The Church of St. Mary Magdalene

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles is built on a historic site, as this was where the first orthodox church was started in Tajikistan . It is easily reached by walking past the old fortress on Akademikov Zafarof street and taking the second right turn. The small church will be seen on the left, with it’s onion shaped dome with cross visible once you start walking down the street. The entrance gate is painted sky blue and has three orthodox crosses.

The church is not regularly open, and there are no opening hours posted. There is a chance that it might be closed when you visit. The church is painted a light butterscotch colour with white highlights. The roof and guttering areas are green. A tent was first set up at this site in 1866. This tent served as a house of worship until a wooden structure could be constructed. It suffered the fate of most religious institutions in the 1920’s when it was closed by the Soviet government and used for other purposes.

In the 1960’s the church was demolished, and a hotel constructed on the site. Orthodox services continued on a small scale in the town. The site was returned to the church in the 1990’s, but unfortunately the building was destroyed by fire in 2005. With the assistance of the Russian Orthodox church, this historical building was reconstructed in 2010 at the site seen today. The Tajikistan authorities do not support the Orthodox Church, and this is one of only six in the country. After visiting the church, the Kamol Khujandi Park and the history museum can be visited.