Church of the Smolny Cathedral schedule of services. Smolny Cathedral: resurrection of liturgical life

On January 25, 2015, according to tradition, a student holiday dedicated to the memory of Saint Tatiana will be held in the Smolny Cathedral of St. Petersburg. The Divine Liturgy will be led by Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, co-served by Archbishop of Peterhof Ambrose, dean of the churches of higher educational institutions Archpriest Peter Mukhin and a host of clergy. It is expected that hundreds of students will pray and receive communion during the service and will receive books about Orthodoxy as gifts. Students and teachers who have succeeded in educational activities will be awarded diplomas and badges. On the eve of this event, we are publishing material by Deacon Vladimir Vasilik, dedicated to the difficult fate of the Smolny Cathedral.

Two cathedrals, creating the image of St. Petersburg, its “sky line”, are dedicated to the Holy Resurrection of Christ. This is the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the Smolny Cathedral. But if the Savior on Spilled Blood, built on the site of the tragic death of Emperor Alexander II, speaks of the Resurrection in connection with Golgotha ​​and the Cross, then the elegant, festive appearance of the snow-white Smolny Cathedral speaks of Easter as a “Feast of the Feast” and “The Triumph of Triumphs”. And this is not accidental, for it reflects the spirit of Russian architecture of the late ΧVII - first half of the 18th century. - Russian Baroque. Western European Baroque is built on the contrast of light and darkness, on Woland’s paradox: “What will you do with your light if there is no darkness?” On the contrary, Russian Baroque grew out of the unity of Russian Orthodox life, from the joyful feeling of the God-created world: “Glory to Thee, Lord, who created everything!”

The skeptic will say: what Russian baroque? The style is Italian in origin; moreover, the architect of the Smolny Cathedral was the Italian Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1700–1771), a Florentine nobleman. I will answer: in Russia, even Italians become Russians. But Russia is not a melting pot, but rather a life-giving soil that processes any elements and grows amazing flowers. Bartolomeo Rastrelli, living in Russia, conformed to Russian nature, Russian culture, Russian soul. Let us give one example: he initially conceived the Smolny Cathedral as a single-domed one, in the likeness of St. Peter's in Rome, but Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, by whose order the Smolny Monastery was built, in 1749 ordered the construction “not according to the Roman style,” but in the image and likeness of the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, that is, a five-domed one. The five domes symbolize Christ surrounded by four evangelists, a symbol that has taken root in Russia from the 10th to the 10th centuries.

The design of the Smolny Cathedral largely belongs to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. She planned to build a grandiose monastery for girls of noble rank and retire there herself at the end of her life. The pious empress, who raised the importance of the Orthodox Church after its obvious humiliation under Anna Ioannovna, decided to devote her entire life to God and, after establishing state life, to devote herself entirely to prayer.

The fate of the Smolny Cathedral is symbolic. It was built for 87 years, operated for 87 years and closed for 87 years. The combination of these numbers is significant: the number 7 symbolizes the fullness of creation, the number 8 - eternity, the eternal non-evening day of the Kingdom of Heaven. The question arises: why did it take so long to build the Smolny Cathedral (from 1748 to 1835)? There were and are legends around this “long-term construction”: one of them says that supposedly one construction contractor was deceived and ruined, and then forced to pay the treasury. He could not stand the injustice and allegedly hanged himself in the altar or at the entrance to the temple. The authorities, horrified by such a death, allegedly decided not to complete the construction of the temple, and it stood unconsecrated and unfinished for many years.

