Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church is a Russian Orthodox church built in

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd� ...

in 1902. It is currently used as a puppet theater.

History

Saints Cyril and Methodius Church at the Elizavetpol Men’s Gymnasium is located on the right bank of the Ganjachay River. Initially, this house church was opened in honour of missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius in one of the big halls of the gymnasium by the approval of its director I. Staritskiy on 18 September

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

. Aghasaid-Hussein Agha-Muhammadoghlu, the honorary trustee of the gymnasium, was engaged in the arrangement of the church. Over time, the growth in the number of

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

students of the gymnasium led to the need to build more capacious church. As a result, on the initiative of I. Staritskiy, the construction of a new church was started in a separate building near the gymnasium. On 20 December 1902, at the grand opening ceremony, the church was consecrated by Alexy, the Exarch of Georgia, and opened to visitors. The building was built at the special expense of the gymnasium and could easily accommodate up to 500 believers, not counting the space reserved for the students of the classical gymnasium. Thus, the church became available for use by urban residents as well. The fate of the church after the closure of the Ganja Men's Gymnasium in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

is unknown. It is assumed that the church used by German colonists until the early 1940s, but there is no documentary evidence of that. There is also no evidence that this church was a

Lutheran church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, given the fact that during these years there was no German Lutheran Community in

Kirovabad Ganja (; az, Gəncə ) is Azerbaijan's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və ...

, where an insignificant number of Germans (50-100 people) lived. On 18 September

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, by order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the

Azerbaijan SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

, the building was handed over to the use of the

Ganja State Puppet Theatre Ganja State Puppet Theatre () is located on Ahmad Jamil Street 105 in Ganja, Azerbaijan. It was built in 1902 as a Russian Orthodox church in honour of Saints Cyril and Methodius and lately was converted into Ganja State Puppet Theatre. Overview ...

which operates to this day.

Description

The building was built of baked bricks.

Onion domes An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a ty ...

also prove that the building belonged to the Russian

Orthodox church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church * Oriental Orthodox Churches * Orthodox Presbyterian Church * Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand * State church of the Roman Empire * True Orthodox church See also * Orthodox (dis ...

. The total area is about 650 square meters. Inside, the building is divided into a central hall and a foyer.

References

{{coord missing, Azerbaijan Eastern Orthodoxy in Azerbaijan Buildings and structures in Ganja, Azerbaijan