🌅 Smolny Cathedral (bell tower)

пл. Растрелли, 1

A viewing platform on the bell tower — 277 steps

The cathedral was founded on 30 October 1748: Elizabeth Petrovna wanted to end her days in a convent on the site of the palace of her childhood.
Because of the Seven Years' War money ran out, and under Elizabeth Rastrelli's cathedral was left unfinished as a bare shell.
The cathedral was completed by Vasily Stasov and consecrated on 20 July 1835.
Rastrelli built the cathedral ‘cold’, and Stasov had to struggle to cut flues for stoves in the walls.
The cathedral is 93.7 metres high.
The giant bell tower Rastrelli had planned was raised only a few metres and then dismantled.
From 1990 to 2015 the cathedral served as a classical music concert hall.

Part of these routes