Cathedral Update

Smolny Cathedral was build between 1748 and 1764 originally for Peter the Great's Daughter when she decided that she wanted to become a nun. However she soon changed her mind and had a quick spell as Empress.

The building itself was designed by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli who is famous for designing the Winter Palace, which is something I will talk about later on in the year.

Its distinctive sky blue and white makes the cathedral absolutely stunning and surreal as it almost resembles a fantasy palace from a disney film:

I found it extremely sad that I was the only tourist there. The only other people there were a newly wedded couple who were taking some wedding photographs in the Cathedral's grounds. I find it absolutely amazing that this cathedral is a 20 minute walk from the city has virtually no visitors, though admittedly it made the visit all the more tranquil for me.

Now the Cathedral and its surroundings are used for Orchestras and is the modern languages department for St Petersburg State Uni (which despite the name is one of their best Universities) - which as i am sure you will agree trumps Elvet Riverside. So as one can conduct, this building is probably the epitome of bourgeois Russia. And the Smolny Institute which is right next door is no exception. Originally built as a school for Noble Maidens, it is a fantastic building as well:

Yet the more I learn about Russia the more I get confused as this building was used by Lenin as his Bolshevik headquarters in 1917 - which is probably the last building i thought he would choose. In fact Lenin preferred Tsarist St Petersburg over Moscow and he originally planned to swap the capital back to St Peterburg, though the change was never actually instigated. The building is now used as the Major's office but right at the front of the building, its history is clear:

Written at the top of the building is one of the most famous Soviet phrases 'Proletarians of the World UNITE!'