Point of interest
Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas
in Nice, France
The Russian Orthodox cathedral, with its colourful onion domes, built in the early 20th century for the Riviera's Russian winter community.
Where it is
The Russian Orthodox cathedral stands in the west of the city, on Avenue Nicolas II near Boulevard du Tzaréwitch, a little away from the centre.
Address: 2 Avenue Nicolas II, 06000 Nice
What it is
Saint-Nicolas is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe, a vividly coloured building in Old Russian style with five onion domes symbolising Christ and the four Evangelists. Inside, icons, frescoes and a richly gilded iconostasis impress visitors, a unique trace of imperial Russia on the Côte d'Azur.
History
The cathedral was built from 1903 to 1912 to plans by the Russian architect Mikhail Preobrazhensky and consecrated in December 1912, in memory of the Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, who died in Nice in 1865. It served the large Russian community that had settled on the Riviera by the late 19th century.