Chiesa russa ortodossa di Cristo Salvatore

Sanremo's Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Saviour was built for the city's Russian community during the Belle Époque. Its five turquoise domes and Byzantine-inspired design, by Russian architect A. V. Shusev, distinguish it within the city's early twentieth-century architecture.

Why it matters

The church reflects Sanremo's role as a winter residence for European aristocracy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Russian community's church was inaugurated on 23 December 1913 in the presence of ambassador Krupenskij. Its construction brought together Russian architectural design and local building expertise: Pietro Agosti directed the work, carried out by the Vernasse firm in about one hundred days.

What to notice

The central dome rises above four smaller domes, all in turquoise, and the building carries the three-bar crosses of Orthodox Christianity. Icons inside include copies after works by V. M. Vasnecov, donated by a Russian noblewoman. The crypt contains the tombs of King Nicholas I of Montenegro, whose remains arrived in 1921, and Queen Milena, buried beside him in 1923.

Context and history

Russian visitors had been drawn to Sanremo since Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II, came for her health in 1874. Her example helped establish the city's appeal to Russian families. The project for a church developed through senator V. K. Sabler and reflected the wishes of Empress Maria Feodorovna, widow of Alexander III. The church was dedicated to Christ the Saviour, with altars honouring Saint Catherine and Saint Seraphim of Sarov.