Description: For quite some time, Nice's Russian Cathedral represented little more than an entry in guidebooks to the Cote d'Azur and a small picture on one of the tourist maps I picked up in the lobby of the hotel in which my mother was staying. It did, though, appear to be an interesting entry and an intriguing picture. So, on my mother's final afternoon in Nice, we decided to pay it a visit.
Like many things in Nice - primarily those away from Promenade des Anglais - the Russian Cathedral took some finding. We took bus number 23 (although any bus that goes west of the train station would suffice) and got off near Avenue Thiers. From there, we had to navigate a few non-descript suburban streets and pass under a few bridges. We presumed it would be easy to spot as the guidebooks described as a smaller version of the cathedrals you might find in Red Square or St Petersburg. However, as it surrounded by residential housing, it was not until we were within a few hundred meters of it that we spotted the roof.
It was a spectacular view. The bright green tiles that cover the spherical tower-tops glistened in the sun as they poked out from between trees and surrounding houses. As we approached the view improved markedly. The cathedral is not massive in terms of scale, but it is in such contrast to its surroundings that it really captures the attention. It genuinely looks like something out of a Russian novel from the last century. The domes on the top of the towers seemed to transport me back to Tsarist Russia with their rather outlandish and distinctive style.
The comparisons to Red Square, St Petersburg and the opulent days of the Tsar is a rather predictable one as the cathedral was commissioned by Tsar Alexander II commissioned the cathedral whilst on vacation to Nice in 1864. It was built to serve the large Russian community in Nice and was completed in 1912. It still serves the large Russian community today. In fact, there remains a dispute between the Russian government and Russian emigres over who should wield control.
The one disappointing element of the Russian cathedral was the interior. The outside is bright, bold and visually stunning. However, once through the doors it is disappointingly dull. I would not really recommend paying the 3 Euro admission fee. Instead, I would simply sit outside and bask in its splendour.
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