Roman Catholic Temple in Tashkent

Christianity penetrated into the territory of Central Asia in the first centuries of our era due to the development of the Great Silk Road. Along with the trade caravans, one of the most famous ancient routes was followed by refugees, travelers and missionaries who preached their religion in foreign lands.

However, the first Catholic metropolises and dioceses along the Silk Road appeared much later - in the XII-Xlll centuries, when diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China were established.

The active spread of Catholicism in the countries of the Central Asian region began in the II half of the XIX and early XX centuries and was associated with Russian expansion in the East. According to statistics, by 1917 there were 11,000 Catholics living in Turkestan, 7,000 of whom lived in Tashkent. These were Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, French, Latvians from among the servicemen of the tsarist army, whom the government sent to serve far away from their homeland: to the Far East, to Turkestan, to the Caucasus. Turkestan also had many exiles, Western European prisoners of war and refugees.

From 1883 to 1885, the first official Catholic priest in the Turkestan region was Father Ferdinand Senchikovsky. Thanks to his efforts, a Catholic chapel was built in Tashkent, where mass was held.

From 1902 to 1917, Justin Bonaventura Pranaitis was the curator of the Turkestan Territory. During this period, churches were built in Ashgabat, Kyzyl-Arvat (Turkmenistan), Fergana, Samarkand, a temporary chapel church in Tashkent. In 1912, the construction of a large Tashkent Catholic church began near the Catholic chapel. Catholic soldiers participated in the construction of that temple, among whom there were many qualified specialists.

Construction was slow, and in 1917 the revolution began, after which the successor of Pranaitis, Father Boleslav Rutenis, tried to complete the Tashkent church. But he never succeeded because of the changing political situation in the country, the pressure of the Bolsheviks and lack of funds. Soon, unable to stand, Rutenis resigned as abbot. After Rutenis voluntarily resigned from his post, Father Joseph Sovinsky secretly held Masses for the remaining Catholics. In 1937 he was arrested on charges of anti-Soviet propaganda and shot.

What happened to the unfinished temple? In 1925 the temple was nationalized. In the Soviet period, it housed various organizations: the dormitories of the Electric Cable Plant and the Republican Obstetric School, the management and warehouse of Medtechnics. The building was rebuilt many times and finally abandoned. Of course, by that time there were no sculptures or valuables from the temple.

In 1976, thanks to the decree of the authorities, the building was restored and given to the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan, and in 1981 - declared an architectural and historical monument of Uzbekistan.

Official activities of Catholic organizations in Uzbekistan resumed only in 1987. First, a Catholic parish reopened in Fergana, and 3 years later, a Catholic church opened in Tashkent, the abbot of which was a Franciscan from Poland, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1997 by the ordinary "Missio sui Juris" in Uzbekistan - Father Krzysztof Kukulka.

Since 1992, with the independence of Uzbekistan, the church was returned to the Catholic parish of Tashkent. And in January 1993, its restoration began, led by architect Sergey Adamov and designer Alexander Ponomarev, and organizational issues were taken over by Kukulka.

Then, during the construction, the construction of the old Catholic chapel, which was located in the house of the Polish society on the site of construction, was included in the plan of the new temple. The construction of the Catholic Church under the call of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was completed in 2000, 88 years after the laying of its first stone.

The temple was immediately recognized as one of the most beautiful and unusual for the East architectural structures of modern Tashkent.

I must say that the architecture, decor and interior of the temple are impressive. The temple is built in the Gothic style, inside the building is lined with marble and granite, and the doors and furniture are made of valuable wood. Candlesticks, candelabras, art fence and railing, etc. were made by blacksmith V. Pilipyuk.

On the first floor of the temple are the premises of the crypt-chapel (the same one built at the time of the temple). Pranaitis in the early XX century, the hall of John Paul II and the hall of St. Paul. Antonia.

On the second floor there is a solemn main hall where Sunday Masses are held. An honorable place in the hall is occupied by an altar with a protector decorated with a 2-meter sculpture of Christ.

Between the huge columns are placed rows of massive wooden benches for parishioners. Opposite the altar under the arches of the temple, a 26-voice organ is installed - a gift from the Bonn parish of St. Paul. The hall is decorated with images of scenes from the Bible, colored stained glass windows, Catholic symbols. To the right of the altar is the confessional, where Catholics perform the sacrament of repentance.

Masses in the Tashkent Catholic Church are held daily in four languages: Russian, English, Polish and Korean.

In the early 90s of the last century, along with the construction of a church in Tashkent, Catholic parishes were opened in other major cities of Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench. The growth of the Catholic flock in Uzbekistan and the efforts of Tashkent Catholic ministers did not go unnoticed in the Vatican, and in 2005 Pope John Paul II raised the status of "Missio sui Juris" in the Republic of Uzbekistan to the title of Apostolic Administration and appointed Fr Jerzy Matsulevich the first bishop in Uzbekistan. Currently, the rector of the Tashkent temple is Fr. Lucian Szymansky. There are Catholic priests and monastic brothers Franciscans in Uzbekistan, as well as missionaries of the Order of Divine Love (sisters of Mother Teresa).