St. Alexandra, Eastern Orthodox church building in Bad Ems, Germany.
St. Alexandra-Kirche is a stone Russian Orthodox church on the left bank of the Lahn in Bad Ems, built 1874–1876 to a design by Ferdinand Goldmann modelled on Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Its cream facade has pink and grey banding at the base, a rounded gable with a circular medallion over a triple-arched window, and three onion domes: a gold central dome on a grey drum and two blue corner domes. The interior follows a Greek-cross plan with a gilded neo-baroque iconostasis from St. Petersburg.
The church was founded in 1874 to serve the Russian Orthodox community but closed in 1914 as World War I began. After that time, the building experienced changes in church administration and use.
The church is dedicated to the martyr Tsarina Alexandra, commemorating Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who sponsored the project and donated 2,000 thalers. The iconostasis was made by the imperial Russian court carpenter Schrader of St. Petersburg in the neo-baroque style, with icons by Carl von Neff. A painting of the Resurrection by Vasily Vereshchagin hangs behind the iconostasis.
The building sits in central Bad Ems, a spa town with thermal springs, and is accessible on foot. Visitors should note that interior access may be limited depending on current conditions, so checking ahead is advisable.
The church's six original bells, brought from Moscow, were confiscated in 1917 as "enemy property" and melted down for military use. The present bell frame stands behind the building, and new bells consecrated by Metropolitan Mark were installed there in 2008.
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