The first Orthodox Church in honor of the birth of Christ was opened in Nagorno Karabakh, near the Russian military city near Stepanakert, TASS correspondent reports.

The Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov and the Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh Gennady Anashkin attended the ceremony.

“Unfortunately, no Russian church has been preserved in Karabakh. All of them were destroyed by the Bolsheviks during the Soviet years. Due to this, the Russian Orthodox Church erected in honor of Christ’s Christmas acquires a sacred, historical significance,” Alexander Bodrov, head of the Russian community in Stepanakert said.

After the opening of the church, the first prayer was performed.