Bp. Alexei Celebrates Centennial Consecration in Baku
A century after its founding, Baku’s cathedral was solemnly reconsecrated following years of restoration.
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — On February 15, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, His Grace Bp. Alexei of Baku and Azerbaijan of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the Great Blessing of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, marking 100 years since the founding of the current church building.
The cathedral’s history dates to at least 1896, when records first mention a church of that name in Baku. The original Russo-Byzantine structure, built through charitable donations, was considered among the city’s finest buildings before being demolished in 1925 to make way for a railway station tied to the USSR’s first electrified rail line.
A new church was consecrated nearby in 1926 but was closed in 1937 and used as barracks. Returned to the Church in 1944, it later gained cathedral status. From 2019 to 2021, restoration was undertaken at the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The centennial consecration was delayed by the COVID pandemic and the repose of Abp. Alexander (Ishchein).
Previously, the UOJ reported that South Carolina's first Romanian Orthodox Church was consecrated.
