St. Michael the Archangel Church, Eastern Orthodox church in Cannes, France.
St. Michael the Archangel Church is a cream-brick Orthodox church on Boulevard Alexandre III, designed by Louis Nouveau in 1894. Its front bell tower rises in tiers to an open belfry and a steep spire capped by a blue onion dome and cross; a second blue onion dome sits over the main body. Inside, a round-arched opening framed by pilasters leads to a blue star-painted wall and a three-panel iconostasis.
A first house church was set up in Cannes in 1886 on the villa of Alexandra Tripe, served occasionally by clergy from Nice; services became regular in 1889 with the arrival of Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna. In 1893 her confessor, Archpriest Grigory Ostroumov, asked Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich to support a larger church, and Tripe donated a 1,750 m² plot. The architect Louis Nouveau designed the building, founded on 23 April (5 May) 1894 with the blessing of Metropolitan Pallady of St. Petersburg and consecrated on 22 November (4 December) 1894; Cannes then renamed the street Boulevard Alexandre III.
This church serves as a religious center for the Russian community on the French Riviera and reflects historical ties between France and Russia. Families continue to gather here for important religious celebrations and observances today.
The church is regularly open to visitors who wish to observe the religious artifacts and architectural details inside. It is helpful to check current visiting hours beforehand, as these may be adjusted for religious holidays.
General Nikolai Yudenich, commander of the Caucasus Front in World War I, was buried in the crypt in 1933; his coffin was moved in 1957, at his widow's wish, to the Russian cemetery of Cocade in Nice. The crypt still holds Duke Peter of Oldenburg and Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich with his wife Milica.
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