Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Batum: Overall view

Following the 1877 Turko-Russian War, the Russians gained control of the port city of Batum. It became a naval base, fortified with money from the Rothschild and Nobel families and other industrialists, and new buildings were built, including a Russian Orthodox Cathedral [pp 88. The Georgian Orthodox church having been repressed by the Russian conquest. The cathedral was later destroyed during the Soviet era.]