Well, it’s just a rehash of Gogol’s “Viy,” and that’s all. In fact, there is not an ounce of truth in this story; it is absolutely not confirmed by documents. And this long-term construction can be explained very simply: after the death of Elisaveta Petrovna, who was personally interested in this construction, Catherine ΙΙ came to power, who did not like her predecessor. Of course, she took measures to complete the construction, but rather sluggishly. Suffice it to say that the soul of construction, Rastrelli, was removed and Y. Felten was appointed architect instead. In addition, Catherine made another decision that was at odds with her aunt’s intentions: she turned the monastery into an institute for noble maidens, which absorbed a significant amount of the funds originally intended for the construction of the cathedral. It got to the point that under Paul I, 276 cast iron capitals and column bases, as well as other unused building materials, were sold. Emperor Paul Ι had other construction interests: Mikhailovsky Castle, Alexander Ι had his own construction program: Kazan Cathedral, then St. Isaac's Cathedral. Only Nikolai I was able to complete what Elisaveta Petrovna had planned. But without the 140-meter bell tower. It's a pity, it would be a magnificent dominant feature of the city. And a deep symbol - the biblical pillar of fire that led the Jews to the Promised Land. And the Church as a pillar and affirmation of the Truth.

But what was achieved is, without exaggeration, a masterpiece of architecture. And let us note symbolic thought. The height of the cathedral is 93.7 meters, which is only 7 meters lower than St. Isaac's Cathedral. In plan, the entire monastery is a Greek cross with a central cathedral inside and four churches in the corners. The Greek cross with equilateral branches is at the same time a symbol of our salvation, the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and at the same time a cosmological symbol of the four-part world. “The four-pointed world is sanctified today by the four-pointed cross.” We have already talked about the five chapters and its meaning. Let us note that here Rastrelli maintained a hierarchy of meanings: but only one, the central dome, relates directly to the temple, the other four are bell towers. The central dome, symbolizing Christ, is much larger in size than the others. And again, it is no coincidence that the four belfries symbolically point to the evangelists, because the bell ringing itself was originally called blagovest.

Note that a similar design is typical for another brainchild of Rastrelli - St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv. The architectural design of the Smolny Cathedral creates an unusual illusion of its size. As you approach, the cathedral visually becomes smaller, without losing its majesty; in some ways, this is similar to the phenomenon of reverse perspective.

The temple, with its elegant decoration in the Elizabethan Baroque style, rather resembles a palace, and this is connected not only with the August Order: the temple must display the image of the Kingdom, albeit the Heavenly one. Its interior decoration amazed with its beauty and splendor: a magnificent baroque iconostasis, in harmony with the snow-white arches and columns, a unique crystal balustrade.

According to legend, the architect Giacomo Quarenghi, a representative of the opposite view of architecture, despite his irreconcilable character and open hostility towards Rastrelli, stopped in front of the main entrance to the Smolny Cathedral, turned to face him, took off his hat and exclaimed: “Ecco una chiesa!” (“This is a temple!”).

The beauty of the Smolny Cathedral was captured in the immortal poems of Anna Akhmatova:

Whiter than the vaults of the Smolny Cathedral,
More mysterious than the lush Summer Garden,
She was. We didn't know that soon
Let us look back in extreme anguish.

And this is significant for us because we remember the centenary of the First World War. In this temple, donations were collected for the wounded and refugees, prayers were served for the granting of victory to Russian weapons and memorial services for slain soldiers.

For 87 years, the Smolny Cathedral was the main temple of educational institutions. But in 1922 the temple was closed and turned into a warehouse. The barbaric destruction of its interior began. To be fair, let’s say: not right away. Thus, the iconostasis was dismantled only in 1972. From him, only one icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from the 18th century remained in the church. The unique crystal balustrade was barbarically destroyed. According to legend, part of it was used to decorate columns at the Avtovo metro station.

In 1989–1990 a number of churches were returned to the city (including the Kazan Cathedral, the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God). However, the fate of the Smolny Resurrection Cathedral was more complex and difficult. Neither the last secretary of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU, Boris Gidaspov, nor the first democratic mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak, even thought about returning the Smolny Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church. Other considerations outweighed them, including financial ones: after all, the concert hall and rehearsal space in the city center provide a very good income. It is sad that the pursuit of momentary gain takes away from people a sense of historical memory, and elementary justice, and the fear of God, and human conscience. After all, it is written: “Holiness befits your house, O Lord, for the length of the days.” In other words, the temple must be a temple. And in Soviet times it was a warehouse, an exhibition hall and even... an anti-nuclear bunker. Underneath it, in the late forties, a bomb shelter was built in case of nuclear war for government workers. Of course, churches of God and monasteries served the Fatherland in the Cold War to protect Russia from the nuclear threat: it is enough to mention the Sarov Monastery - the nuclear center of Arzamas-16. But hardly anyone would argue that this is a fitting and proper use of the temple.

