Getting There
The Polish church is located on Makhtumkuli str., 80/1.Tashkent Medical Institute and Ecopark could be good orienting points to find your way to the church. With a good transportation network in the capital of Uzbekistan, getting to the cathedral easy as pie.
By bus: buses No. 1, 14, 16, 18, 21, 28, 44 and 80 run regularly and one should come out at TashMI Klinika bus stop.
By metro: it is even easier to get to the attraction by underground transport. Amir Timur (red line) and Mashinasozlar (blue line) stations are located next to the church building. A little tip: a walk from Mashinasozlar station is shorter.
By car: it takes only 18 minutes to get to the sight (about 7 km) from Tashkent International Airport. The fastest route runs along Bobur ko’chasi and Nukus ko’chasi streets towards Sodiq Azimov ko’chasi. Spend even less time if your starting point is the city’s railway station – move along Turkiston ko’chasi towards Oybek ko’chasi.
What to Expect
The Roman Catholic cathedral is notable not only for its architecture, but also for its interior decoration. Having crossed the building’s threshold, visitors find themselves in a spacious room lined with marble tiles and granite. This decoration creates an atmosphere of grandeur and celebration.
Other author’s details in the form of chandeliers, original lamps, stair railings, candlesticks, candelabra, door awnings and handles skillfully support the church decoration. It is known that a local resident and parishioner Vladimir Pilipyuk was engaged in decorating the sight.
The two-storey building consists of several rooms. The oldest is the crypt-chapel, with the construction dated back to 1916. The premises are used for holding Holy Mass (only on weekdays). The hall of St. John Paul II is intended for church meetings and lectures. The room got its name in honor of the Pope. The largest area is occupied by the Hall of St. Anthony of Padua. Here one can see a huge mosaic panel and thee St. Anthony’s sculpture, made by the master Adamov. But the very heart of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Tashkent is the hall on the second floor. The room is impressive with a 2-meter bronze statue of Jesus Christ, as if hovering above the ground. On the right side of the sculpture is the confessional. A 26-voice organ is located above the altar. The hall is used for choral concerts and Sunday services.
If you thoroughly explore the area adjacent to the Roman Catholic Church, you will find a memorial plate with the names of those who died during the Second World War.
History
The construction of the church began in 1912. The well-known Pole Ludwig Panchakevich became the architect of the project. The labor resources for the construction were Catholic soldiers, served in the east. Most of them were highly qualified specialists. In addition, prisoners from a camp near Tashkent took part in the construction. Among them, specialists in sculpture and engineering construction were selected.
During the years of the revolution, the architect and the main initiator of the construction of the cathedral, the priest Pranaitis, passed away. Another abbot took over the work continuation management. But with the Bolshevik government ascension the construction was frozen due to the lack of sponsorship.
During Soviet era the unfinished building of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was used for other purposes. The church served not only as a warehouse, but also a hostel, and even a hospital. Such thoughtless exploitation left its sad mark – some of the sculptures were plundered, others were destroyed and damaged.
Facilities Available
- Botkin cemetery
- Ashgabat Park
- Mirzo Ulugbek Park
- ECO Park
- Central Ecological park named after Zahiriddin Babur
- Divan by Demir Restaurant
- Lotus Spa Salon
