Our heritage retains a Slavic imprint that has seamlessly merged with the unique character of the Niçois and Niçoises. This enduring testimony can be explored during the Year of Russia in France, through a project driven by Jean-Marc Giaume, municipal councillor delegated to the Historical Heritage, Language, and Niçois Culture, and implemented by the Direction of Historical Heritage, Language, and Niçois Culture.
Saturday, November 6, will be an opportunity to attend the conference “Russian Churches and Architects on the Riviera, from Saint-Raphaël to San Remo” by Luc-François Thévenon, chief curator of Heritage.
The presence of Russians on the Riviera is documented as early as the late 18th century. However, the arrival of Empress Alexandra in Nice on October 26, 1856, to reside until the spring of 1857, followed by multiple visits from the sovereigns and their court, and the presence in Villefranche from 1857 to 1934, of the fleet, then an oceanographic laboratory, contributed to the growth of an ever-expanding colony from Cannes to San Remo.
The need for Orthodox places of worship arose immediately. Temporary chapels were set up in various residences. A significant building quickly became necessary. In 1857, the authorization to build a Russian church in Nice was obtained with difficulty in a country where Catholicism was the state religion. It was established on rue de Longchamp.
The grand work, inaugurated on December 17, 1912, is the Russian Cathedral of Nice, a sumptuous building entirely due to the architect Mikhail Preobrazhenky, who also designed churches in Tallinn and Florence as well as various civil buildings in Russia.
Russian Churches and Architects on the Riviera, from Saint-Raphaël to San Remo
Saturday, November 6, 2010, at 2:30 PM and 3:45 PM
Photography and Image Theater – Nice
