EnsemblesUnder 1 km away
St John the Baptist Church, Samarkand
Samarkand's only Catholic church, a neo-Gothic building of 1915–1916 raised with the help of prisoners of war and returned to its parish in 1998.
St Alexius Cathedral, Samarkand
A garrison cathedral of 1909–1911 in Samarkand's European quarter, built to a standard design for Turkestan, closed in the 1920s and reconsecrated in 1996.
Ensembles1909–1911About 30 minutes to see
About the place
The cathedral was built for the military town of Russian Samarkand to a design by architect Fyodor Verzhbitsky and military engineer Fyodor Smirnov, a plan drawn up in 1902 that became the standard for garrison churches across Turkestan. The first stone was laid in 1909, work finished in 1911 and the church was consecrated in 1912 in the name of St Alexius of Moscow.
It is a single hall about 24 by 16 metres under a tall, light-filled dome, with a bell tower over the entrance, in a plain version of the Russian style. In the 1920s it was closed and its dome and bell tower were taken down; it was returned to believers in 1996 and reconsecrated by Patriarch Alexius II. The parish feast is on 25 February.
Why go
- Standard design for Turkestan's garrison churches
- Tall dome over a single hall
- Reconsecrated in 1996 after decades of closure
Sources (5)
Nearby
- Ensembles
- © OpenStreetMapAttractions
Under 1 km away
University Boulevard
Tree-lined boulevard of Samarkand's 19th-century new town, laid out in 1871–1872, with a protected Lebanon cedar and old public buildings.
- © OpenStreetMapAttractions
Under 1 km away
Alisher Navoi Central Park, Samarkand
Samarkand's central park, laid out in 1886 next to University Boulevard, with shady paths, rides, cafes and a 3,000-seat open-air amphitheatre.
AttractionsUnder 1 km away
Former Majlis Building (Puppet Theatre), Samarkand
A historic civic building in Samarkand that once housed the Majlis and is now the city's puppet theatre.
