Murmansk, Nicholas II, Russian Orthodox Church

Cathedral in memory of Nicholas II under construction in Murmansk

Posted on by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: artist concept of the cathedral named in honour of Nicholas II in Murmansk

Construction has begun on a new cathedral named in honour of the Holy Royal Martyr Nicholas II in Murmansk, Russia’s first ice free port founded in 1916 by Nicholas II and named Romanov-on-Murman.

“With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the new Russian Orthodox temple will bear the name of the Holy Transfiguration of St. Nicholas Cathedral,” stated Metropolitan Mitrofan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk.

The idea to build a church in honour of the last Tsar in Murmansk is the initiative of the Murmansk diocese. The cathedral will be erected on the site of a former amusement park on the street named after Konstantin Burkov, a veteran of the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars, a Pomeranian sailor who made a significant contribution to the development of the Kola Arctic and was awarded the highest state award of the USSR – the Order of Lenin. In November 2022, Metropolitan Mitrofan presented the project to Patriarch Kirill. During that meeting, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that the style of the temple should correspond to the traditions of the Russian North and promised to support the project.

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In recent years, Emperor Nicholas II has been commemorated in a number of projects in Murmansk and the surrounding region:

  • In June 2019, Murmansk Airport was reamed Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport
  • In July 2019, plans were announced for a bust-monument to Nicholas II, to be installed in front of the main terminal at Nicholas II-Murmansk Airport

© Paul Gilbert. 27 August 2023