Last weekend in the Cathedral of the Holy Myrrhbearers of the Baku and Azerbaijan diocese in Baku, for the first time in history, a divine service was held in the Azerbaijani language.

According to Vesti.az, the secretary of the diocese, Archimandrite Alexiy (Nikonorov), shared the relevant video on his Facebook page.

So, for the first time, a petitionary litany (one of the main components of the divine service) was heard in the Azerbaijani language. On the one hand, it symbolizes the world as the fullness of Orthodox humanity abiding in the church, on the other hand, the peace of the soul, as a special prayerful mood.

“Christianity is one of the oldest religions in the Caucasus region, which appeared on the historical lands of Azerbaijan as early as the 1st century and existed for twenty centuries. Christianity never ceased to exist here, it influenced the formation of the mentality of the Azerbaijani people. By translating worship into the Azerbaijani language, we want to make accessible and understandable Orthodox worship for everyone. Any resident of our country has the right to know what they pray in Christian churches, and, if they wish, to understand the structure and meaning of Orthodox worship,” said Father Alexiy in a comment to the publication.