And yet, in recent years, some steps have been taken to restore the temple as a temple. The crosses on the domes were restored. Unfortunately, on July 16, 2001, during a hurricane, the main cross collapsed. And his restoration was a true miracle. A cross was erected above the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg on April 12, 2004. The event was attended by representatives of the city administration, headed by Valentina Matvienko. Difficult weather conditions made it difficult to install the cross. The helicopter's departure from the site near the Peter and Paul Fortress was allowed two hours later than the established time. The cross was carried over the city of St. Peter. Half an hour later, installers and pilots under the leadership of Vadim Bazykin managed to install the cross at an almost hundred-meter height of the main dome. The height of this cross is 6 meters, weight is about 600 kilograms. The restorers actually recreated it from scratch.

There was also a resumption of services, made possible thanks to the energetic work of Archpriest Pyotr Mukhin. On May 24, 2009, Bishop Ambrose of Gatchina served the first prayer service in the cathedral after a long break, and since 2010, Smolny Cathedral was again open for worship. On April 7, 2010, on the Feast of the Annunciation, 87 years later, the chairs were removed from the right Catherine's chapel of the cathedral, freeing up space for half a thousand worshipers. The Divine Liturgy on this day was celebrated by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir (Kotlyarov). The Kazan Cathedral donated an ancient throne for worship. By this day, the altarpiece of the Virgin Mary was restored - a copy of the painting by A. Venetsianov, stored in the State Russian Museum. After this, services in the southern (Catherine's) aisle of the cathedral began to be held regularly on Sundays. On January 6–7, 2011, the first Christmas service since 1917 was held in the cathedral.

Since 2012, holiday services for students have been regularly held in the Smolny Cathedral. One of the most memorable is the feast of St. Tatiana on January 25, 2013, which was attended by about 1000 students. Then the service was led by Bishop Ambrose of Gatchina. At the service, 1,000 copies of the New Testament and 1,000 books “The Unknown World of Faith” were distributed to students.

Easter Vespers in the Smolny Cathedral in 2014 was celebrated for the first time by Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, together with dozens of clergy from the university deanery and thousands of believers, including hundreds of children who warmly greeted the Bishop and received congratulatory gifts from him.

This year, on the feast of St. Tatiana on January 25, Bishop Barsanuphius will perform the Divine Liturgy and congratulate hundreds of students in the city. Devotees of Orthodox educational activities will be awarded diplomas and badges. Students will receive Orthodox books as a gift.

Since February 2013, in agreement with the administration, divine services have been held daily in the southern Catherine's boundary of the Smolny Cathedral. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this. Some old employees grumble: “Just think: they built a church in the cathedral!” So they are accustomed to its inappropriate use. What can you do!

However, we are optimistic about the future. Parishioners, especially young people, are drawn to us. The revived Smolny Cathedral is envisioned as the main university temple of St. Petersburg, the center of the spiritual life of our youth, its revival. And the revival of Russia.

Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg its entire history was haunted by the number 87: it was built for so long, services were performed in it for so many years, and it stood for the same amount of time without being used for its intended purpose. It’s worth coming here to have an association with the word “Smolny” that is different from the one to which everyone is accustomed.

Contacts

How to get to Smolny Cathedral

To get to the temple, you will have to prepare to make 2 transport transfers or about 30 minutes. walk from the metro. The starting points are the Chernyshevskaya or Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro stations.

1. In the first case you will have to transfer to trolleybus No. 15 or bus No. 22, 46;
2. In the second– by trolleybus No. 5, 7 or bus No. 22.

