Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky Cathedral, the Russian Orthodox Church of Paris

You may not know it, but Paris is home to a magnificent Russian Orthodox cathedral, just off the Parc Monceau in the 8th arrondissement. Built in the Moscow neo-Byzantine style, it is Paris' main place of Orthodox worship.

Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky Church was built in the 19th century. At the time, the Russian population of Paris was growing steadily, and it was Napoleon III who gave final approval for its construction. In terms of financing,Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky Church was built thanks to donations from Tsar Alexander II, as well as from a large number of French Orthodox.

Consecrated on September 11, 1861, the eve of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Russia's hero, the church was dedicated to him. In 1922, the church became a cathedral. And a fine cathedral it was too! Rather discreet, it reveals all its splendor when accessed via the Boulevard de Courcelles. Its magnificent central fresco and golden bulbs are impossible to miss.

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Three times a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 3pm to 5pm, the curious can pass through the doors of Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky Cathedral and discover its rich interior decoration, typical of Orthodox churches: gilding galore, frescoes, apses richly decorated with paintings by Alexei Bogolioubov and a beautiful iconostasis.

Don't forget to visit the crypt of St. Alexander Nevsky's Cathedral, as this is a separate parish from the church, and masses are held in French rather than Slavonic.

For the record, it was in this church that Pablo Picasso married Russian dancer Olga Khokhlova in 1918, watched by Jean Cocteau, poet Max Jacob and Guillaume Apollinaire!