KHUJAND, September 14, 2009, Asia-Plus -- A groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a temporary praying hall in the place of the Orthodox Maria Magdalena Church, which was burned down in January 2005, was held in Khujand, the capital of the Sughd province on September 12.

According to the board of guardians, it will be a temporary building for praying hall, until the new church is built in the city.

The source noted that that the temporary praying hall would be built by the method of hashar (voluntary work to the benefit of community in Central Asia).  “The Russian Consulate in Khujand is also actively assisting us,” he said, noting that the building is expected to be finished by the next Easter.

We will recall that two nuns from a monastery in Tashkent died in the fire in the Orthodox Maria Magdalena Church in Khujand on the night of January 17-18, 2005.  One of the nuns, Maria, is 78 years old and the other, Elikonida, is 72 years old.  The church burned to the ground, including the 100-year-old archive.  The blaze destroyed icons, including those dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.  The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.

The Khujand mayor’s office has allotted an area of 0.5 ha near the Christian cemetery in Khujand for construction of the new church.