In sunny Nice, on Tsarevich’s amazingly beautiful green boulevard, during the Orthodox holidays, and sometimes just at night, one hears the gospel. Here stands the magnificent Orthodox Cathedral, which is the largest temple in Western Europe.
St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, shimmering with gold domes, for quite some time arouses the interest of historians and art historians, just tourists and believers from all over the world. The temple was built in 1912 on the site where once there was a marble chapel dedicated to the memory of Tsarevich Nikolai.
St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice: photo, history of the appearance
The history of the creation and construction of this cathedral is very sad. Nikolai (heir to the Russian throne, son of Alexander II) in 1865 died of a serious illness. He was only 22 years old. The chapel was erected exactly where the last days of his life passed.
The very first Russian church in Nice is the church of St. Nicholas and Alexandra (construction in 1856-1859). It was very small and therefore, by the end of the nineteenth century outside of Russia, the most beautiful cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built. In addition, the municipality of Nice called the nearby street Boulevard Cesarevich (then Tsarevich) in memory of the deceased Nikolai. And where his bed was in the chapel, a marble black slab was built into the floor.
The miraculous icon, located next to the prince in his last minutes of life, is still in the temple. Today, from all over the planet, many Orthodox go to Nice with the aim of praying to St. Nicholas and touching the shrine.
St. Nicholas Cathedral (Nice) is a part of Russian history, which is quite contradictory, tragic and eventful. Many have invested their love and efforts to create such a miracle. Most of the ancient icons and chandeliers are donations from patrons and parishioners of the church.
Temple description
For the construction of the Russian church in France, funds were donated by Prince S. Golitsyn and Emperor Nicholas II. The five-domed cathedral was built using German brick, and its lining was made of pink granite and ceramic blue tiles. Its domes are crowned with 6 gilt crosses (Tuscan). The facade of the temple has beautiful carved platbands.
St. Nicholas Cathedral (Nice) is magnificent. Its facade is decorated with polychrome tiles from Florence (Kantagali firm) and mosaic icons ("Savior" on the bell tower). The latter were performed in the workshop of V. A. Frolov (Petersburg) according to the sketch of Vasiliev. Italian masters performed the carving of door and window platbands, belfries and lower cornices.
Glazunov (Moscow icon painter) - author of icons for the iconostasis (style of Simon Ushakov). The Royal Gate is a copy of the gate of the Yaroslavl Church of St. The Prophet Elijah. Vasiliev painted and the image of the Holy Trinity.
St. Nicholas Cathedral (Nice) also has a remarkable image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, who was once at the bedside of the dying Tsesarevich. Initially, it was placed at the entrance to the chapel outside, and it was placed in the church in 1912. It should be noted an amazing fact that in May 1935 the icon, completely blackened by that time, was somehow updated without human intervention itself, after which it turned out to be worshiped in the church.
The icons of Sergius of Radonezh, Saints Fevronia, Peter of Murom, etc. were also placed here. Many interesting things can still be seen in the church. Beautiful and rich St. Nicholas Cathedral (Nice).
Visitors reviews
For all visitors coming from different countries, the temple is an amazing sight, built in the best Russian traditions. Not only its multifaceted history is fascinating, but also its magnificent finishes, both internal and external. The cozy, well-groomed Nicholas Cathedral (Nice) is located in a very beautiful area, where you can safely sit on a bench, presenting those long-standing, significant for many Orthodox, historical events.
A feeling of pride and admiration is caused by a beautiful Orthodox church located far from Russia.
Conclusion
Russian Nicholas Cathedral (Nice) was a reflection of the popularity of this wonderful resort on the Cote d'Azur among numerous Russian aristocrats. It all started with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who arrived in Villefranche Bay in 1852 (October 26). Following her, many Russians rushed here.
Magnificent mansions for the imperial house were built on this land. Soon, among the owners of land and housing in this beautiful city, there were already about 400 Russian families.