Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Eglise Russe, Geneva

Old Town Facade – Geneva – Switzerland. Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D- Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Eglise Russe, Geneva

Accordingly, a Catholic church, Notre-Dame (1852-1857), an Anglican church (1853), a synagogue (1859), a Masonic temple (1858-1859), and, finally, the Russian Orthodox church arose in Geneva ( 1864-1866). This very flexible period in confessional matters, however, came to an end fast. The first fires of the Kulturkampf were lit in Geneva at the end of the 1860s.

After Anna Feodorovna Constancia, Tsar Alexandre the First’s sister-in-law, promised financial support, the Russian Orthodox community of Geneva was granted permission to build this church in 1859. The church, located in the upper Eaux-Vives district, was built on the ancient site of a Benedictine priory and is one of Geneva’s most beautiful structures. This gleaming tourist attraction can be seen for miles.

This lovely tiny Russian church has recently had a very expensive and tasteful renovation making it a real “bijou’. It is a lovely reminder of Geneva’s openness to Russians fleeing the 1917 Revolution.

1. Brief history of the Russian Church, Geneva

The Russian Church, Geneva (French: Cathédrale de l’Exaltation de la Sainte Croix, Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) is a historically significant Russian Orthodox church in Geneva, Switzerland.

Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna, who lived in Bern and Geneva after her divorce from Grand Duke Constantine, contributed funds to the church’s construction in 1863. David Grimm of the Imperial Academy of Arts designed it, and it was completed in 1866 in Geneva’s fashionable Les Tranchées neighbourhood.

The Russian revival church was restored in 1966, with its Byzantine striped arches and gold onion domes. The church is still in use.

2. The golden domes on the church are a wonderful attraction sight

This small but beautiful church attracts attention of any tourist who happens to be nearby. It is located next to the Museum of Art and History, just check the hours beforehand.

Very beautiful and a welcome change from the architecture surrounding it. Really nice of you see it on a clear day as it catches the sun. 

The beautiful Russian Orthodox Church was one of the most unusual places in Geneva. It appears that no costs was spared in its construction, which reflects the power (and money) of Switzerland’s large Russian community.

The golden domes are quite a sight when they reflect the mid-afternoon sun, and inside (where photography is prohibited) there is the typical orthodox temple smell of incense.

3. In Geneva, Russians account for 10% of the population

Russian Orthodox church at Geneva with its famous golden towers. Photo by Henk Monster- Wikimedia

The Russian Orthodox Church is a nineteenth-century structure that stands out among the rooftops of Geneva’s Les Tranchées neighbourhood. The Russian Orthodox community in Geneva has grown to account for 10% of the city’s population.

This temple in the Rue Beaumont is of Byzantine icons Moscow and contains treasures donated by the same imperial family from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. It’s not particularly attractive on the inside, but it’s worth photographing the “golden onions” outside.

It is very close to St. Pierre Cathedral and Place du Bourg-de-Four, which is also worth seeing and where the restaurant “Chez Ma Cousine” is located (minube shared this corner: rich and cheap ).

4. What other name was given to the gorgeous church?

The Eglise Russe, also known as the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is a historic Russian Orthodox temple in Geneva attached to a parish established on Emperor Alexander I’s orders in 1817. The church was constructed in 1866 with huge contributions from the Russian Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna, who was living in Switzerland at the time.

5. When did freedom of worship begin in Geneva?

Old Town Facade – Geneva – Switzerland. Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D- Wikimedia

After the the 1846 revolution, the Geneva Constitution of 1847 allowed religious liberty to numerous religious communities inside the city, allowing this church to exist. Among them were ambassadors, army generals, wealthy merchants, engineers, civil servants, visitors, educators, and even left-wing activists from Russia.

The structure is designed in the Byzantine style, with nine bright golden onion domes and striped arches: five above the nave (representing Jesus Christ and the four Evangelists), three on the apses, and one on the bell tower. Their total number represents the angel hierarchy, which is made up of nine choirs.

6. The foundation stone was laid in the presence of Princes Serge and Georges de Leuchtenberg, the Russian Ambassador to Switzerland, and State Councilor Mose Vautier

Jean-Pierre Guillebaud, a Geneva-based architect, built the structure based on a design by David Grimm, a professor of architecture at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg.

On September 26, 1863, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of Princes Serge and Georges de Leuchtenberg, the Russian Ambassador to Switzerland, and State Councilor Mose Vautier.

The church was finished after three years of work on September 14, 1866, and consecrated on September 26 of the same year by Archpriests Joseph Vasiliev of Paris, Vassili Polejaiev of Nice, and Athanase Pétroff.

7. How many languages are used during church service?

The Russian Church is still in use today, with services being held in Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and other languages.

8. Some important information you should have beforehand

• Address: Rue Rodolphe-Toepffer 9, 1206 Genève, Switzerland
• Website: https://eglise-russe.ch/fr/home-fr/
• Phone: +41 22 346 47 09
• Open: Sunday- Saturday (All year round: 9 AM- 6PM)

9. A place of worship for the 3,000+ Russians in Geneva

The Église Russe, constructed on the site of a former Benedictine priory in Geneva’s silent and elegant Les Tranchées area, is an exemplar of Byzantine-Muscovite style and utilized as a place of worship for the city’s 3,000+ Russians as well as other Orthodox Christians.

10. What are the rules and regulations of this stunning church?

Russian Orthodox church at Geneva with its famous golden towers. Photo by Henk Monster- Wikimedia

Treasures from the 16th to the 20th centuries adorn the walls, and the air is thick with the aroma of incense. Rue De-Beaumont 18, between the Old Town and the Boulevard des Tranchées, is the address of the church. The church is open to the public; a CHF 2 donation is requested at the door. On church grounds, neither dogs nor smoking are allowed. Photography, cell phone use, and eating are not permitted inside the church.