Smolny Institute
здание Смольного · Smolny Passage
school building
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Smolny Institute
Welcome to the Smolny Institute, a structure that encapsulates the dramatic arc of Russian history, from imperial educational ideals to the birthplace of Soviet power. Originally founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great as the…
Listen in the app2The Quarenghi Building — A Triumph of Classicism
We stand before the main facade of the Smolny Institute, completed in 1808 to house the expanding needs of the Imperial Educational Society. Giacomo Quarenghi, the master of Saint Petersburg classicism, designed this long,…
Listen in the app3The Life of a Smolyanka — Discipline and Cultivation
Inside these walls, the lives of the students were rigidly organized and governed by a charter that emphasized 'neatness and eating proper deportment'. The girls were divided into four age groups by color, studying everything…
Listen in the app4The October Revolution — The Hall of Transformation
In October 1917, the quiet corridors of the Smolny were replaced by the 'beating pulse of revolutionary' activity. The Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik government seized the building, transforming it from an elite school into…
Listen in the app5Lenin’s Study and the Soviet Legacy
The Smolny State Museum features exhibits of Vladimir Lenin's study and living quarters from the brief period when he managed the fledgling Soviet state from this building. Before moving the capital to Moscow, Lenin lived and…
Listen in the app6The Smolny Cathedral — Rastrelli’s Masterpiece
Adjacent to the institute stands the magnificent Smolny Cathedral, a soaring masterpiece designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Commissioned by Peter the Great’s daughter, Elizabeth Petrovna, who originally intended to…
Listen in the app7Closing — The Enduring Sight of Power
As we conclude our tour of the Smolny Institute and Cathedral, we reflect on its status as a 'symbol of class divisions and aristocratic exclusivity' that was dramatically reborn as a bastion of the people. We have walked the…
Listen in the app8Smolny Institute
In finalizing our exploration of the Smolny Institute, we are struck by the paradox of its existence. It was a place designed for the 'cultivation' of elite noblewomen that ultimately became the engine of their social class's…
Listen in the app
What is Smolny Institute?
Smolny Institute is a place in Smolny Passage with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | Smolny Passage |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 59.9464, 30.3964 |
| Last updated |
