French court grants ROC the use of a church and cemetery in Nice

Saints Nicholas and Alexandra's Church in Nice. Photo: www.rfi.fr

On April 27, 2025, the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence recognized the ownership rights of the Russian Federation to the Church of Saints Nicholas and Alexandra and the adjacent Russian cemetery of Cocade in Nice.

Prior to this, these properties were managed by the cultural Orthodox association ACOR, which is not under the canonical jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 2010, by a decision of a French court, ACOR had already lost the st. Nicholas Cathedral, which was then transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate.

In February 2021, the court of first instance in Nice denied the Russian Federation's claims to the "old church" and the Cocade cemetery, recognizing the rights to them for ACOR. The appellate court overturned this decision and ordered the association to hand over the keys to the church and cemetery to the Russian side.

The head of ACOR, Alexey Obolensky, notes that the land under the "old church" and cemetery was purchased by private individuals in the 19th century and was never leased to the Russian state.

After the ruling of the Court of Appeal, representatives of ACOR turned to the Romanian Church's metropolis for support to find a place for the Orthodox community of Nice, which does not wish to come under the wing of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Argentina, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church want to take a church from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).

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