The Saint Nicolas Cathedral on Tzarewitch Boulevard in Nice is one of the most visited monuments in the city. Every day, hundreds of tourists come to admire this prestigious testimony to the Russian imperial presence in our city.
In front of this edifice are two areas that could, until recently, be described as “lawns.” It would now be particularly inappropriate to use this term…
However, one remembers a time, not so long ago, when the Parc Imperial neighborhood committee organized convivial moments particularly appreciated by the residents, like the “neighborhood party” in particular.
There was a period when the municipality regularly intervened to ensure the maintenance of these green spaces that were still part of Nice.
One nostalgically recalls a time when the Orthodox clergy fully participated in the life and animation of this neighborhood.
But all this was before! Before the powerful Russian Federation set its sights on these lands, before it obtained the judicial expulsion of the association that maintained the Russian church for nearly a century, before it imported priests under Moscow’s orders, and before this Niçois parcel became foreign land.
Today, these lawns are inexorably transforming into a place that more closely resembles an open landfill where squatters are beginning to set up their tents. This real slum now exposes the neighborhood to problems of image, security, and hygiene.
It is more than regrettable that visitors are forced to endure this hedge of dishonor to access the Saint Nicolas Cathedral. It is dangerous for residents to leave such a space abandoned.
Hervé CAEL
President of the Vivre Nice association
