Orthodox Church of Saint Peter and Paul

The beautifully decorated, Byzantine style Orthodox Church of Saint Peter and Paul was erected in the then newly emerging, exclusive residential district of Westend at the western edge of the town between the years 1893 and 1898 according to the design of architect Gustav Wiedermann from Františkovy Lázně (Franzensbad). It was built in the fashion of the Byzantine-old Russian church in Ostankino near Moscow. The funds necessary for the construction of the church were raised among wealthy Serbian and Russian clientele and nobility. The new church replaced the no longer satisfactory Orthodox chapel in Mariánskolázeňská Street. The richly decorated Byzantine style church has a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross and five gold-plated cupolas. The church walls are complemented with plentiful ornamental and figural murals. The church interior is dominated by a wooden majolica iconostasis with oil icons of saints by painter Tyurin. The iconostasis was originally made in Kuznetsovo for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. A bronze relief of Peter I by sculptor M. Hiller is installed by the staircase opposite Sadová Street. Read More