As long as the generation that studied in Soviet schools is alive, the Smolny Monastery, or simply "Smolny", will be associated with V. I. Lenin. And even after decades in the history of this architectural ensemble, the pages associated with 1917-1918 will be the brightest. And the times following these events are the most tragic. Without them, Rastrelli's Smolny Monastery would have remained just one of the many wonderful creations of the brilliant architect.
Name as address
The very history of the name of the monastery is quite interesting, like almost every object in St. Petersburg. Before the emergence of the Northern capital, this territory was a border zone. In the village of Spasovshchina, as soon as the Swedes erected the Nienschanz fortress on the opposite bank, Fort Sabina was erected on this site. The Admir alty shipyard is one of the first buildings of the nascent city-fortress. It was for her needs that the Smolyanoy yard was built. The place was assigned the appropriate name. Smolny Monastery, which arose here later, like the overwhelmingthe number of objects, in its name contains the address of its own location and … part of the history.
The wish of the Empress is the law
The idea of the emergence of the monastery belongs to the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who took care of her old age in advance. She wanted peace and quiet, and all this was reliably guaranteed by the monastery, the abbess of which the queen was going to become. But the severe asceticism of the monastic way of life was not included in the concept of a happy old age, and the Smolny Monastery was provided rather as a closed educational institution for girls of the most noble origin. Naturally, the comfort of stay was guaranteed by any of the 120 pupils. For each, separate apartments were provided with all the necessary services - a kind of separate comfortable apartment. The abbess was supposed to have a separate house.
Ober-architect of St. Petersburg
The choice of place is a tribute to the memory of the young years spent in the Smolny Palace (the second name is Maiden), in a kind of conclusion, at the behest of Anna Ioannovna.
Francesco Rastrelli, the son of the famous Carl Rastrelli, at that time served as chief architect of St. Petersburg. He was instructed to build the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent. In 1744, the brilliant architect developed a completely new version of the ritual object, which, together with the buildings surrounding it, became a new phenomenon in church architecture.
Original approach
The most important feature wasthe complete absence of a stone fence. This was a hint that the institution would not be a closed monastery, implying a complete renunciation of secular life, but would rather be an institution of higher education for noble young ladies. In 1748 the first stone was laid. The empress herself attended the ceremony. The Smolny Rastrelli Monastery is becoming one of the country's most important construction projects.
The old must be present
But women's wishes are changeable. And even more so the wishes of the Empress. And now, in 1849, the initial project was being redone. Firstly, the bell tower, conceived by Rastrelli 140 meters high and exceeding the Peter and Paul Belfry, is reduced to a very modest local size. In the new project, the features of the old Russian monasteries appear. In particular, the presence of domes was envisaged: the central one - large and massive - surrounded by 4 small ones.
Construction of the century
A large amount of funds and workers are allocated for the new ensemble of the Smolny Monastery. In 1754, Elizabeth arrived at the site. What she saw shocked her so much that she immediately became infected with gigantomania and ordered for her offspring to cast a bell that would overshadow the Tsar Bell - its dimensions were to be 6.5 meters wide, and it would weigh 20,000 pounds. But the empress dies before the solemn consecration. The Smolny Monastery is consigned to oblivion.
Forgotten Beginnings
No work has been done here for five years. Without domes and bell towers,the unplastered complex is overgrown with gloomy legends. Wars devastate the treasury, Catherine II removes Rastrelli from business. For ten years, from 1785 to 1795, the work either went on or stopped. And if the Educational Society for girls from noble families who had to live somewhere had not arisen with the advent of the new empress, the Smolny Monastery in St. Petersburg would have remained unclaimed - only 20 nuns lived there.
With the advent of Paul, the “noble maidens” (or, as they were called, “Smolyanok”) were evicted, settling widows in the vacant place. Obviously, there are buildings where, despite their beauty, no one can heat their seats.
The owner has arrived
The construction was completely completed under Nicholas I. It lasted an unprecedentedly long time - 87 years. The architect V. P. Stasov, having won the competition, restored and restored the cathedral for three years, and only in 1835 the complex was consecrated. It became known as the Cathedral of all educational institutions. Inspired by the external beauty that was the Smolny Monastery (the photo is a witness), Russian masters tried to make the interior decoration worthy of the work of the great Rastrelli. The hall was decorated with marble, the crystal balustrade and the altarpiece by A. Vasnetsov made the Smolny Monastery a unique treasure of Russian culture. The only thing that was never completed was the bell tower, which, in principle, did not affect the external appearance of the cathedral. He was wonderful.
Everything falls into place these days
Butthe revolution has not allowed the monastery to remain in this status to this day, after which this pearl was even used as a warehouse. The poor fellow closed, passed from hand to hand; in 1990 the building was used as a concert and exhibition hall.
The first prayer after so many years is held here only in 2009. Since 2010, the Smolny Cathedral has been 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.
