Tajikistan Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Tajikistan, go to the Religious Records page.

Historical Background
The next largest religious community is presumably Russian Orthodox, the historical faith of many Ukrainians as well as Russians. A cathedral in Dushanbe, St. Nicholas, serves the Orthodox community. By the end of the Soviet era, Tajikistan also was home to small numbers of people belonging to other Christian denominations, including Roman Catholics (originally most of them were from German origins, but also Tajiks), Seventh-Day Adventists, and Baptists.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Tajikistan.
 * b. Click on Places within Tajikistan and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Russian Letter Writing Guide for help with composing letters.
 * Maps.me Church Listings for Tajikistan

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Tajikistan

Historical Background
In modern times the Catholic Church obtained a presence in Tajikistan through Soviet deportations, and in 1974, churches were opened in Dushanbe (St Joseph Church, Dushanbe) and Qurghonteppa.[2] Most of the early Catholics were Germans of Russian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian origin.[3] Many Catholics fled the 1990s civil war following the Soviet Union collapse. In 1997, Pope John Paul II created a mission sui iuris for the country to be administered by the Institute of the Incarnate Word of Argentina. The Institute sent priests from South America to Tajikistan. In 2003, the Church opened a center and soup kitchen in Dushanbe for homeless children. By 2004, the mission had three parishes, one mission center, five priests, four nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, and its own website.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Russian Orthodox churches in Tajikistan

Historical Background
For a detailed history, see Tajikistan: The Life of the smallest Orthodox community in Central Asia.