French court confirms St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice Russian property

French Court of Cassation on Wednesday put an end to years of litigation, securing the rights of the Russian Federation for Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, according to Agence France Presse.

In January 2010, the Court of First Instance acknowledged Russia as the owner of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in the French city of Nice, which is also claimed by the Orthodox Association of Nice (ACOR) which managed the cathedral for more than 80 years.
The association challenged the verdict in the Court of Appeal. In May 2011, the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence has recognized the right of Russia to the Cathedral, representatives of ACOR had to accept the decision of the court and hand over the keys, but they appealed the case in the higher court.

By its ruling the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeal ACOR, putting an end to the seven-year trial.
St. Nicholas Cathedral was built by the Russian Emperor Nicholas II in 1912 on the site of the Bermon villa, at the main resort of the Côte d'Azur, where his uncle died in 1865.

The land on which the temple was built, was bought by Alexander II. In 1920 the cathedral was under Orthodox Association of Nice's control, but the term of the contract for free rent expired on December 31, 2007, and Russia decided to reclaim its property in court. The suit was filed in 2006. According to French media, the church is visited annually by up to 150 thousand people.