Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene
Why is it significant?
Five domes catch the light above the trees, and through the gate you can see a church that looks as if it had been flown in from Moscow or Kyiv. This is the Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene, and it is older than the Catholic cathedral you just left.
Key Facts
| Place | Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene |
|---|---|
| Address | al. Solidarności 52, 03-402 Warszawa, Poland |
| Geo Coordinates | 52.25480, 21.03330 |
| Part of Walk | Warsaw's Right Bank: Praga's Bears, Bazaars, Vodka and Backyard Shrines |
| Generated | Generated |
Five domes catch the light above the trees, and through the gate you can see a church that looks as if it had been flown in from Moscow or Kyiv. This is the Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene, and it is older than the Catholic cathedral you just left.
It was built between 1867 and 1869, when Warsaw was part of the Russian Empire. The location was chosen with care: a few steps away stood the new terminus of the railway to St Petersburg, and Praga had a growing population of Russian officials, soldiers and railwaymen. The architect, Nikolai Sychev, gave it the Russian-Byzantine style the empire favoured, and its interior glows with icons and gilded screens.
After Poland regained independence in 1918, most of the Orthodox churches the tsars had built in Warsaw were seen as symbols of foreign rule. The largest, the huge Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Saxon Square, was demolished in the 1920s. St Mary Magdalene survived, in part because it served a living parish, and today it is the metropolitan cathedral of the Polish Orthodox Church, used by Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians and many others. Orthodox believers are a minority in Poland, a few hundred thousand people, most of them in the east of the country around Białystok.
It also survived the Second World War almost intact, while the Catholic towers across the street were brought down. So, by a twist of history, the church built to show off imperial power is one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings on this side of the river.
If the door is open and a service is on, step quietly into the back. There are no pews in an Orthodox church. People stand, light thin candles, and the choir sings unaccompanied, because instruments are not used. From here, walk on to the corner of Targowa street, where the old railway station still faces the avenue.