Visit. Operating mode

• Since the temple recently, in 2016, became part of the Russian Orthodox Church, its operating hours have changed. Now there are no days off, and the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg receives visitors from 7:00 to 20:00 (the reference point is evening service).
• In addition to services, excursions are also offered: by reservation or three times a day on weekends, at 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. For the excursion you will have to leave a donation of approximately 200 rubles. (there are discounts for students).
• As before, you can climb to the belfry of the Smolny Cathedral, which is considered one of the best observation platforms in the city.
• Opening hours of the observation deck of the Smolny Cathedral are 11:00–18:00. For visiting the belfry they also ask for a donation of 150 rubles. (there are discounts for students). All donated funds are used for restoration work on the interior of the cathedral.

Schedule of services of the Smolny Cathedral

You can attend services in the cathedral any day of the week. Except that the early morning liturgy (7:00) can only be heard on weekends and holidays.
The regular schedule of services is as follows:

• 9:30 – late liturgy, after which the Psalter is read;
• 14:00 – prayer service;

• 16:00 – memorial service;
• 17:00 – evening service.

The schedule of services is adjusted only in connection with major holidays or fasts.

Where can you stay nearby?

Specifically, there are no pilgrimage hotels near the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, but in the surrounding area, 2 km from the temple, you can choose a place in a dozen hotels/hostels. If you really want to stay in a pilgrimage hotel, there are three of them near the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, on the embankment of the Monastyrka River: "Iris","Dukhovskaya" And "Feodorovskaya".
The cost of staying in hotels starts from 500 rubles/day.

The history of the creation of the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg

1. The name of the future cathedral was determined by its location. Even in the time of Peter I, resin was produced at this site for the construction of shipyards, and the Smolny Palace was located nearby, where the Tsar’s daughter, Elizabeth, was raised. When the idea came to her to take monastic vows, to build a monastery for herself and 120 young ladies of eminent families, she indicated the location of these Smolny courtyards.
2. The design of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent was entrusted to the courtier architect F. Rastrelli, and the first stone was laid with celebration and cannon fire in 1748. Rastrelli had many plans (even a wooden model of the monastery complex in the Academy of Arts was preserved); he wanted to get rid of the defensive walls familiar to monasteries and make the bell tower at the gate the main accent. But the empress intervened in the construction. Now the bell tower had to be shortened, and in addition to the large dome on the Smolny Monastery Cathedral in St. Petersburg (it was renamed from Novodevichy), its neighbors appeared - four smaller domes (though there are two-tier bell towers under them).
3. The architect did not live to see the completion of his masterpiece, so other craftsmen had to complete the baroque temple. Yu. Felten And V. Stasov. Elizaveta Petrovna herself did not have time to see the consecration of the cathedral. The domes were not completed, the walls were not plastered, and the interiors were not completed.
4. By decree of Nicholas I, he worked for three years to complete the complex Stasov. He did a great job, but the Smolny Monastery Cathedral had to wait too long for its opening, as many as 87 years.
5. In 1835 The cathedral was finally dedicated, giving the title of the cathedral of educational institutions of St. Petersburg. It was closed in 1923, using the premises as warehouses and an atomic bomb-proof bunker. By 1974, there was no longer an iconostasis or valuables inside, but there was a historical museum. The liturgy was allowed to be held within the walls of the cathedral only in 2010; icons, a cross and a bell were brought. The Smolny Cathedral changed its museum status to a religious one only in 2016.

Architectural and cultural landmarks

• The style of the entire Rastrelli complex can be designated by the word “Baroque”, although with impurities. After all, the court architect was famous for his style in architecture, which is why the cathedral looks baroque, no matter where you look at it (in European buildings only one baroque façade was practiced). It is clear that thanks to the stucco and blue walls present everywhere, the architect managed to get rid of the oppressive atmosphere of Russian monastery buildings, his ideas brought lightness to the exterior of the cathedral. And the conversion of the cathedral into a five-domed one at the request of Elizaveta Petrovna is a tribute to Russian tradition, because in the minds of Orthodox believers there was an image of a five, consisting of Christ and 4 evangelists. The Smolny Cathedral is quite a bit inferior in height.
• Bell tower of Smolny Cathedral attracts tourists with its views: you can see the Neva, the Smolny Institute, the Smolny Monastery, excavations on the site of the Swedish fortress Nyenschanz taken by Peter and other interesting things of St. Petersburg. Although the bell tower is tall, judging by Rastrelli’s museum model, it was planned to be 5-tiered and 140 meters high, that is, taller than all European buildings. Bells could hang in the three upper tiers, and a cross would crown the belfry. However, there were two “buts”: under martial law (the Seven Years’ War was going on), there was nowhere to get funds, and the architect realized that he had gone too far with his ambitions, and left the Smolny Cathedral as the tallest building of the monastery complex.
  
