Russia - St. Petersburg - Smolny Convent

Alyona from Russia sent me this great postcard of The Cathedral of the Smolny Convent. I love images of churches and I received three in the mail today! :)  Smolny is located in Saint Petersburg, Russia.  Construction on the complex begun as a Russian Orthodox monastery for nuns. It was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, after she was disallowed succession to the throne, when she opted instead to become a nun. However, as soon as her Imperial predecessor, Ivan VI, was overthrown during a coup d'état carried out by the royal guards in 1741, Elizabeth decided against entering monastic life and accepted the offer of the Russian throne. However, work on the convent continued with royal patronage. The Cathedral is the centerpiece of the convent, built by Rastrelli between 1748 and 1764. Read more about it here: Smolny Convent

Stamps: The left one says "Republic of Dagestan. The dagger in sheath". The right one says: "Republic of Dagestan. Head ornament. End of 19 century".  Republic of Dagestan is situated in the North Caucasus mountains. It is the southernmost part of Russia.  Check out Wiki for more history on the Dagestan culture and history. :)