Russian Orthodox Church — Attraction in Sanremo

The Queen's Church. An unexpected architectural style catches you, walking or driving along the Italian paradise coast of San Remo, the so called Russian Orthodox Church. Built in the old style of 17th century Moscow churches, with five onion domes (topped with crosses in Russian style) and the characteristics of kokočniki decorations, it is so different than any other building or monument in the city! The idea belongs to the Russian queen (Tsarina) Maria Alexandrovna, who wanted to place a church at the beginning of the avenue dedicated to her. In 19th century a number of Russian aristocrats lived or spent significant time in San Remo. Even though the queen died before she saw her dream come true, other residents who lived in San Remo, Russian aristocrats, and the Tsar Nicholas II, supported the project and made it happen. Two funy things : First, the Russian architect never visited San Remo and works were directed by a local Italian architect. Seccond, he was the designer of Lenin's mausoleum on the Red Square in Moscow, and was remembered more for the churches demolished during the Soviet period, rather than by the ones realized in...

Discovering this church during our day trip from Nice to Sanremo was a delightful surprise. We were accompanied by our mother, who grew up in Russia and wasn't aware of the historical significance of this place. Unfortunately, we couldn't explore inside due to a mass. Fortunately, right across the street, we found an excellent Russian food shop. The lady inside was incredibly knowledgeable and shared valuable insights about the...

The church is small but beautiful. However, I was disappointed by the entrance policy. Outside, there's a sign about paying a voluntary donation to enter, but when you actually go you're forced to pay. I think it's misleading and takes away from the welcoming spirit one would expect from a...