Smolny Cathedral

About this place

Smolny Cathedral is the heart of the Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, on Rastrelli Square on the left bank of the Neva in Saint Petersburg, about 5 km east of the city centre in a straight line. It is surrounded by a complex of buildings originally planned as a convent. The convent was built to house Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, when she planned to become a nun; she later took the throne instead, and work on the convent went on under her patronage. The cathedral was designed by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also created the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace, and was built between 1748 and 1764. Rastrelli's planned giant bell tower was never built, and Vasily Stasov finished the building in 1835 with a classical interior. The cathedral rises in sky blue and white, with four small domes topped by gilded cupolas gathered around its great central dome, and columns and Baroque windows across its facade. The blue convent buildings frame it symmetrically, and it looks dazzling under a clear sky. Visitors admire the facades from the square and walk around the convent buildings, and the visit pairs well with a walk along the Neva embankment. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and non-Russian bank cards may not work, so read the current advice before you plan.