Русский
Construction has begun on the first Russian Orthodox church in Madagascar, alongside housing for a women’s monastic community and children in its care, according to Archpriest Dimitry Matienko, the new rector of the Transfiguration Church in the capital, Antananarivo.
The project has received the blessing of Metropolitan Konstantin, the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, who oversees the Russian Orthodox Church’s activities in Africa. Foundation work is currently underway, and construction materials are being purchased.
The development will also include accommodation for children taken into the community’s care, a small farm, and workshops where they can learn practical skills, including sewing and candle-making. The women and children currently live together in a rented house while construction proceeds, according to Matienko.
The Russian Orthodox Church has also received a certificate of state registration in Madagascar, according to Priest Georgy Maximov, Chairman of the Missionary Department of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa. Maximov said that Madagascar has the largest Russian Orthodox Church presence in Africa. There are currently 24 Orthodox priests and 30 parishes in the country. Christianity is the largest religion in Madagascar, accounting for roughly 75% to 85% of the population, with about 30% of these being Catholic.
The project comes as the Russian Orthodox Church expands its presence across Africa through its Patriarchal Exarchate, established by the Church’s Holy Synod in December 2021. As of 2026, it operates in 36 African countries, with around 370 communities and parishes served by over 270 clergy.
The Church has launched construction projects and opened new places of worship in several African countries. In January 2026, it consecrated its first church in Mauritius, followed by its first temple in Tanzania in July, according to the Patriarchal Exarchate. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Church laid the foundation stone for a new temple dedicated to St. Nicholas in January this year. The parish has around 50 members who previously held services in a temporary structure.
Earlier, on 24 May, a festive service marking the feast day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equals-to-the-Apostles, one of the significant holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), was held in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo.
