In 1748, construction began, led by Bartolomeo Rastrelli himself. He wanted to build the tallest five-tier bell tower in Russia, but these plans, unfortunately, did not come true: after the architect's death in 1771, his successors considered the bell tower too tall for the overall architecture of this part of the city. As a result, the construction of the complex lasted eighty-seven years and became a record for long-term construction. The height of the building is almost 94 meters, and it can accommodate 6,000 people.

After the construction was completed, the monastery was named Voskresensky Novodevichy, and then Smolny. Since 1765, it has housed an educational institution for girls of noble origin, and the building of the Alexander Institute was built for the young ladies of the lower classes by order of Catherine II. The third building in the cathedral ensemble is the Smolny Institute, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi. During the October Revolution, the building was occupied by the Council of Workers and Soldiers Deputies. In 1922, everything was looted and the premises were set up as a warehouse.

Thanks to the bright sky color of the walls, the cathedral looks festive in any weather. The building is surrounded by churches and residential buildings with bunk arcades. Architect Rastrelli planned to build a single-dome church, as was done in Europe, but Elizabeth ordered five domes. Only one of them belongs to the temple, the remaining four are bell towers. Inside the cathedral, the decoration is quite simple, but it looks very solemn: marble in the church hall, a crystal balustrade, three majestic iconostases.

Nowadays, the complex is an architectural monument of world importance, and connoisseurs of the beautiful are definitely worth a visit here. Unfortunately, not everything has been preserved since its construction, but the icons “Resurrection of Christ” and “Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple” by artist Alexey Venetsianov were saved. Don't forget to climb the bell tower, where the highest official observation deck in St. Petersburg is located.