Smolny Convent of the Resurrection
Rastrelli, Bartolomeo Francesco; Stasov, Vasily
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Alternative Title
Smolynyy monastyr
Date
1748-1764Description
View of complex, with cathedral at center; Smolny Convent of the Resurrection (Voskresensky), located on the bank of the River Neva, consists of a Cathedral (sobor) and a complex of buildings surrounding it, originally intended for a convent. Construction on the complex was begun as a Russian Orthodox monastery for nuns. It was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, after she was disallowed from succession to the throne and opted instead to become a nun. In 1741, Elizabeth accepted the offer of the Russian throne. When Catherine II assumed the throne in 1762, she ended funding. The cathedral was only finished in 1835 by Vasily Stasov with the addition of a neoclassical interior to suit the changed architectural tastes of the day. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/21/2009)
Type of Work
convent; monastery; cathedralSubject
rulers and leaders, Eighteenth century, Baroque
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only