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Smolny Convent

Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, Voskresensky, Воскресенский девичий Смольный монастырь

Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection (Smolny Cathedral), what is a gorgeous blue and white main church, considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. 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 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. In 1835 by Vasily Stasov with the addition of a neo-classical interior to suit the changed architectural tastes at the time. The main altar was dedicated to the Resurrection and the two side altars were dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and Righteous Elizabeth. Today, Smolny Cathedral is used primarily as a concert hall and the surrounding convent buildings house various offices and government institutions.

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Saint Petersburg/Center, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Smolny Cathedral

Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, located on Ploschad Rastrelli (Rastrelli Square), on the left bank of the River Neva in Saint Petersburg, Russia, consists of a cathedral (sobor) and a complex of buildings surrounding it, originally planned as a convent.

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Smolny Cathedral Garden

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Колокол Смольного собора

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Smolny Complex

Смольный комплекс

There is the Smolny Convent and the Smolny Institute, a yellow low building that was Russia's first educational establishment for women, created by decree under the personal patronage of Empress Catherine II, and continued to function until just before the 1917 revolution. A nice garden and iron-work grille around the institute date from the early 19th century. In 1917, the building was chosen by Vladimir Lenin as Bolshevik headquarters during the October Revolution. It was Lenin's residence for several months, until the national government was moved to the Moscow Kremlin. After 1991, the Smolny was used as the seat of the city mayor (governor after 1996) and city administration. Vladimir Putin worked there from 1991 to 1997.