Resurrection Smolny Cathedral (or simply Smolny Cathedral) - one of the oldest churches in St. Petersburg, which is now a landmark of the city, made in the style of Elizabethan Baroque.
The cathedral is the dominant architectural ensemble of the Smolny Monastery, which also includes the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, which now houses the Government of St. Petersburg and operates the Smolny Historical and Memorial Museum.
In the belfry of the cathedral there is an open observation deck, which anyone can visit.
The Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection is an active Orthodox church and an architectural monument of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
The cathedral was built by the will of the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (daughter of Peter I), on the site of a small palace at the Smolny Yard (Smolny House), where Elizabeth Petrovna often lived in her youth.
The cathedral was laid in 1748. The cathedral was built according to the project of the architect of Italian origin Bartholomew Bartholomew (Bartolomeo) Rastrelli. The interiors of the church in the early 19th century were created by the architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov.
The cathedral was consecrated on July 20 (August 2, new style), 1835.
According to the "Regulations on the Cathedral" approved in 1835 by Emperor Nicholas I, the church received the status of a cathedral of all educational institutions in memory of the emperor's mother, the patroness of youth, Empress Maria Feodorovna.
After the revolution of 1917, the cathedral was transferred to the management of the church twenty. In April 1922, valuables were removed from the church. On October 7, 1922, the cathedral was closed. On May 24, 2009, a prayer service was held in the church for the first time in the post-Soviet period, and on April 7, 2010, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated.
On January 25, 2016, on the day of the Holy Martyr Tatiana, the Smolny Cathedral was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Today, the cathedral is active, and services are held within its walls. Entrance to the cathedral is free (free of charge).
Smolny Cathedral is designed in the style of the magnificent Elizabethan Baroque. Painted in light with a soft blue color.
In plan, the cathedral has a slightly elongated basilica plan and three naves.
The height of the cathedral reaches 93.7 meters.
Near the main entrance to the cathedral, on the side of Rastrelli Square, the bell of the Smolny Cathedral is displayed, on which iconographic images created according to the sketches of the masters of St. Petersburg, and the names of the city's universities, cast in honor of the fact that the cathedral was considered a temple of educational institutions.
The interior of the cathedral is decorated in light colors.
The icons in the cathedral are newly painted.
In the cathedral there is a sculpture of an angel from the dome of the church of St. Catherine on Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg.
Architect: A.A. Mikhailov 2nd, master: Gusev, sculptor: I. P. Prokofiev. Wood, lead.
The sculpture was made and installed on the dome of the church of St. Nicholas. Catherine during the construction of the church in 1811-1823.
The angel became one of the visible heavenly patrons of the city along with the angels on the spire Peter and Paul Cathedral and in the finial Alexander column.
The sculptural angel held in his hands a copper cross, lost during the Great Patriotic War (sent for melting). In the same years, the sculpture was damaged and covered with black paint. In 1950, the angel was restored.
In 2017, the sculpture was moved to the Heritage restoration workshop. For the church of St. Catherine, an exact copy was made in historical material, installed on the dome of the church in 2018. The original sculpture of the angel was restored and moved to the Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection for storage.
In the walls of the Smolny Cathedral there is a small exhibition for the reconstruction of the historical iconostases of the cathedral.
Belfry of Smolny Cathedral - observation deck
Smolny Cathedral has four belfries, one of which (south-west) is a small open observation deck, which can be visited by anyone.
The observation deck is located at an altitude of 50 meters.
You can climb the stairs to the observation deck in the belfry of the cathedral, having overcome 278 steps.
The ascent to the observation deck is paid. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to the lift to the observation deck, located directly in the cathedral. Learn more about the observation deck, the climb, and the views that open up…
Smolny Cathedral Ensemble
The Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection is part of the surrounding architectural complex.
The cathedral is surrounded by the buildings of a former convent with house churches and residential buildings (square), where previously there was also an institute for girls of ignoble origin.
The monastery was the first female monastery in St. Petersburg, where the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna hoped to spend the last days of her earthly life.
Today, the buildings of the former monastery house various institutions, faculties of St. Petersburg State University and the Smolny Exhibition Hall (Smolny Street, 3), which hosts exhibitions of valuables from the collections of museums in the Leningrad region, musical evenings and theatrical performances, round tables, seminars and conferences, as well as partner exhibition projects. The Smolny Exhibition Hall is part of the Museum Agency, website: lenoblmus.
On the south side of the Smolny Cathedral monastery complex there is a historical buildingSmolny Institute of Noble Maidens.
The Institute of Noble Maidens was established by the Empress Catherine II in 1764 and became the first women's educational institution in Russia, which marked the beginning of women's education in the country.
Now the former institute houses the Government of St. Petersburg and operates the Smolny Historical and Memorial Museum.
Near the main entrance to the building there is a garden-parterre of Smolny. The entrance to the garden is free (free of charge). Learn more about the institute, the museum, and the parterre garden...
Practical information
Smolny Cathedral is located near the left Smolny embankment of the Neva River, at the address: Rastrelli Square, 1.
Coordinates of Smolny Cathedral: 59°56'55.0"N 30°23'44.0"E (59.948611, 30.395556).
Nearest metro stations: "Chernyshevskaya", "Ploshchad Lenina" and "Novocherkasskaya".
The Smolny Cathedral hosts sightseeing and thematic excursions, educational quests and pilgrimages.
The opening hours of the cathedral and the observation deck, the time of Services and excursions, as well as the cost of excursions and climbing to the observation deck in the belfry of the cathedral, we recommend that you check on the official website of the Smolny Cathedral: smolnyspb.
You can also visit the Smolny Cathedral and climb to the observation deck with excursions around St. Petersburg
All accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg, including in the city center, near the Smolny Cathedral and more remote from those, can be viewed and booked here
