A beautiful Orthodox church and an excellent example of modern Shanghai architecture.

Located at the intersection of Xingle Road and Xiangyang North Road in Shanghai, the Orthodox Church of the Mother of God is a beautiful semi-circular dome building with vibrant colors. Built in 1932, it is an excellent example of modern Shanghai architecture and is included in the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It is currently not open to the public. It is said that there were more than ten Orthodox churches like this in Shanghai in the 1930s, and only two remain: the Orthodox Church of the Mother of God at 55 Xingle Road and St. Nicholas Church at 16 Gaolan Road. The Orthodox Church of the Mother of God in Shanghai was originally a Russian Orthodox church. Its design is modeled after the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral and has a five-point structure, that is, the roof has five domes, with a large one in the middle and smaller ones at the four corners, forming a four-star moon shape. The dome of the church is blue-black, the top and the cross are golden, and it is matched with white walls and blue-green colored windows, which are in sharp contrast and spectacular. The church is square in plan, and its round hall extends in a rectangular shape to the four directions, forming a regular cross layout, which is an organic combination of the architectural style of medieval Russia and Byzantine art. St. Nicholas Church in Shanghai is located on Gaolan Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai. It was built in 1928. The church was funded by General Belyakov of Belarus in memory of the late Russian Tsar Nicholas II. The church also has multiple golden domes and crosses, but unfortunately, they are now nowhere to be found. When it was first built, the full name of the church was engraved on the marble exterior wall in Russian, English, and French. The walls are made of colored tiles, and the four walls and arches are decorated with exquisite icons. Unfortunately, all of this was destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution" and became a thing of the past. St. Nicholas Church has had a difficult fate. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used as a factory and a restaurant. The current St. Nicholas Church has a new owner and has become the Sinan Bookstore for readers.