Directory
Orthodox Churches in South France: Addresses
Orthodox parishes are active across South France — in Nice, Cannes, Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Toulon. Here are verified addresses and Sunday service times, gathered from official parish websites.
South France has one of the richest concentrations of Russian Orthodox heritage outside Russia itself. The Saint-Nicolas Cathedral in Nice — built for the Romanov family and consecrated in 1912 — is among the largest Orthodox churches in Western Europe. Alongside it, a network of active parishes stretches from Toulouse in the west to the Côte d’Azur in the east.
This page covers only verified parishes with addresses confirmed from official diocesan or parish websites (as of June 2026).
Jurisdictions: a quick guide
Three structures matter most for Russian-speaking visitors:
- Diocese of Chersonesus (Moscow Patriarchate) — covers Russian Orthodox Church parishes across France, Switzerland and Monaco. The flagship southern parish is the Saint-Nicolas Cathedral in Nice. Official site: exarchate.eu.
- Archdiocese of Orthodox Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europe (Moscow Patriarchate) — a historically distinct body now within the MP, running parishes in Toulouse, Cannes, Montpellier and others. Site: archeveche.eu.
- Ecumenical Patriarchate (Constantinople) — a separate canonical body. The Holy Resurrection Church in Toulon falls under this jurisdiction.
All three traditions practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The difference is which patriarch the parish reports to — not the nature of the services.
Parishes by city
| City | Church name | Address | Sunday liturgy | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice | Saint-Nicolas Cathedral | 2, av. Nicolas II / bd Tzaréwitch, 06000 Nice | 10:00 AM (Hours 9:40) | Diocese of Chersonesus (MP) |
| Nice | Church of SS. Nicholas & Alexandra | 6, rue Longchamp, 06000 Nice | Check parish site | Romanian Patriarchate |
| Cannes | Church of Saint Michael the Archangel | 40, bd Alexandre III, 06400 Cannes | 10:00–12:00 AM | Archdiocese Russian Tradition (MP) |
| Marseille | Parish of Saint Hermogène | 100, av. Clot Bey, 13008 Marseille | 10:30 AM (Hours 10:10) | Archdiocese Russian Tradition (MP) |
| Marseille | Parish of the Kazan Icon | 1, bd Mont Rose, 13008 Marseille | 10:00 AM | Diocese of Chersonesus (MP) |
| Toulouse | Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker | 302, av. de la Grande-Bretagne, 31300 Toulouse | 10:00 AM (open 9:00–12:30) | Archdiocese Russian Tradition (MP) |
| Montpellier | Parish of Saint Helena & Holy Cross | Pl. de l’Église, Celleneuve, 34080 Montpellier | 1st, 2nd, 3rd Sundays | Archdiocese Russian Tradition (MP) |
| Toulon | Church of the Holy Resurrection | 97, rue Centrale, 83000 Toulon | 10:00 AM (Saturday 6:00 PM) | Ecumenical Patriarchate |
Nice: Saint-Nicolas Cathedral
2, avenue Nicolas II / boulevard Tzaréwitch, 06000 Nice. Phone: +33 9 83 94 71 55. Official website: sobor.fr. Consecrated in 1912, transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2011. Services in Church Slavonic. Parish library open Sundays 12:00–14:00. Paid entry for tourists.
Saturday: All-Night Vigil at 5:00 PM (vespers, matins, first hour); confession from 6:00 PM. Sunday: Third and sixth Hours at 9:40 AM; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM; confession from 9:30 AM.
Nice: Church of Saints Nicholas and Alexandra
6, rue Longchamp, 06000 Nice. Website: saint-nicolas-sainte-alexandra.fr. The oldest Orthodox parish in Western Europe — consecrated on 31 December 1859. Now under the Romanian Patriarchate. Open for tourists on Saturdays, 2:00–6:00 PM.
Cannes: Church of Saint Michael the Archangel
40, boulevard Alexandre III, 06400 Cannes. Churchwarden Vladimir Jancen: 07.71.28.84.09 / [email protected]. Built in 1894. Services in Church Slavonic; parish follows the Julian calendar. Rector: Father Minko Puric. Saturday at 6:00 PM, Sunday at 10:00 AM.
Marseille: Parish of Saint Hermogène
100, avenue Clot Bey, 13008 Marseille. Phone: +33 7 82 85 89 51. Website: sthermogene.com. Founded in the 1930s for first-wave Russian émigrés; renovated in 2017. Sunday: Hours at 10:10 AM, liturgy at 10:30 AM.
Marseille: Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
1, boulevard Mont Rose, 13008 Marseille. Phone: +33 6 03 28 16 25. Website: mospatmarseille.fr. Saturday: vespers. Sunday: readings from 9:00 AM, liturgy at 10:00 AM.
Toulouse: Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
302, avenue de la Grande-Bretagne, 31300 Toulouse. Email: [email protected]. Rector Father Augustin Sokolowski: +33 6 52 00 97 46. Website: toulouse-orthodoxe.fr. Sunday: open 9:00 AM–12:30 PM, liturgy at 10:00 AM. Transport: Bus 45 or L2, Tram T1/T2, stop Cartoucherie.
Montpellier: Parish of Saint Helena and the Holy Cross
Place de l’Église, Celleneuve district, 34080 Montpellier. Email: [email protected]. Rector: Father René Fouilleul. Services in French. Liturgy celebrated on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays of each month. Transport: Bus 10 (stop Renaudel) or Tram 3 (stop Celleneuve).
Toulon: Church of the Holy Resurrection
97, rue Centrale (entrance: 8 impasse François Marcel), 83000 Toulon. Phone: 07 77 30 50 65. Email: [email protected]. Website: orthodoxetoulon.org. In operation since 1928. Services in Church Slavonic and French. Saturday: 6:00 PM. Sunday: 10:00 AM.
If there’s no parish in your town
Orthodox parishes are not everywhere. Practical pointers:
- Between Montpellier and Marseille — the nearest parish with a weekly Sunday liturgy is in Marseille (~1 h 40 min by TGV). The Montpellier parish covers three Sundays per month.
- Côte d’Azur — Nice and Cannes both have active parishes. Menton (14, rue Paul-Morillot) historically had a Russian Orthodox church; verify the current schedule directly with the parish.
- West of the region — Toulouse serves Gascony and western Occitanie.
Full updated parish directories:
- Diocese of Chersonesus — MP parishes in France
- Archdiocese of Russian Tradition — Russian-tradition parishes
Russian-speaking community
The “Vibe Montpellier” Telegram community includes Orthodox parishioners who share practical tips: when feast-day services are held, where baptisms and weddings are celebrated, which priest speaks Russian. That kind of on-the-ground knowledge rarely makes it onto official parish websites.
Join the “Vibe South France” Telegram community — relocation, daily life, and community in South France.