Cathedral of the Assumption of Makhachkala
The Cathedral of the Assumption is a Russian Orthodox church in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. It is the main church of the Diocese of Makhachkala. The site first had a wooden church built in 1890 with money donated by local residents.
A stone church was completed in 1906 with funds from Tsar Nicholas II and was dedicated to the Mozdok Panagia Portaitissa, the patroness of the Caucasus. The first priest was Afanasy Alibekov, who helped lead the construction. After the 1917 revolution, the church was closed and used as a warehouse and shop. Services resumed in 1943, and the church was rededicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1969, the iconostasis was moved from the Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel in Moscow. In 1988 the building was protected as a local monument. Because many Russian speakers left Dagestan, parish numbers declined. On June 2, 2000, it became a cathedral. In 2004 a parecclesion dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky was added. Restoration began in 2005, with repainting of the vaults and walls and restoration of the iconostasis. In 2012 it became the seat of the Diocese of Makhachkala, and in 2014 copies of the Gifts of the Magi from Mount Athos were given to the cathedral.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:33 (CET).