The Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene was built by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra on Darmstadt’s Mathildenhöhe so that they could use a private church during their visits to Germany. For this purpose, extra earth was brought from Russia to Darmstadt, on which the church was built. The church is a popular place of remembrance and pilgrimage for emigrant Russians, as a funeral service used to be held annually on the anniversary of the death of the Tsar’s family. The church had to be restored several times after numerous war damages. The gilded onion domes, the richly decorated roof ridges and the iconostasis (picture wall) typical of Russian churches are eye-catchers.
