The Russian Orthodox Cathedral Saint-Nicolas: A Symbolic Battlefield on the French Riviera

Damla Pesek

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral Saint-Nicolas in Nice is a sign of the longtime Russian presence on the French Riviera. The church is now property of the Russian Federation, however the debate surrounding its rightful ownership has developed into a power struggle in the past.

Nice has had a long relationship with Russia. The wealthy empress Alexandra Feodorovna arrived to the Côte d'Azur in 1856, marking the beginning of the Russian presence in Nice. The Russians came to Nice originally for political reasons, but also for the mildness of its climate and beautiful landscapes. The Russian aristocrats built splendid estates and were renowned for their life style and the Russian community left an important architectural heritage in Nice. For Nice's older Russian generation, these heritage is their refuge and serves as a protector for the community.

Recognized as a national monument in France, Cathedral Saint-Nicolas is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. The cathedral was opened in 1912, Russia's Czar Nicholas II. From 1931 until 15 December 2011, the cathedral was part of the Paris-based Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe and was under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople. Moscow was demanding the property of the cathedral back, because it was built on land given by Czar Nicolas II. After a longstanding legal dispute, ownership was resolved. After 2011, following a final ruling by France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, the cathedral was declared to be property of the Russian state, and the congregation came under the jurisdiction of the Korsun diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

St. Nicholas of Nice was designed by Mikhail Preobrazhensky, professor at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, who designed several other Russian churches around the world. Inside, there is ornate frescoes, murals and wooden carvings.

Once the St. Nicolas Cathedral was recovered, Moscow pushed for ownership of Nice’s Orthodox cemetery, a serene place lush with orange and olive trees that hosts the graves of Russian refugees who died on the French Riviera, including a few members of the imperial family. The cemetery was established on a plot bought by Russia in 1867 on the hill of Caucade, at a time when the Russian colony had an important role in the French Riviera. Even so, French court denied the request for return of the cemetery. At the behest of Russian officials, local media reported, a Frenchman named Christian Frizet broke the locks to the cemetery and installed a placard declaring it Russian property.