Baku, Azerbaijan, February 19, 2026
Photo: pravoslavie.az
On February 15, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, His Grace Bishop Alexei of Baku and Azerbaijan of the Moscow Patriarchate celebrated the Great Blessing of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Baku, marking the 100th anniversary of the current building’s founding.
The cathedral community has a complex history stretching back to at least 1896, when documentary records first mention a church of that name in Baku. That original building was constructed with charitable donations in the Russo-Byzantine style and was regarded as one of the finest buildings in the city, the diocese reports.
In 1925, the church and all adjacent structures were demolished to make way for a railway station, part of the first electrified railroad in the USSR.
Photo: pravoslavie.az
Despite the difficult conditions of the Soviet era, a new church was built two blocks away and consecrated on April 28, 1926, also in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The building was closed after 1937 and used as a barracks, then returned to the Russian Church in 1944, when it was granted the status of cathedral of the Stavropol-Baku Diocese. In 1946, a chapel dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh was added. From 1998 to 2001, the cathedral served as the seat of the restored Baku Diocese.
Between 2019 and 2021, extensive construction and restoration work was carried out at the cathedral complex at the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The church was fully painted with frescoes, a carved stone iconostasis and icon cases were installed, and a parish house was built. The consecration was delayed, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the repose of His Eminence Archbishop Alexander (Ishchein).
The diocesan council eventually decided to hold the ceremony to coincide with the centenary of the cathedral’s founding.
The Great Blessing and Divine Liturgy on the feast day were celebrated by Bp. Alexei, concelebrated by the clergy of the Baku Diocese, before a large congregation of faithful. Following the service, the bishop congratulated those present on the occasion and noted that the restoration of the cathedral had been made possible through the attention and support of President Aliyev.
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