，两个侧祭坛献给抹大拉的马利亚和以利沙伯。1923年，苏联政府关闭了教堂。

今天，斯莫尔尼大教堂主要用作音乐厅，周围的修道院建筑由各部门政府机构使用。

附近的斯莫尔尼女子学校（斯莫尔尼宫）得名于斯莫尔尼修道院。

References sources : Wikipedia