Église Russe, Geneva

                    The beautiful golden domes of Église Russe in Geneva, Switzerland

When strolling in Geneva City Centre we spotted these beautiful gilded domes. They belong to the Église Russe, The Russian Church.  

The Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna, sister-in-law of Tsar Alexander I and aunt of Queen Victoria, resided in Geneva for a long period. She funded the construction of a Russian Orthodox church in 1863.

It was built on the remains of a 16th-century Benedictine priory. The design was made by professor  David Ivanovich Grimm at the St-Petersburg Academy. The church was completed in 1866.

A stately neighborhood called Les Tranchées developed around the church in the late 19th century. It became the home of the many Russians who came to Geneva to study. After the fall of Communism, Geneva's existing Russian community has been joined by a wave of new-rich Russians, about 3,000 of whom now call the Swiss city home.

Église Russe serve the Russian community as well as Bulgarians, Serbs, Coptic Christians and other Orthodox worshippers who do not have their own church in Geneva.

Similar stories:

• Istanbul: Bulgarian Saint Stephen's Church (October 9th 2010)
• Alexander Nevskij Church in Copenhagen (January 1st 2009)

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