Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky

The Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky on Kilińskiego Street in Bałuty is an active Orthodox church, built in 1880–1884 to a design by Hilary Majewski, the principal architect of Łódź at the time. The building is among the most characteristic sacred structures erected in this period in the Congress Kingdom.

Architecture in Russian-Byzantine style

The cathedral was designed on an octagonal plan, with an ambulatory surrounding the nave and a central dome supported on four pillars. The style combines Russian-Byzantine forms with elements of Romanticism and Classicism, and the structure was built of brick. The building accommodates 850 to 900 worshippers. Its consecration took place on 29 May 1884.

Interior and furnishings

The iconostasis was brought from Saint Petersburg. The interior is decorated with wall paintings and stained glass dating from the time of the cathedral's construction. Between 1980 and 1984, renovation work was carried out, including replacement of the structural elements and roof and dome coverings, as well as conservation of the polychrome decoration.

Clergy and certificates for Jews during the war

During the German occupation, Orthodox clergy from the cathedral issued false baptism certificates, enabling some Łódź Jews to save their lives. In the same period, the cathedral's bell, cast in 1903, was hidden in the tower to prevent it from being melted down as ordered by the Germans. The building formally regained its function as a cathedral in 1951.

Renovation uncovers nineteenth-century paintings

Since 2022, the largest renovation of the building in over a hundred years has been underway. During the work, later layers of paint were removed and the original nineteenth-century polychrome decoration was exposed, and the bell hidden during the war, cast in 1903, was found in the tower. The cathedral was entered in the register of monuments under number A/139 in 1971, and its former gate separately, under number A/140, in 2013.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Płk. Jana Kilińskiego 56, 94-106 Łódź, Bałuty district
• Manager: Orthodox Parish of the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky
• Getting there: a few minutes' walk from Łódź Fabryczna Railway Station, close to Stanisław Moniuszko Park
• What to expect: active parish church, partially under renovation; Łódź also has a second Orthodox church, the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God; visiting hours outside services are best checked directly with the parish