Some people will say that it is not necessary to cross all Europe in order to find Russina culture there. Indeed, right in the middle of Paris I found a Cathedral devoted to this culture and this religion. It is on Baru’s street, not far from Hoche avenue in the 8th district. Finally, there is a lot of thing to be discovered in Paris.
The church is devoted to St Alexander Nevski, big duke of Novgorod (1219-1263), one of the biggest heroes for Russian, who was canonised to have saved Russia by beating the Swedish in 1240 near the Neva river, then by saving his country again in 1242 at the same time from Swedish, from Lithuanian, from Teutonic Knights and from Mongolians.
This church was inaugurated on September 12th, in 1861, it was constructed thanks to the initiative of the father Joseph Vassiliev, chaplain to the embassy of Russia. This one wanted to endow Paris of an orthodox church worthy of this name. Funds come from Russia (the tsar Alexander II contributed at the level of 150 000 golden francs himself), of all Russian community of Europe and action of two architects of the tsar (Kouzmine for plans and Strohm for realisation on place) contributed to the success of this plan. This church is always the biggest orthodox church in Paris.
The style of this church is according to the expression of the father Vassiliev “byzantino of Moscow”. Plan in Greek cross and the mosaic of the pediment 5 gold bulbs are of Byzantine inspiration, but which rise, overcome of cross orthodox in eight branches, are style of Moscow. Still needs to be wary of these tags “style this or style that”, when they know that several cathedrals of the Kremlin in Moscow were constructed by Venetian architects…
5 bulbs represent Christ accompanied with 4 Evangelists, they are gilt to recall the flame of the candles which rise skyward.
After the revolution of 1917, many Russian came to take refuge in Paris. The cathedral Alexander Nevski was then considered no more only to be a place of worship: it indeed became a place of regular meetings for an unsystematic community and a place of nostalgia for a lost fatherland.
Other important events took place in this church: on July 12th, 1918, Pablo Picasso married the Russian dancer Olga Koklova there. The witnesses were Jean Cocteau, Max Jacob and Guillaume Apollinaire.
Several big Russian artists (among whom some people could not go back to Russia) had their funeral celebrated here: the writer Ivan Tourgueniev in 1883, the musician Féodor Chaliapine in 1938, the painter Wassily Kandinsky in 1944, the writer poet and prose writer Ivan Bounine in 1953, the film-maker Andreï Tarkovski in 1987 as well as the writer Victor Nekrassov.
This church and the ancient attendance of the Russian community on the adjacent streets confer on this place a discreet charm which contributes to the pleasure of Parisian promenades except of the beaten tracks.
