The Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...

is the main group of Eastern Orthodoxy in de facto-Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

(excluding majority-Armenian

Armenians

Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

 Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...

). Many of its members are Russians

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

. Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

 is a mainly Shiite Muslim country which used to be part of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

 and the USSR. The Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral

Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral

Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Baku, Azerbaijan. The church is dedicated to the Holy Myrrhbearers, who are commemorated on the second Sunday after Pascha .-History:...

, the Church of Michael Archangel

Church of Michael Archangel, Baku

Church of Michael Archangel or Flotskaya is a Russian Orthodox church in central Baku, Azerbaijan, on Zargarpalan street. The church is dedicated to St. Michael...

 and at least one further Russian Orthodox church exist in Baku.

History

The first Russian Orthodox church in Baku

Baku

Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

 was built in 1815. Russian Orthodox churches had been built in Ganja

Ganja, Azerbaijan

Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...

 and Şamaxı

Samaxi

Şamaxı is a city in and the capital of the Shamakhi Rayon of Azerbaijan. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city's estimated population as of 2010 was 31,704...

 previously. In 1905, Baku Eparchy, nowadays Baku and Caspian Eparchy, was established. There used to be an Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Baku

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was the main Russian Orthodox cathedral in Baku, Azerbaijan from 1898, when it was built until its destruction in 1936 during the Joseph Stalin era...

 in Baku. In the Soviet area, there was persecution of Christians

Persecution of Christians

Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...

. In 1944, a Russian Orthodox church was reopened in Baku.

See also

• Christianity in Azerbaijan
  Christianity in Azerbaijan
  Christianity in Azerbaijan is a minority religion.-Denominations:There are eleven Molokan communities. The Molokans are a Christian minority which, much like Protestants in Western Europe, is centered on the Bible and who reject church hierarchy. 3.8% of the population belong to the Russian...
  
  
• Religion in Azerbaijan
  Religion in Azerbaijan
  The religions of Azerbaijan comprise different religious trends spread among the people and ethnic groups residing in the country. There are several confessions in Azerbaijan....
  
  
• Roman Catholicism in Azerbaijan
  Roman Catholicism in Azerbaijan
  The Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. The number of faithful number around 400 out of a total population of over nine million...
  
  
• Orthodox Christianity in Azerbaijan
  Orthodox Christianity in Azerbaijan
  Orthodox Christianity is a minority in Azerbaijan, a country with a Shia Muslim majority. The Russian Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan is a large part of Orthodox Christianity Azerbaijan. The Georgian Orthodox Church is present in Azerbaijan, too...
  
  
• Russian Orthodox Church in Uzbekistan
  Russian Orthodox Church in Uzbekistan
  The Russian Orthodox Church is the main group of Eastern Orthodoxy in Uzbekistan, a mainly Muslim country. Many of its members are Russians. Uzbekistan falls within the area ofTashkent and Central Asian Eparchy, which is headed by an archbishop....
  
  

Link to Russian Wikipedia

• Article on Baku and Caspian Eparchy