In accordance with the current Constitution, modern Azerbaijan is a secular state. Religion and the state are officially separated from each other, however, its role in society is quite large. The country has adopted and enacts laws that determine the legal status of religions in society and the position of citizens regarding religions. Azerbaijan, in which the religion is multiconfessional, is among the rather tolerant states in inter-religious relations.
Today, the main religion of Azerbaijanis is Shiite Islam. This religion is professed, according to statistics, over 99.2% of the population, and there is also a certain part of the population that adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam (approximately 15%). Islam in Azerbaijan and other countries of Transcaucasia is headed by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Transcaucasia, which was created on the initiative of I. Stalin in 1943. The main body of this institution is in Baku. Since 1980, it has been headed by Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pasha-zade. After the collapse of the USSR and Azerbaijan gained independence, this spiritual organization received a new name - the Office of the Muslims of the Caucasus. There are 1802 mosques under its jurisdiction in the country; in addition, there are mosques in Lankaran (75) and Massaly district (12).
Christianity ranks second in Azerbaijan in the number of believers. As the state of Azerbaijan itself, the religion of Christianity has a long history dating back more than 2000 years. Its distribution is directly associated with the activities of the Apostle Bartholomew. According to legend, it was he who was the first of the disciples of Christ to visit this land and brought the Christian faith to its people. In Baku, there is a place where the apostle Warforlomey shed his blood and took death for faith. To this day, this shrine has been a place of pilgrimage and worship for two thousand years. Orthodox Christianity spread most widely in the territory of present-day Azerbaijan in the 4th century, at the same time an autocephalous Albanian church was created (this name it received in accordance with the then name of these lands - Caucasian Albania). Now there are 5 Orthodox cathedrals operating in the country, 3 of them are functioning in the capital.
Catholicism appeared in the country later - only in the 14th century; its spread was connected with the missionary activity of Catholic orders in the Transcaucasus, which also captured Azerbaijan. The religion of Catholicism contributed to the spread of European culture, schools, Catholic monasteries appeared. In 2002, Pope John Paul II paid a pastoral visit to Azerbaijan. Today, Catholic cathedrals, a shelter operate in Baku, the Order of Sisters of Mercy is working.
Protestantism in Azerbaijan is represented by 25 communities of evangelical Christian Baptists, in which approximately 3,000 believers are recited.
Judaism is represented by three Jewish communities, which, despite their territorial disunity, are a fairly influential institution of public life in the country. In particular, on her initiative, the Sokhnut Agency operates in Azerbaijan, various organizations and councils for the preservation of Jewish cultural heritage, religious schools, and the Judaism Cultural Center is actively functioning. There are 6 synagogues in the capital, and the newest of them, which opened in 2003, is considered one of the largest in Europe.
A feature of Azerbaijan is that such a religious movement as Zoroastrianism is preserved in this camp. Its origins date back to the first millennium, when Zoroastrianism penetrated into Azerbaijan. The religion of Zoroastrianism for almost a millennium was the most influential in these lands. Not quite by chance, probably, according to some experts, the very name "Azerbaijan" in translation means "Land of the Eternal Flame." And today, the cultural traditions of Zoroastrianism are popular in Azerbaijan. They appear even during traditional holidays of other religions in the form of games, ceremonies, which are especially popular among young people in rural areas.