• Smolny Cathedral Garden in principle, it is a square sandwiched between Rastrelli Square, Quarenghi Lane, Smolny Street and Smolnaya Embankment. It features 4 identical fountains, launched in 1934: two bowls in front of the cathedral building and two behind it. The fountains are separated by flower beds. Benches, alleys, cherry blossoms - everything is clean and well-groomed.
  

Shrines and photos of the Smolny Cathedral

Value can be called iconostasis Smolny. The Baroque shrine adorned the temple until 1972, when it was ordered to be dismantled. Of all the icons that adorned that same ancient iconostasis, only two icons by the court painter A. Venetsianov, depicting entrance to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary And resurrection of Christ, which are the shrines of the temple.

But he has everything ahead: after returning to the church’s possession, it is possible that valuable and rare icons will once again decorate the iconostasis of the Smolny Cathedral.

Adjacent to the azure cathedral is the former Smolny Institute for Girls, where the administration of St. Petersburg now sits.

It is noticeable, despite the iconostasis, that quite recently this place was museum property.

Smolny Cathedral - video

Historical walk through the Smolny Monastery and the Resurrection Smolny Cathedral. Enjoy watching!!!

The Smolny Cathedral has experienced a lot, and the time of its complete return to life is still ahead. Were you, dear readers, able to feel this within its walls? We look forward to your stories and impressions.

My story will be about a majestic and at the same time unusually elegant temple, which is located on the left bank of the Neva, on Smolnaya Embankment. Its full name is Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. I personally have many solemn events in my life associated with him: I received the honorary badge of St. martyr Tatiana and several awards for victories in educational competitions.

Until 2015, the temple was familiar to St. Petersburg residents as a place for classical music concerts.

But now it has found its original true purpose, regaining its status as an Orthodox church. It is especially beautiful in winter, when its domes shine above the slender white-azure walls against the backdrop of snow-covered streets.

I will certainly mention the good traditions of the cathedral later, but for now I propose to get acquainted with the history of the appearance of this amazing architectural masterpiece in the Northern capital.

Fragments of history

First, I’ll answer the question: where did the name “Smolny” come from? It turns out that earlier in this place, during the founding of St. Petersburg itself, there was a so-called “resin yard”. Resins for the Admiralty shipyards were prepared here.

The cathedral owes its appearance primarily to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Daughter I was thinking of retiring to a monastery at the end of her life.

So she gave the order to build a monastery for girls from the upper class, intending to become their abbess. She chose the place for a reason. The fact is that under Anna Ioanovna the Smolny Palace was located here (the origin of the name is already clear to us). It was here that Elizabeth spent her youth (due to which this palace was also called the Maiden Palace). Thus, in St. Petersburg, where so far there were only men's monasteries, the first convent began to emerge. The development of the project was entrusted to Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli.

The brilliant architect presented it in the form of a complex consisting of a cathedral and surrounding two-story buildings for housing and household needs of the nuns.

The architect's innovative idea was that he decided to modify the usual walls of monasteries into an elegant fence with stucco molding and flowerpots. He also planned to build an outstanding belfry here, as much as 140 meters high (it would be taller than the Petropavlovskaya). But later he himself abandoned this plan.

The beginning of the creation of the monastery complex

At the end of October 1748, the pompous foundation of the first women's monastery in St. Petersburg took place.

Sometimes good deeds go wrong. There were similar tricks here too. For some reason, Rastrelli and the construction foreman Mordvinov did not find a common language. The latter, apparently, did not have sufficient wisdom and imposed his arbitrariness with all his might. And Elizabeth herself suddenly, a year later, ordered changes to be made to the design of the architectural complex of the future monastery. She decides to return to the banks of the Neva the construction of churches according to the old Orthodox canons. The cathedral was to become five-domed, like the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin.

