Church of the Savior (Baku)
The Church of the Redeemer ( Azerbaijani Xilaskar Kilsəsi , also known as the kircha , from German "Church" ) is a Lutheran church in the Azerbaijani capital Baku (Strasse des 28. Mai), built with donations from the Caucasian German parishioner Adolf Eichler and inaugurated on March 14th 1899. Today it is a concert hall of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
history
On January 30, 1885, the city duma assigned the parcel of 1,400 square sashes (6373 m²) to the church. Contrary to the requests of local residents to design the church similar to the one in Helenendorf , Eichler used his own individual style. The laying of the foundation stone took place on Sunday, March 21st, 1896 in the presence of the Baku governor Lilejew and the city chairman Irezki. Even Emmanuel Nobel , his stepmother and Ludvig Nobel's second wife took part in the ceremony. The name of the church was also consecrated at this time. On June 24, 1898, a thirteen pud (213 kg) gold-plated cross was placed on the church. In the spring of 1899 a church bell and an organ were installed. The inauguration ceremony attracted over a thousand people. The Gothic church style includes a portal topped with a decorated pediment.
While Azerbaijan's evangelical community ceased to exist in 1936, the church building survived the Stalinist period. In petitions Joseph Stalin had been assured that he would pray for him to the death if he spared the church. Pastor Paul Hamburg and seven other members of the Lutheran congregation were nevertheless executed on November 1, 1937 by a firing squad.
On April 23, 1990, the church held its first organ concert with works by Johann Sebastian Bach . On December 1, 1996, a memorial evening for the Nobel family was held in the church. The church has been closed for renovations since 2001.
After this extensive renovation, the church has been in operation again since 2010. The Evangelical Lutheran Redeemer Congregation gathers here again every Sunday for worship. But she only uses the church as a tenant. Otherwise the church is subject to the Philharmonic and is used as a concert and organ hall.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Ave Maria Was Used to Be Heard Here. (No longer available online.) Azerbaijan-irs.com, archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; Retrieved February 21, 2008 (Russian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Baku Lutheran's Out on the Street. (No longer available online.) Keston.org.uk, archived from the original on July 24, 2011 ; accessed on February 21, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 40 ° 22 ′ 37.2 ″ N , 49 ° 50 ′ 52 ″ E