Shamkir Lutheran Church
Native name
Alman lüteran kilsəsi
Typeneogothic
LocationU. Hajibeyov Street, 57
AreaŞəmkir
Built1909
ArchitectFerdinand Lehmkuhl
OwnerCaucasian Germans

Shamkir Lutheran Church is a historical architectural monument in the city of Shamkir, Azerbaijan.

After Azerbaijan regained its independence, the church was included in the list of local significant immovable historical and cultural monuments by the decision No. 132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan on August 2, 2001.

History

In 1817, with the approval of Russian Tsar Alexander I, hundreds of German families belonging to the Lutheran-Pietist faith from the Swabian region of Germany were relocated to the territory of the Russian Empire.[1] By 1819, 500 families from Württemberg were settled in the Elisabethpol Governorate of Azerbaijan.[1] After the establishment of the first German colony in Azerbaijan, called Helenendorf, the foundation of the second German colony, Annenfeld, was laid about 40 km away.[2]

In 1909, the Lutheran Church was constructed in Annenfeld in the Romanesque Gothic style,[3][4] sponsored by Johann Beppl and Johann Bek's endowment.[5] The architect responsible for the construction of the church was Ferdinand Lemkul.[1][5]

Soviet occupation

Soviet occupation led to the official initiation of the anti-religious campaign in 1928. In December of the same year, the Azerbaijan Communist Party Central Committee transferred many mosques, churches, and synagogues to the balance of educational clubs for enlightening purposes.[6] Between 1936 and 1938, all Lutheran church priests in the country were arrested.[7] The last pastor of the church, Emil Roisch, was initially arrested in 1931.[8] Though released later, he was rearrested in 1937, accused of anti-Soviet and religious propaganda, and subsequently sentenced to execution by firing squad by the NKVD troika. Following the expulsion of Germans in 1941, the church ceased its activities. Later on, the building was used as a Cultural House, Teachers' House, and a History Ethnography Museum.[9]

After independence

After Azerbaijan regained independence, the church building was included in the list of locally significant historical and cultural monuments by the decision No. 132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan on August 2, 2001.[10]

Due to a lack of repairs and restoration for an extended period in the 1990s, the building fell into a dilapidated condition. In 2012, as part of the "Address of Tolerance - Azerbaijan" project by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the church building underwent comprehensive restoration under the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan.[9] The area surrounding the church was developed, and a park was established.[11] An organ was installed in the church to facilitate religious services and musical events.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lüteran kilsəsi". irs.gov.az. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  2. ↑ Zeynalova, Südabə (2014). Лютеране в России. Сборник докладов Международной научной конференции (Омск, 9–10 октября 2014 г.) / К истории возникновения евангелическо-лютеранской общины в Азербайджане (XIX – начало XX вв.) (in Russian). Omsk: Ииздательство ОмГТУ. p. 91. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ↑ Zeynalova, Südabə (2014). Лютеране в России. Сборник докладов Международной научной конференции (Омск, 9–10 октября 2014 г.) / К истории возникновения евангелическо-лютеранской общины в Азербайджане (XIX – начало XX вв.) (in Russian). Omsk: Ииздательство ОмГТУ. p. 93. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  4. ↑ Jalilzade, Shahla (2021-03-26). "Economic and humanitarian activities of Germans in Azerbaijan". Aze.Media. Archived from the original on 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  5. 1 2 "Следы Германии в Азербайджане". GoBakuGoAzerbaijan (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  6. ↑ Arif Yunusov (2004). Ислам в Азербайджане (PDF). Bakı: Zaman. p. 78. ISBN 9952-8052-0-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  7. ↑ Hacıyeva, Rima (2019). Azərbaycan tolerantlığında alman irsinin izləri və memarlığı (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Mənəvi Dəyərlərin Təbliği Fondu. p. 151.
  8. ↑ Zeynalova, Südabə (2014). Лютеране в России. Сборник докладов Международной научной конференции (Омск, 9–10 октября 2014 г.) / К истории возникновения евангелическо-лютеранской общины в Азербайджане (XIX – начало XX вв.) (in Russian). Omsk: Ииздательство ОмГТУ. p. 94. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  9. 1 2 Əliyev, Elçin (2017). Deutschs Erbe Spuren in der Architektur von Aserbaidschan (PDF) (in German). Bakı: Botschaft der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Baku. p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  10. ↑ "Azərbaycan Respublikası Nazirlər Kabinetinin 2001-ci il 2 avqust Tarixli 132 nömrəli qərarı ilə təsdiq edilmişdir" (PDF) (in Azerbaijani). mct.gov.az. 2001-08-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  11. ↑ "İlham Əliyev Şəmkirdə əsaslı bərpa edilən Alman Lüteran kilsəsi ilə tanış olmuşdur » Azərbaycan Prezidentinin Rəsmi internet səhifəsi". president.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  12. ↑ "Alman Lüteran kilsəsi ilə tanışlıq". Xalq Qəzeti. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
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