A model of the monastery ensemble is created, which in May 1751 is transported to the site of the monastery and installed in a special “model room”. Today this model of the monastery with a bell tower is kept in the Museum of the Academy of Arts.

Construction was large-scale. Masses of labor were drawn here and abundant funding was directed. Rastrelli introduces his own Baroque style into the project. If in Europe only the external façade of buildings was mainly improved, then the Smolny Cathedral was beautiful from all sides. At that time they were thinking of increasing the bell tower to 167 meters (it would have become the tallest building in Europe), and Elizabeth wanted to see the central bell for its belfry larger than the Tsar Bell of the Mother See.

But human desires do not always come true. The war with Prussia begins, cutting off funding for the monastery project. At the same time, the empress’s daring to take monastic vows faded away. In 1761 she died before the consecration of the Cathedral.

Construction under Catherine II

The new ruler Catherine II replaced the architect Rastrelli with Felten, the author of the Hermitage.

Over the course of ten years, starting in 1765, this master completed the construction of the buildings and moved on to the interiors of the still unfinished temple, but everything was again suspended due to lack of funds (or Catherine’s reluctance to let them go). By the way, at that time there were already 20 nuns living in the monastery. The new empress creates an educational institution for girls from noble families.

She chooses the Smolny Monastery for their residence (hence the name “Smolyanka”). The nuns, among others, were entrusted with looking after the students.

Abolition of the monastery

In 1797, the monastery was completely abolished by order of Paul I.

Thus, for a long time there was not a single convent in St. Petersburg. By the way, it is the Resurrection Smolny Convent that will become the predecessor of the magnificent Novodevichy Convent, which you can read about in my article. The building of the Smolny Institute is being built for girls pupils, and the former cells of the nuns were given over to the Widow's House.

Completion of construction of the cathedral

The completion of the magnificent temple was only a decision of the next Tsar Nicholas I.

This task was entrusted to the architect V.P. Stasov, who won the competition announced by order of Emperor Nicholas I. I want to note that Vasily Petrovich had already gained fame as a famous St. Petersburg architect. He created the Moscow and Narva triumphal gates, the Izmailovsky and Transfiguration Cathedrals, the building of the Pavlovsky Regiment barracks on the Field of Mars and many other famous buildings in the city and its suburbs.

Through the efforts of the master, the interiors were restored, an additional row of service buildings was built, and a design for the design of the fence was created. And finally, on July 20 (August 2, new style) in 1835, the Smolny Cathedral was consecrated as the Cathedral of all educational institutions in memory of the mother of Nicholas I, Empress Maria Feodorovna, who provided guardianship to the youth.

In memory of this event, a medal appeared, on which, on one side, Jesus Christ is depicted blessing children.

On the back of the medal was minted a cathedral that took the longest to build - 87 years! This medal was placed in the tabernacle of the cathedral. (I would like to clarify right away that a tabernacle is a special vessel in the shape of a temple or chapel, located in the altar. The Holy Gifts are placed inside, with which priests give communion to sick and infirm people at home.)

The Smolny Cathedral accommodated more than 6,000 people. But its bell tower was never built.

All subsequent times, right up to the revolutionary storm of 1917, services were held in the Smolny Cathedral. I found an old photo of the cathedral, I think you will be interested to see what it looked like in 1858:

Particularly solemn here was the Day of Remembrance of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene (August 4), when the royal family arrived for the service.

Mentors and students of women's educational institutions in St. Petersburg (including the first higher educational institution for girls - the Educational Society of Noble Maidens) were invited here.

The last rector of the cathedral was Archpriest Andrei Yurashkevich.

Soviet authorities closed the cathedral in 1923, and all temple valuables were confiscated. It housed a warehouse. Only in 1972 was the iconostasis removed, which by some miracle remained intact until these years. The utensils were given to museums.

In 1974, a branch of a museum complex dedicated to the history of Leningrad was opened here. And in 1990, a concert and exhibition complex was opened.

The Cathedral today

As long as the period of its construction was, the road to finding its true purpose turned out to be just as difficult. Today this wonderful Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is a functioning Orthodox church.

