The Smolny Convent, or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, is located on Ploschad Rastrelli, on the bank of the River Neva in Saint Petersburg. Built by beautiful and vivacious Elizabeth, favorite daughter of Peter the Great
(from whom she inherited not only the strength of character, but also
the leaning toward culture and art), it consists of a cathedral (sobor)
and a complex of buildings, originally intended to be a convent. After
she was disallowed to take the throne, Elizabeth opted instead to become
a nun, but gave up this idea after she became empress in 1741.
The blue-and-white cathedral (built between 1748 and 1764) is considered one of the masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, even though he couldn't complete a projected bell-tower, because of the death of Elizabeth (1762). The new empress, Catherine II, strongly disapproved the Baroque style, so the cathedral was consecrated just in 1835. The church was closed by the Soviets in 1923, and it was looted and allowed to decay until 1982, when it became a Concert Hall. The surrounding buildings house various offices, government institutions and some faculties of the Saint Petersburg State University.
The Smolny Convent is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments, about which I wrote here.
About the stamps
The last stamp, depicting Nizhniy Novgorod Kremlin (4.00 RUB), is part of the series Russian Kremlins, about which I wrote here.
The blue-and-white cathedral (built between 1748 and 1764) is considered one of the masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, even though he couldn't complete a projected bell-tower, because of the death of Elizabeth (1762). The new empress, Catherine II, strongly disapproved the Baroque style, so the cathedral was consecrated just in 1835. The church was closed by the Soviets in 1923, and it was looted and allowed to decay until 1982, when it became a Concert Hall. The surrounding buildings house various offices, government institutions and some faculties of the Saint Petersburg State University.
The Smolny Convent is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments, about which I wrote here.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Monuments of Science and Technique - Bicycles, designed by V.Beltyukov, issued on December 11, 2008, and including 4 stamps with the same denomination (7.00 RUB):
• Collapsible bicycle of the military sample of Leytner - Russia / 1917
• Racing track bicycle GM-30 - USSR / 1938
• Bicycle ZiCh-1 - USSR / 1946 - It's on the postcard 0060
• Road female bicycle V-22 - USSR – 1954
The second stamp belongs to the 300th Anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo set (of the series Jubilees of Cities), issued on June 18, 2010 and containing 3 stamp with the same denomination (15 RUB):
• Egypt Gate
• Monument of A.S. Pushkin
• Alexander Palace - It's on the postcard 0060
Tsarskoye Selo is the former Russian residence of the imperial family, located 24 km south from the center of Saint Petersburg.The last stamp, depicting Nizhniy Novgorod Kremlin (4.00 RUB), is part of the series Russian Kremlins, about which I wrote here.
References
Smolny Convent - Wikipedia
Smolny Cathedral (Saint Petersburg) - World Walk
Sender: Anna Lyapunova (direct swap)
Sent from Saint Petersburg (Russia), on 09.11.2011
Photo: V. A. Davidov
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