Christians In Azerbaijan: A Religious Minority's Presence

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country, with estimates of the Muslim population ranging from 85% to 99.2%. However, there is a small but significant Christian minority in the country, with Christians making up an estimated 3.1% to 4.8% of the population. This includes Russian and Georgian Orthodox Christians, as well as Catholic and Protestant denominations. While Islam is the dominant religion in Azerbaijan, the country is considered the most secular in the Muslim world, and the role of religion in politics and everyday life remains relatively small.

Christian population in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country, with estimates of the Muslim population ranging from 85% to 99.2%. The country is considered the most secular in the Muslim world, with the role of Islam in everyday life remaining relatively small.

Christianity is represented by Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism, as well as a number of minority communities in Azerbaijan. Christians are estimated to number between 280,000 and 450,000 people, or 3.1% to 4.8% of the population. Most Christians in Azerbaijan are Russian and Georgian Orthodox, as well as Armenian Apostolic (before 1990). There is also a small ethnic Azerbaijani Protestant community, numbering around 5,000, mostly from Muslim backgrounds.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is currently represented in Azerbaijan by the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches. The Russian Orthodox Churches are grouped in the Eparchy of Baku and the Caspian region. There is also a tiny Catholic community in Baku and its surroundings, with less than a thousand members.

Evangelical Christians make up roughly 0.22% of the population. Religious laws in Azerbaijan are restrictive regarding registration requirements for churches and control over religious literature. Despite these challenges, the evangelical church in the country is growing over 1% faster than the global growth rate of 2.6%.

Christian denominations in Azerbaijan

Christianity is a minority religion in Azerbaijan, with Christians making up an estimated 3.1% to 4.8% of the population. The Christian population is mostly made up of Russian and Georgian Orthodox Christians, with a small number of Catholics and Protestants.

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church is the most prevalent form of Christianity in Azerbaijan. Adherents of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Azerbaijan are mainly ethnic Russians and Georgians. The entire territory of Azerbaijan falls under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Baku and the Caspian region, centred in the Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral in Baku.

Georgian Orthodox Church

The Georgian Orthodox Church is another significant denomination in the country.

Catholic Church

There is only one Catholic congregation in Azerbaijan, located in Baku. This church was opened in 2007, replacing the one that was demolished during the Stalin era.

Protestantism

There is a small Protestant community in Azerbaijan, mostly made up of people from Muslim backgrounds. There are eleven Molokan communities, a Protestant minority that centres their beliefs on the Bible and rejects church hierarchy. There is also a German Lutheran community, likely numbering less than 7,000 Protestants.

Christian places of worship in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country, but it is considered the most secular in the Muslim world. While Islam is the dominant religion, there are also several Christian places of worship in the country.

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church was built in 1871. It was designed by Carl Gippius, who dedicated most of his life to constructing churches. In 1903, a library and school were built in the courtyard of the church. It is one of the only Armenian churches in Baku that survived the Soviet atheist policies of the 1920s and 1930s.

Baku's Catholic Church

Baku's Catholic church was demolished during the Stalin era. However, a new one was built and opened in 2007. There is a tiny Catholic community in Baku and its surroundings, with fewer than a thousand members.

Alexander Nevsky Church

The Alexander Nevsky Church was originally built for the worship of Russian Orthodox Christians. Today, it is one of the most remarkable religious monuments in the city of Ganja.

St. George’s Church

St. George’s Church is located in Gakh and preserves centuries of Christian heritage.

Khan Mosque

The Khan Mosque Complex, after the Sheki Khan’s Palace, is one of the most significant historical sites reflecting the history and culture of the Sheki Khanate. It holds a special place in Azerbaijani architecture.

Other Christian Places of Worship

There are 13 churches in Azerbaijan, including 5 Eastern Orthodox churches, 4 Georgian Orthodox churches, 1 Lutheran church, 1 Catholic church, and 2 Alban-Udi religious community churches.

Christian education in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country, with estimates of the Muslim population ranging from 93% to 99.2%. The country is considered the most secular in the Muslim world, with the role of Islam in politics and everyday life remaining relatively small.

Christianity is a minority religion in Azerbaijan, with Christians making up an estimated 3.1% to 4.8% of the population. The majority of Christians in the country are Russian and Georgian Orthodox, with smaller numbers of Catholics, Molokans, and Protestants. The Protestant community, which numbers around 5,000, is mostly made up of ethnic Azerbaijanis from Muslim backgrounds.

The Russian Orthodox Church has a presence in Azerbaijan, with communities belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan. The entire territory of Azerbaijan falls under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Baku and Azerbaijan, centered in the Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral in Baku.

The Georgian Orthodox Church also has a presence in the country, with four Georgian Orthodox churches in Azerbaijan.

There is only one congregation in the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, with a church in Baku that was opened in 2007.

There are eleven Molokan communities in Azerbaijan. The Molokans are a Protestant minority that centers their beliefs on the Bible and reject church hierarchy. They do not have any churches and instead follow a special book of rituals.

Despite the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion, some Christian groups have faced challenges in practicing their faith openly. For example, the authorities have prevented evangelical churches in Baku from meeting together. Additionally, due to the hostile relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenian Christians have fled the country, and Armenian churches in Azerbaijan remain closed due to the massacres of Armenians in the 1990s.

Christian persecution in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority nation, with estimates suggesting that between 85% and 99.2% of the population identify as Muslim. The country is considered the most secular in the Muslim world, with the role of Islam in politics and everyday life remaining relatively small.

Azerbaijan has a shame-honour culture, and those who leave Islam are considered to have brought shame on their family. Christians in Azerbaijan face persecution from their families, as well as the government. The government exerts pressure on Christians through heavy fines, and by denying churches the ability to register legally. Secret police attend and sometimes raid church meetings, which the government classifies as illegal. In 2015, the government published a list of banned religious books, which included the Old Testament. Those caught with banned religious literature are fined.

In the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, 120,000 Armenian Christians have been left bereft of vital necessities, with the threat of genocide hanging in the balance. Since December 2022, the Lachin Corridor, the sole route linking inhabitants of the region to the outside world, has been deliberately blocked by the Azerbaijani government. This has led to acute shortages of vital resources, as well as electricity and water outages. Armenian Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh remain in grave danger of massacres and genocide by Azerbaijani forces.

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