On May 24, 2009, on the day of teachers Cyril and Methodius, the rector of the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg, Bishop of Gatchina Ambrose, served here the first prayer service after spiritual oblivion.

In 2010, under the arches of the Smolny Cathedral, the liturgy sounded again.

And here are the amazing coincidences of history again! The cathedral took 87 years to build. And after the revolution of 1917, exactly 87 years later, the concert chairs were finally removed from the right side of the Catherine’s church. Now more than a thousand believers could attend the service here. And this event was a real triumph. On the day of the Annunciation, April 7, the solemn festive divine service was led by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga (Kotlyarov) himself.

An ancient throne was given here as a gift from the Kazan Cathedral. A copy of the altarpiece of the Blessed Virgin Mary written by A. Venetsianov was created (the original is in the State Russian Museum).

Now Sunday services within this limit have become regular. In the same year, in memory of the 175th anniversary of the temple, the St. Petersburg mint issued a special medal.

In 2011, the first Christmas service was held here.

In 2013, a bell weighing 10 tons, made in Voronezh, was delivered here and illuminated.

On January 25, 2015, the Smolny Cathedral was completely transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. Yes, it is on January 25 that the cathedral regains its true purpose. And this happened on a holiday famous among students - St. Tatiana's Day.

This probably did not happen by chance. The fact is that the cathedral historically became the temple of educational institutions of the Northern capital. It is not surprising that his priority is the spiritual and moral education and enlightenment of youth.

Since 1997, in St. Petersburg, on the initiative of universities and universities of St. Petersburg, its highest Theological school - the Academy, various public organizations and the Youth Policy Committee, an amazing Tatyana creative competition began to be held. Both students themselves and their mentors have been taking part in it for 20 years.

Today the competition is headed by the Pokrov association, which includes 25 universities in the Northern capital, its Interuniversity campus and Tver State University. This association seems to have two “wings” - spiritual and secular. On January 25, after the solemn liturgy, according to tradition, the winners of the competition are awarded in the Smolny Cathedral.

Students who have particularly demonstrated themselves in service to society and educational work receive Honorary Badges of St. Tatiana.

By the way, honorary crosses of St. Tatiana in 2012 were awarded to the Mayor of St. Petersburg G. Poltavchenko and the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga (Kotlyarov). And I was especially happy that same day to receive from the hands of Bishop Ambrose the honorary badge of this Saint. After the awards ceremony, real student winter festivities begin at the cathedral. At this time, you can freely communicate with distinguished guests of the holiday.

In the courtyard near the cathedral there is a free camp kitchen: you can taste delicious pastries and hot tea. Young people (and not only) participate in concerts, games and fun. As usual, the holiday ends with a real ball, held at one of the universities in St. Petersburg.

Every year on January 27, the day the 900-day siege of Leningrad was lifted, in the Resurrection Smolny Cathedral, the Intercession student council, starting in 2015, takes part in a memorial service for those who died during that tragic time.

The children, together with their teachers, ring the bell of the Smolny Cathedral 900 times. By the way, the names of the leading universities of St. Petersburg are cast in the lower part of the bell sundress.

Thus, this emerging tradition reminds us of the continuity of generations, the need to preserve the memory of the heroic past of our country and city, and also that the Smolny Cathedral is the main student temple of the Northern capital.

Social service

Although the cathedral began its spiritual mission again only in 2015, a variety of social work is already underway here. I myself was very interested to learn that in addition to interaction with the city’s students, a children’s Sunday school was also established here. In addition to it, there is a Smolyanka School at the temple for girls from 4 to 12 years old. Classes and excursions are designed to familiarize girls with the history of the Institute of Noble Maidens and its good traditions.

Here they teach the rules of good tone and graceful manners, needlework, and develop creativity.

Classes held in the Smolny Cathedral and other museums of St. Petersburg are led by a real cool lady and accompanied by various teachers. And graduation balls are also held here, as if in the old days.

And since you can’t do without gentlemen at balls, a real Corps of Pages was created at the Smolny Cathedral. Boys aged 5–11 years study here.

