St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral, Nice, France

The St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. The cathedral was opened in 1912, thanks to the generosity of Russia's Tsar Nicholas II.

Beginning in the mid-19th century, Russian nobility visited Nice and the French Riviera, following the fashion established decades earlier by the English upper class and nobility. In 1864, immediately after the railway reached Nice, Tsar Alexander II visited by train and was attracted by the pleasant climate. Thus began an association between Russians and the French Riviera that continues to this day.

The cathedral, consecrated in December 1912 in memory of Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, who died in Nice, was meant to serve the large Russian community that had settled in Nice by the end of the 19th century, as well as devout visitors from the Imperial Court. Tsar Nicholas II funded the construction work.

After 1917, Communist persecution of religion in Russia led some Russian Orthodox dioceses abroad to form jurisdictions not affiliated with Moscow. One of these, the Paris-based exarchate, later assumed control of the Nice cathedral. On 20 January 2010, a French Court ruled that the title to the Cathedral should be held by the Russian state.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in France

User Reviews

Kaj Enberg (2 years ago)
Worth a short stop. Bunnies having spring-time fun in garden. So cute, my wife thought until...

shweta rbl (2 years ago)
The place is worth visiting. It is small place, one can visit in just 15 minutes. The building is really beautiful.

Candice Kao (2 years ago)
It’s not easy for me to visit Russia to see a cathedral like this. I’m glad I visit this place when I was in Nice. The style is so different from hundreds of cathedrals I’ve seen in Europe.

patrick cleary (2 years ago)
An extraordinary and magnificent structure built to the most beautiful of artisan craftsmanship. A must see for all visitors to beautiful Nice.

lemmlawyer (2 years ago)
The St Nicholas cathedral is a beautiful Russian Orthodox church located not very far from the central train station of Nice. It is worth a visit specially with kids, the place is beautiful and has nice gardens with little bunnies playing and jumping around. You may also enter the church if you want to take a closer look. The entrance is free and the church is nicely decorated.

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