Eglise Russe (Russian Church), Geneva
The Russian Church is a lovely onion-domed Orthodox church in Geneva, Switzerland.
Russians in Geneva
Russians first started coming to Geneva in the 1800s after writer Nikolai Karamsin visited and described the place in one of his travelogues.
Geneva has always been a cosmopolitan and tolerant city, and in 1859 the Russian Orthodox population of the city was authorized to build a church.
During the 19th century many Russians came to Geneva to study, including revolutionaries. But the largest influx of Russians came after the Revolution, when thousands of White Russians, the wealthy and aristocrats, fled mainly to Paris and Berlin and a few settled here.
Since the fall of Communism, White Russians have been joined by an influx of new rich Russians, 3000 of whom live in Geneva today.
The Russian Church of Geneva
The Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna, the sister-in-law of Tsar Alexander I and aunt of Queen Victoria, set up court here and funded the construction of a Russian Orthodox church in 1863 on the remains of a 16th- century Benedictine priory. The Russian Church was built in a Byzantine Moscovite style according to the design of Grimm, a professor at the St-Petersburg Academy, and was completed in 1866.
The Russian Church, with its colorful, gilded onion domes, is sensational. Inside are 16 th-20 th-century icons and treasures donated by the Russian imperial family and it's worth getting up early on Sunday morning to hear the choir.
In addition to serving Geneva's Russian community, the Russian Church is a meeting place for Bulgarians, Serbs and other Orthodox Christians who do not have their own church, as well as Coptic Christians from the Middle East.
Visitor Information for the Russian Church
| Address: | 18 Rue Beaumont, Geneva CH, 1206 |
| Phone: | +41 (0) 22 346 4709 |
| Train: | 1, 8 Florissant |
| Hours: | Open in the mornings |
| Cost: | Free |
