Saturday 23rd December 2023
Taking advantage of our hire car, we drove along the coast west, to the small town of Altea. On our journey, we stopped to view the Russian Orthodox church of Saint Michael the Archangel.
This is a modern church. Built in the style of Russian wooden architecture and modelled on a 17th century example in Russia, the temple is the first Russian Orthodox church to be built in Spain.
After the fall of the iron curtain in the 1990s, large numbers of Russian immigrants settled in this area, which created the demand for a place of worship. The foundation stone was laid in 2002, construction began in 2005 and the church was finally consecrated in 2007.
The inside is very ornate…
…with Saint Michael and the other Angels, appropriately on the ceiling.
The town of Altea itself, provides a nice sea-front and marina and in many ways, is much like other towns along this part of the Costa Blanca.
We chose to explore a little further and found a charming old-town, with narrow streets, built on the steep hillside.
At the top of the climb, there was a square, where we took a little refreshment, before having a look at the impressive church:
This large Roman Catholic church has a very ornate interior:
The way back down, gave us some interesting views:
"See-u-Later" 