KHUJAND, December 21, 2008, Asia-Plus — A groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the Orthodox church is expected to take place in Qurghon Teppa, the capital of the Khatlon province today, Asia-Plus has learned from Moscow architect Victor Kanayev, who designed the church building.
According to him, the new church is built in the place of the Archangel Mikhail Church that had functioned there since 1928 already. The church had been placed in wattle house.
“The estimated budget for construction of the church is some 1 million US dollars. The complex will consist of the church, Sunday school and residential building for priests,” the architect said, noting that the church is constructed due to donations made by sponsors from Moscow, Rosselkhozbank (Russian Agricultural Bank), and officers from Russian motorized rifle regiment 201 deployed in the Khatlon province. The project is expected to be completed in two years.
As far as construction of the new Orthodox Maria Magdalena church in Khujand is concerned, the church construction is hampered by financing difficulties, Kanayev said.
We will recall that the Orthodox Maria Magdalena church was ruined by a fire on January 17, 2005. The church burned to the ground, including the 100-year-old archive. The blaze destroyed icons, including those dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Two nuns from a monastery in Tashkent – 78-year-old Maria and 72-year-old Elikonida – died in the fire.