The focus is on patriotic education, the study of history, the development of leadership qualities, the study of heraldry, the code of officer honor, the rules of the science of fencing and horse riding.

In my opinion, it is remarkable that from childhood boys are taught to treat beautiful ladies like knights. The guys get acquainted with the history of His Imperial Majesty's Pages. In the 1st year they are even given their own military uniform.

Hand-to-hand fighting, dancing, fencing and horse riding are also taught here. Classes are taught by a corps teacher, guides, trainers, teachers and psychologists.

Balls are held twice a year and are distinguished by solemnity. And how can you not be amazed when a real hussar orchestra greets you in front of the hall in Astoria!

Smolny Cathedral is one of the masterpieces of the Baroque style, built according to the design of the architect Rastrelli. Construction of the temple began in 1748 by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The ruler decided that she would spend the last years of her life in the monastery, in the company of noble maidens: an institute for girls from the noble class was to operate on the territory of the monastery. However, Elizaveta Petrovna never went to the monastery: the opening of the Smolny Institute took place in 1764, after her death, and the cathedral itself was completed only in 1835.

Today, the Smolny Resurrection Cathedral (this is the full name) is one of the few churches that has not been transferred to the church. There are excellent acoustics here, so in 1990 a concert and exhibition hall opened in the building, which is still in operation. The temple is part of the state museum-monument "St. Isaac's Cathedral" (Museum of Four Cathedrals).

Photos of Smolny Cathedral inside and outside

Concert and exhibition hall of the Smolny Cathedral

The concert and exhibition hall of the Smolny Cathedral is a very popular venue. Organ and instrumental concerts are regularly held here. The program is very interesting: in the cathedral you can hear sacred music and operas, baroque and medieval compositions, and playing the harpsichord. You can view the poster and book tickets online on the official website isaak.ticketnet.ru, and here you can also purchase entrance tickets to the cathedral.

Chamber Choir of Smolny Cathedral

The Smolny Cathedral Chamber Choir, one of the most famous groups in the northern capital, has existed since 1991. In addition to well-known classical works, the choir performs rare compositions - from cantos from the era of Peter the Great to little-known works by modern composers. The choir often performs at other venues in the city - at the Philharmonic, St. Isaac's Cathedral and other places.

Belfry of Smolny Cathedral

The belfry of the Smolny Cathedral is one of the best observation platforms in St. Petersburg: you can admire the sights from a height of 50 meters. The height of the cathedral itself is 93 meters. A visit to the belfry with an 18-minute audio tour “Panorama of St. Petersburg” costs 100 rubles. Not only the view from the belfry is interesting, but also what tourists will see and hear while climbing the 277 steps to the top. Baroque music plays here and you can see structural elements and masonry from Rastrelli's time.

Organ concerts at the Smolny Cathedral

The organ in the Smolny Cathedral was installed in 2010. Since then, organ concerts have been held here regularly and are its calling card.

Schedule of services in the Smolny Cathedral

Divine services in the Resurrection Smolny Cathedral are held at 7:00. On the occasion of church holidays, changes may be made; the schedule is available on the official website: www.cathedral.ru/raspisanie_bogoslugenii.

Where is it and how to get there

Smolny Cathedral is located in the central part of the city, but quite far from metro stations. The nearest station, Chernyshevskaya, is located at a distance of 2 kilometers. You can stroll along the beautiful streets or use ground transportation. Trolleybuses No. 5, 7, 11, 15, 16, 33, buses No. 22, 46, 54, 74, 105, 136, 181, minibuses K15, K28, K76, K90 stop near Smolny on Suvorovsky Prospekt or Proletarskaya Dictatorship Square. K167, K185, K269, K389. Bus No. 136 and minibuses K46, K76 stop directly at Rastrelli Square.

Below we have marked the location of the Smolny Cathedral on the map of St. Petersburg.

Opening hours: 10:30-18:00. Wednesday is a day off. Ticket prices: a ticket for adults without visiting the belfry costs 150 rubles, a discounted ticket costs 50 rubles. Address: St. Petersburg, Rastrelli Square, 1. Website: