under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan
5:00 PM — in Russian
Sunday Mass Schedule
* English Mass - temporarily suspended
In the chapel of relics (to the right of the altar), a painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is venerated. A unique relic is also preserved here: a fragment of the Holy Cross of the Lord. Nearby stands a stone from Mount Golgotha, the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Thus, the temple becomes a sanctuary where a person connects with the most sacred mysteries of human redemption, especially with the mystery of God's Incarnation
The relics of saints adorning this chapel remind us that every person, including ourselves, is called to holiness as the main purpose of our life
In the central part of the temple stands the revered statue of Our Lady of Luján, commemorating the miraculous apparition of the Mother of God in the city of Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is venerated throughout the world
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Catholic community in Samarkand consisted mainly of Poles, but also included Germans and other European nationalities. In 1905, they decided to build a small Gothic church that would be a convenient place for prayers for the Catholic community
On the street, which later became known as Engels Street, a small plot of land was purchased. Money was collected in Samarkand, as well as sent from abroad, and finally, in 1916, the church was built. The architect was a man named Mr. Nelly
The temple was used for its intended purpose only a few years before the formation of the Soviet Union....
After that, it was confiscated by the communist government, and the Catholic community ceased to exist. All traces of Catholicism were removed from the building and even the spire was removed. Since then, the building has been used for various sports programs, and for over 70 years it has been home to the Mekhnat Sports Society
In 1988, there were plans to restore the church building, to turn it into an organ music hall. Engineers, architects and other specialists were invited to complete the project. They came up with an elaborate and sophisticated upgrade scheme and offered various alternatives
For some reason, this project was never completed. Probably the reason was the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the meantime, the program of the sports society «Mekhnat» continued to remain in the church building
In 1995, under the leadership of Father Ivan J. Roloff, an American Franciscan, a Catholic parish was created, and on August 15, 1995, it was registered under the law of the newly independent Republic of Uzbekistan...
On October 16, 1997, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov issued a decree on the return of the building to the Catholic community. On December 17 of the same year, the khokim of Samarkand, A. Nosirov, decided to carry out the presidential decree. In February 1998, the Catholic parish received a church building. The renovation of the building began in the same month with local funding as well as financial support from the Vatican and foundations in Germany and the United States of America
In 2021, the interior of the temple was completely renovated and the ceiling took on its original shape
Parish Announcements
Phone: +998 (90) 602-36-38
Phone: +998 (90) 502-26-20
office@catholics-in-samarkand.org
pastor@catholics-in-samarkand.org
