St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral, known as the “Miners’ Church,” holds the distinction of being Karaganda’s oldest and first officially sanctioned church. While its building was completed in 1946, the cathedral’s story began much earlier. In the early 1930s, a cemetery was established here, on the site of the infamous Kopay-Gorod.
Deportees from all across the Soviet Union were sent to this barren Kazakh steppe to labor in the coal mines. Many could not endure the relentless hunger, cold, and unbearable living conditions, and they perished. For those who had lost all hope, perhaps the only solace was found in prayer—services held clandestinely in underground shelters.
During the war, permission to build a church was granted, a rare miracle in itself. In the following years, walls were raised to complete the main hall, and additional structures were added, including a sacristy, vestibules, and rooms for the clergy. In 1987, it received the elevated status of a cathedral. Today, despite its location on the distant outskirts of the city, surrounded by abandoned mines and graves, the cathedral remains filled with worshippers.
