Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition, London

In the early 18th century, the first wave of Russians started arriving in England. Tsar Peter the Great, who spent an extensive period in London at the beginning of 1698 to hone his shipbuilding skills, initiated the practice of sending young nobles and commoners here for seamanship studies. By the mid-1710s, a significant number of Russian naval officers and sailors were enrolled in such educational courses, but they faced a challenge as there was no Orthodox church in Britain, leaving them without access to Holy Communion for several years.

In response to this need, a meeting was arranged with the Bishop of London, John Robinson, to introduce Archimandrite Gennadius as the Rector of the Russian Embassy church. The purpose was to address the spiritual needs of Russian subjects serving on British ships as per Tsar Peter's orders. In this meeting, it was acknowledged that the Russian Tsar had graciously permitted English Protestants to maintain their church within his realm. Consequently, Bishop Robinson granted permission for Orthodox services to be conducted in London, with the condition that these services remained private and excluded English attendees. Robinson also emphasized the need for quiet singing to avoid any disruptions by the general public.

The first Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Dormition took place at the end of November 1716, likely on the 21st, coinciding with the Feast of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple. To this day, the London Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition preserves the first Altar Gospel of the Russian church in London, which was printed in 1686 in Venice. The cathedral itself is a Victorian-era structure, originally serving a prosperous parish, situated facing the northeastern green of Ennismore Gardens. Its main façade closely resembles that of the Basilica of San Zeno in Verona, Italy, following remodeling in 1891.