Exploring cultures and communities – the slow way

Visitors to the Riviera are often surprised to find the striking Orthodox churches along the coast. From the red headlands of the Esterel Massif to Sanremo in Liguria, there is a hint of the east in the ecclesiastical landscape - a legacy of the history of Russian visitors to the region.

article summary —

For many visitors to the Riviera, it is the distinctive Orthodox churches in a number of communities along the coast which are the most visible expression of Russia’s links with the region. Until 1859, when the Russian community in Nice secured its own church, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Russian ships berthed at Villefranche — at least when those vessels had their own Orthodox chaplain. Civilians were invited on board for the Sunday service. The only alternative was to make the long journey west along the coast to Marseille, where there was a thriving Greek Orthodox community which was open to visiting Russians. Following the 1859 church in Nice, others were built along the Riviera, most notably at Menton in 1892, Cannes in 1894 and Sanremo in 1913.

The rapidly growing Russian community in Nice quickly outgrew its first church in the city, and in 1899, Empress Maria Feodorovna provided support for the building of the grand St Nicholas’ Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Nice. It was consecrated in 1913, becoming the first Russian Orthodox church beyond the boundaries of the empire to be granted the privileges of cathedral status.


This is just an excerpt. The full text of this article is not yet available to members with online access to hidden europe. Of course you can also read the full article in the print edition of hidden europe 43.

About the authors

hidden europe

and manage hidden europe, a Berlin-based editorial bureau that supplies text and images to media across Europe. Together they edit hidden europe magazine. Nicky and Susanne are dedicated slow travellers. They delight in discovering the exotic in the everyday.

This article was published in hidden europe 43.