Smol'Ninskoe

Skt. Petersborg

Peter the Great Bridge
When we visited Smolny Cathedral we witnessed a baby being baptized and that made this trip quite a special occasion!

Source: Wikipedia
This Russian Orthodox convent was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. After she was disallowed succession to the throne, she opted to become a nun. However her Imperial predecessor, Ivan VI was overthrown during a coup d'état (carried out by the royal guards in 1741). Elizabeth then decided against entering monastic life and accepted the offer of the Russian throne and work on the convent continued with her royal patronage. 


Smolny Cathedral (Sobor).
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.


The smaller bell tower.
When 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. In addition, the faculties of sociology, political science and international relations of the Saint Petersburg State University are located in some of the buildings surrounding the cathedral.

The nearby Smolny Institute is named after the convent.

The name "Smolny" derives from the location, in the early days of St. Petersburg the place at the edge of the city where pitch ("smola" in Russian) was processed for use in shipbuilding and maintenance. As a result the locale was called "smolny" - the place of pitch.

#architecture
#blue
Source: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/monuments/catherine-the-great/
This monument to Catherine the Great was unveiled in 1873. The Empress was adored by the people of St. Petersburg for all her efforts to improve the life and education provided by the city and her reign has long seen been known as the "golden age" of Russia. The statue of Catherine is surrounded by delicately carved figures of the most prominent individuals of her reign: politicians and poets, military men and courtiers. The monument is located in the middle of a small, grass-covered square, just off Nevsky Prospekt, which is lined by the Anichkov Palace, the Alexandrinsky Drama Theater and the Russian National Library. As one of the country's most enlightened monarchs, Catherine could not have chosen a better spot herself.

The monument was designed by the Russian artist M.O. Mikeshin and created by the best sculptors and architects of the day. Catherine the Great is dressed in her official gown and holds a scepter in her right hand and an olive wreath in her left hand. The pedestal is decorated with the symbols of royal power. Among the dignitaries, who's likenesses have been carved on the statue's pedestal, are Alexander Suvorov, perhaps the most famous general in Russian history, Prince Potiomkin, the general and politician, Ekaterina Dashkova, the first woman to chair the Russian Academy of Sciences (in the 18th century!!!) and the celebrated poet Gavrila Derzhavin.

#architecture
Before I visited Russia I somewhat envisioned it to be a rundown country but that false perception changed quite a bit after visiting St Petersburg which was our first stop after arrival in Russia. Everywhere seems to be well maintained (at least most of the tourist attractions were) with fresh coats of paint!

#architecture
#blue
Tauride-paladset som omfatter slot eller palads

Populære steder at besøge



Andre områder i Smol'Ninskoe

Alexander Nevsky Lavra som omfatter en have og historiske bygningsværker såvel som en lille gruppe mennesker

Tsentralny

Du kan overveje at udforske de interessante museer i Tsentralny. Hvis sightseeing står øverst på listen, er Anichkov-broen en populær seværdighed. Hop på metroen fra Mayakovskaya Metrostation eller Dostoyevskaya Metrostation for at se mere af området.

Tsentralny
Nevskij Prospekt som omfatter natteliv og en by

Nevsky Prospekt

5/5(1 anmeldelse af området)

Nevsky Prospekt byder blandt andet på museer, teatre og kirker. Læg vejen forbi Anichkov-broen eller Fabergé Museum under dit ophold, og tag metroen fra Mayakovskaya Metrostation eller Gostiny Dvor Metrostation for at komme rundt i byen.

Nevsky Prospekt
Default Image

Okrug

Under dit ophold i Okrug kan du opleve populære seværdigheder som Buff Teater. Du kan desuden tage metroen fra Novocherkasskaya Metrostation for at se mere af byen.

Okrug
Kazan Katedral og byder på en kirke eller en katedral og historiske bygningsværker

St. Petersburg bymidte

4,5/5(7 anmeldelser af området)

De interessante museer, de hyggelige caféer og kirkerne er blot nogle af højdepunkterne i St. Petersburg bymidte. Et besøg til Statsmuseum for teater og musik eller Alexandrinsky-teatret kan fuldende dit ophold, og du kan hoppe på metroen fra Gostiny Dvor Metrostation eller Dostoyevskaya Metrostation for at komme rundt i byen.

St. Petersburg bymidte
The former city square of the Old Russian Empire, this square its famous for holding the 1905 Bloody Sunday and the 1917 October Revolution.   A massive square just in front of the Hermitage Museum, its a popular destination where carriages, skaters and tourists mix up. 

The statue in the middle is the Alexander Column, a 50 meters tall column thats unique of its kind.   This enormous column was placed in the middle of Palace square to celebrate the victory of Russia over Napoleonic France.  Unlike its ancient predecessors, at the top of the column there was not a statue of the respective emperor at the time

Palads Distrikt

Under dit ophold i Palads Distrikt kan du opleve populære seværdigheder som Cigarmuseum. Du kan desuden tage metroen fra Nevsky Prospekt Metrostation for at se mere af byen.

Palads Distrikt
Peter og Poul-fæstningen som viser en færge og en flod eller et vandløb

Petrogradskaya-distriktet

Museerne og arkitekturen er blot nogle af de ting, som de besøgende godt kan lide ved Petrogradskaya-distriktet. Planetarium 1 og LabyrinthUm er også værd at besøge, og du kan tage metroen fra Chkalovskaya Metrostation eller Petrogradskaya Metrostation for at komme rundt i området.

Petrogradskaya-distriktet


Smol'Ninskoe

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