MINELRES: Baku Cathedral Warms Russian Hearts

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Original sender: Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan <aihmm@lycos.de>


WELCOME TO IWPR'S CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE, No. 173, 03 April, 2003.

CAUCASUS NEWS UPDATE APRIL 03

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BAKU CATHEDRAL WARMS RUSSIAN HEARTS

A Russian Orthodox church in Baku has opened its doors for the first
time in eight decades.

By Alyona Myasnikova in Baku

When the official guests had left, the holy place was left to its
parishioners and a small choir which sang gentle hymns. One old lady,
bent almost double with age, told all around her that she had last
worshipped in this place as a child - 83 years ago, before the Red Army
marched into Baku and closed the Cathedral of Holy Myrrh-Bearers down.

Its reopening on March 24 not only confers the Azerbaijan's blessing on
the Russian Orthodox church, but also further strengthens ties between
Baku and Moscow - which were severely strained in the early Nineties and
are now steadily improving.

Speaking at the cathedral, Russian ambassador Nikolai Ryabov praised
Azerbaijan for its long tradition of religious tolerance, noting the
church's original architecture which blends Russian and oriental styles.

Baku has two other Orthodox churches serving its Russian community, but
the Cathedral of Holy Myrrh-Bearers has a special place in the city's
life, and its striking combination of styles makes it a favourite
architectural monument.

It was built in 1909 with donations from many Azerbaijani patrons of the
arts, including the oil mogul Haji Zeinal-Abdin Tagiev. But when the
Bolsheviks came to power in 1920, they closed down the church and
murdered its priest.

In Soviet times it was located inside a military compound and used as an
ammunition depot. When the USSR disintegrated in 1991, the dilapidated
building was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Two years later,
Russian patriarch Alexii II visited the site, inspected the repair work
being done and officially consecrated it as Baku's diocesan cathedral.

According to the records of the State Committee for Liaison with
Religious Organisations, 95 per cent of Azerbaijan's population is
Muslim. But the country prides itself on a tradition of religious
tolerance and the city also has Catholic churches and three synagogues.

However some Protestant congregations, such as Baptists, complain that
the Azerbaijani authorities obstruct their work in the country.

Of all non-Muslim religions, Orthodox Christianity has by far the
greatest number of followers in the country. No figures are available,
but the Baku diocese told IWPR that there are some 150, 000 Russians in
Azerbaijan and that Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks and some Azerbaijanis
also attend Orthodox services.

Alongside the religious significance of the reopening of the church, few
missed the political context. President Heidar Aliev attended the
opening and called it "one more big step in the further development of
state relations between Azerbaijan and Russia".

"Many observers believe the president wanted to curry favour with Russia
by attending the opening ceremony," said Leila Yunus, director of the
Institute for Peace and Democracy. "Now that Azerbaijan has officially
joined the anti-Iraq coalition, this could be an attempt to appease
Russia, which is vehemently opposed to the United State-led aggression
in Iraq.

"The church was restored with donations raised in Azerbaijan, and the
fund-raising effort was led by the president himself. The Russian
Orthodox Church didn't pay a penny," she said, adding that large
donations to arts and charities were rarely made without direct pressure
from the government.

The biggest sponsor for the project was Russian-based Azerbaijani
businessman Aidyn Kurbanov, and this in itself has triggered
controversy.

At the General Assembly of the Union of Russian Compatriots in Baku - a
conference of cultural figures and businessmen - held two days before
the cathedral reopened, speakers regretted that an Azerbaijani
businessman and not Russian capital had funded the restoration of the
church.

Not all Orthodox believers in Azerbaijan share this view. "What
difference does it make? It was money well spent. We've always been
friends with Azerbaijani people, and God gives to everyone according to
their deeds," said Lidia Gordeyeva, a parishioner at the cathedral.

One Orthodox priest from the Baku diocese, who declined to give his
name, also brushed aside this concern. "Personally, I would like to see
some Russian capital involved, but since the Orthodox Church in
Azerbaijan lacks large financial resources, we welcome any donations in
the Lord's name, if made in good faith," he said.

Alyona Myasnikova is editor-in-chief of Molodezh Azerbaijana newspaper.



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CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE No. 173