Marian devotion
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima of Karaganda
Karaganda, Kazakhstan
The sanctuary built in memory of the Catholic martyrs of the Gulag in Kazakhstan.
In Karaganda, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima was built in 2003 on an ancient Gulag field. It is the most important memorial of Catholics deported to Kazakhstan.
History of the sanctuary
In 1936, thousands of Polish and German Catholics were deported to Karaganda to work in the coal mines. Many died of hunger, cold and exhaustion. The survivors held mass in secret, in caves of the steppe.
In 1991, after the fall of the USSR, Catholics built a small chapel. In 2003, the Bishop of Karaganda opened the present sanctuary, dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. Pope John Paul II personally blessed him.
The Martyrs of Karaganda
Among the most well-known martyrs are Father Alexander Chira, deported in 1950, and the sisters of Nazareth, who served the sick in the fields. The Church has begun its process of beatification.
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