Saint Serge de Radonège Church in Rue de Crimée
Saint Serge de Radonège Church is one of Paris’s best-kept secrets.
To find it, push open the iron gate at No. 93 rue de Crimée, a stone’s throw from the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, and follow the narrow private path that leads to a charming red building adorned with a painting of Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
You will then walk past a picturesque wooden house converted into a candle-making workshop before arriving at a stone staircase that climbs up to this charming church.
The foliage of the surrounding trees highlights the rich colours of its porch and painted wooden staircase.
Saint Serge de Radonège Church is one of those buildings you instantly fall in love with!
It was originally a Lutheran church, built around 1850 for the German community of Paris. However, after the First World War, the French government seized the church and sold it to Russian immigrants who had fled their country after the 1917 Revolution.
Euloge Gueorguievsky, the first Orthodox bishop of France and spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox community in Paris, played a pivotal role in this transition.
Bishop Euloge founded Saint Serge de Radonège Church, to complement the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (on Rue Daru in the 17th arrondissemen), which had become too small to accommodate the growing number of Russian immigrants.
On July 24, 1924, the feast day of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, the Russian community acquired the building thanks to numerous generous donations.
Institut de Théologie Orthodoxe
In 1925, Euloge Georgievsky assembled a renowned group of professors, theologians, and religious thinkers to found the Institut de Théologie Orthodoxe Saint-Serge – St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute.
The institute was thus authorised to confer master’s and doctoral degrees in Orthodox theology before World War II.
In 1953, the institute established an annual Liturgical Studies Week, which has since become a major event. It is still very popular after all these years, and attracts scholars from various Christian denominations and from around the world.
Following the Second Vatican Council (held from October 11, 1962, to December 8, 1965), scholars associated with St. Sergius were invited to teach at the Institut Catholique de Paris (Paris Higher Institute for Ecumenical Studies).
Saint-Serge has thus forged a reputation as a prestigious theological institute, training hundreds of priests, bishops and theologians who then carry out their ministry throughout the world.
Saint Serge de Radonège – Russian Orthodox Church
The institute’s classrooms are located on the ground floor of the church.
In 1925, Dimitri Stelletsky decorated the wooden staircase leading to the church and the entrance door with colourful murals inspired by traditional 16th-century Orthodox religious scenes.
The interior of the church is equally remarkable. Although it is limited to a single room, it is dominated by an exceptional iconostasis gathering over a hundred icons.
The painted doors surrounding the reliquary date from the 16th century and originate from Germany.
Although Saint Serge de Radonège Church is generally closed to the public on weekdays, you can visit it during the Sunday morning service. However, it is important to remember that this is a place of worship; therefore, respect and discretion are essential!
Jardin Saint Serge
After your visit, you can relax in the small Jardin Saint-Serge, in the shade of centuries-old trees, and listen to the birdsong.
Passionate volunteers lovingly tend this charming community garden, looking after its biodiversity.
They will gladly share their knowledge with you, explaining how they carefully select flowering plants that thrive in the shade and leave room for wild species to bloom year-round in this chalky soil that doesn’t retain water well.
They diligently collect leaves to make their own compost and protect the plants during the winter.
They also maintain a woodpile to provide shelter to the insects, thus fostering a harmonious ecosystem within the garden.
This small green oasis offers a haven of peace and natural beauty in the heart of the bustling city.
Saint Serge de Radonège is one of the 25 Paris churches I have selected for you, lesser-known, yet equally remarkable.
Directions: 19th District – No.93 rue de Crimée
Metro: Laumière, Ourcq on Line 5
Coordinates: Lat 48.883453 – Long 2.383802
