Three Russian Tsarinas Leave Their Mark on Nice, France, Nice, France

If you weren’t able to make it to Russia for the Winter Olympics, how about a trip to Nice, France? I know it’s not quite the same, but it’s warmer and you can see a lovely Russian cathedral. Nice has had a strong Russian community since the mid 1800s when the Russian nobles would spend their winters here mingling with the rest of Europe’s high society. The Tsars tended to stay home and run the country, but the more delicate Tsarinas would pass their winters in the Riviera sunshine. In Nice, a church, a chapel, and a cathedral remind us of three generations of Tsarinas who made this their winter home.

In 1856, Alexandra, age 48 and widowed, was the first Russian Tsarina to winter in the French Riviera. She came for her health, but that wasn’t the only reason. Her son, Tsar Alexander II sent her to strengthen Russia’s relationship with the King of Sardinia. (At that time this area was in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia). She was accompanied by her other son, who was commander of the Russian Navy.

While Alexandra charmed the King, her son negotiated an agreement to dock Russian ships in the port of Villefranche. Russia had lost the rights to the Black Sea in the Crimean War and needed a naval base. For Sardinia, the Russian Fleet was protection against invasions from Austria. So a deal was made and a Russian naval presence was established in Villefranche which lasted until 1870. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).