Smolny monastery - a brilliant creation of a brilliant master

While a generation that has been trained in Soviet schools, Smolny monastery, or simply "Smolny", will be associated with Lenin. And even decades later, in the history of this architectural ensemble, the pages related to the years 1917-1918 will be the brightest. And the times that follow these events are the most tragic. Without them, the Smolny Monastery of Rastrelli would have remained simply one of many remarkable creations of a brilliant architect.

Name as address

The very history of the name of the monastery is quite interesting, as well as almost every object in St. Petersburg. Before the emergence of the Northern capital, this territory was a border zone. In the village of Spasovschina, immediately, as soon as the Swedes erected on the opposite shore the fortress of Nienschanz, Fort Sabina was erected on this site. Admiralty Shipyard - one of the first buildings of the nascent city-fortress. It was for her needs and built Smolyanaya yard. The place was fixed by the corresponding name. The Smolny monastery, which arose here later, like an overwhelming number of objects, contains in its name the address of its own location and ... part of the history.

The Empress's Desire is the Law

The idea of the monastery originated with the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who in advance worried about her old age. She wanted peace and quiet, and all this reliably guaranteed the monastery, the abbess of which the queen was about to become. But the severe asceticism of the monastic way of life was not included in the concept of happy old age, and the Smolny monastery was envisaged rather as a closed educational institution for girls of the most noble origin. Naturally, the comfort of the stay was guaranteed by any of the 120 pupils. For each provided separate apartments with all the necessary services - such a separate comfortable apartment. The abbess had to have a separate house.

Ober-Architect of St. Petersburg

The choice of a place is a tribute to the memory of the young years spent in the Smolny Palace (the second name is Devichy), in a kind of conclusion, at the command of Anna Ioannovna.

Francesco Rastrelli, the son of the famous Karl Rastrelli, at this time served as chief architect of St. Petersburg. He was commissioned to build the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent. In 1744 a brilliant architect developed a completely new version of the ritual object, which, together with the surrounding buildings, became a new phenomenon in church architecture.

Original approach

The main distinctive feature was the complete absence of a stone fence. It was a hint that the institution would not be a closed monastery, implying complete retirement from secular life, but rather, it would be a higher educational institution for highborn young ladies. In 1748 the first stone was laid. The solemn event was attended by the Empress herself. The Smolny monastery of Rastrelli becomes one of the most important construction projects in the country.

The old man must be present

But the wishes of women are changeable. And the Empress wishes even more so. And already in 1849 the initial project is being reworked. Firstly, the bell tower, conceived by Rastrelli, 140 meters high and exceeding the Peter and Paul bell tower, is reduced to a very modest local size. In the new project, the features of the old Russian monasteries arise. In particular, the presence of domes was envisaged: central - large and massive - surrounded by 4 small ones.

The construction of the century

A large number of workers and workers are allocated to the new ensemble of the Smolny Monastery. In 1754 Elizabeth arrived on the site. What she saw shocked her so much that she immediately became infected with gigantomania and ordered her bell to be cast off for her offspring, which would eclipse the Tsar Bell - its size should be 6.5 meters in width, and it would weigh 20,000 poods. But the empress dies before she has been consecrated. The Smolny monastery is consigned to oblivion.

Forgotten beginnings

For five years no work has been done here. Without domes and bell towers, the unplastered complex is overgrown with gloomy legends. Wars devastate the treasury, Catherine II pushes Rastrelli out of business. For ten years, from 1785 to 1795, the work was carried on, then stopped. And if it had not arisen with the advent of the new Empress Educative Society for girls from noble families who had to live somewhere, the Smolny monastery in St. Petersburg would remain unclaimed - there lived only 20 nuns.

With the arrival of Paul "noble maidens" (or, as they were called, "Smolyanok") were evicted, settling on the vacated place of widows. Obviously, there are such buildings where, despite their beauty, no one can warm their places.

The owner came

Completely finished construction under Nicholas I. It lasted unequivocally long - 87 years. Architect VP Stasov, having won the competition, restored and restored the cathedral for three years, and only in 1835 the complex was consecrated. It began to be called the Cathedral of all educational institutions. Inspired by the external beauty, which was the Smolny monastery (photo to that witness), the Russian masters tried to make the interior decorate worthy of the great Rastrelli's creativity. The hall is decorated with a marble ball, the crystal balustrade and the altarpiece of A. Vasnetsov's work made the Smolny monastery a unique treasure of Russian culture. The only thing that has not been completed, it's the bell tower, which, in principle, no longer affected the appearance of the cathedral. He was beautiful.

Nowadays everything falls into place

But to remain in this status to the monastery to this day did not give a revolution, after which this pearl was used even as a warehouse. The poor man closed himself, passed from hand to hand; In 1990 the building is used as a concert and exhibition hall.

The first moleben passes after so many times here only in 2009. Since 2010 Smolny Cathedral is used for its intended purpose - it is open for worship. In 2011, almost a hundred years later, Christmas services were held in the Smolny Cathedral .