Ntra. Mrs. de Fátima de Karagandá - Mother of All Nations
The neo-Gothic cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima, the seat of the diocese of Karagandá, was built between 2003 and 2012 and was consecrated on 9 September 2012 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, special envoy of Benedict XVI. It is the largest Catholic cathedral in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, raised in memory of the Catholics deported to the Karlag, the gigantic Stalinist camp of Karaganda.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- The land was granted by the city on May 13, 2003, the anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin in Fatima, at the initiative of Bishop Jan Paul Longa.
- Its design is inspired by the cathedral of Cologne; between its two towers is raised a white marble statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
- It was financed by donations from several countries, in memory of the victims of the communist regime: thousands of Polish, German, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Belarusian Catholics deported to the Karlag.
- In its 2012 consecration more than 1,500 faithful of fifteen nationalities participated, along with Orthodox and Muslim leaders.
Our Lady of Fatima (Karagandah)
For the Catholics of Kazakhstan, descendants in much of the deportees of the gulag, this cathedral is both a memorial of the silent martyrdom of their grandparents and a sign of hope: Mary, Mother of All Nations, brings together under her mantle a people forged in persecution.
"Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of All Nations, pray for us.
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