The Russian Church of St. Nikolai Stuttgart is the oldest Russian Orthodox church in Germany still in existence today and preserves the millennia-old spiritual and liturgical tradition of Orthodoxy.
The history of the Russian Orthodox community in Stuttgart begins on April 13, 1816, the day the Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia - later Queen of Württemberg and wife of King Wilhelm I - moved into the city. The parish received its first place of worship when the Russian Orthodox church was consecrated in 1824 over the burial place of the queen, who died in 1819, on Württemberg Hill.
After the death of Queen Olga Nikolaijewna, wife of King Karl, her niece Duchess Wera campaigned for the construction of an Orthodox church in Stuttgart. In 1895, the compact building on Silk Road made of red bricks on a light sandstone base was consecrated as St. Nicholas Cathedral. In 1944, bombs left only the outer walls standing. The church was rebuilt and received an iconostasis designed by Nikolai Schelechow in 1972. Since Easter 1998, bells have been calling the faithful to worship.
The congregation unites many nationalities and is the oldest Russian Orthodox church in Germany still in existence today. It preserves the millennia-old spiritual and liturgical tradition of Orthodoxy.
