Traces of the Armenian diaspora across Europe

Armenia is a land-locked country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It was one of the first states in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the late 3rd or early 4th century.

For centuries, Armenians have moved to many cities and countries across Europe, establishing communities.

Particularly since World War I, in the wake of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, many Armenians were forced to leave their homeland.

In this blog, we explore traces of the Armenian diaspora found across Europe in digitised cultural heritage collections.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

This Armenian church is located in the centre of Amsterdam. The church was founded around 1715, with the year carved in the flagstone above the main door.

Nearby the church, a bridge is named Armeensebrug (Armenian Bridge).

Venice, Italy

San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in Venice which has been home to the monastery of an Armenian Catholic congregation since 1717.

Czech Republic

This 2012 documentary from Czech Television explores the everyday activities of the spiritual representative of Armenians in the Czech Republic and those he cares for.

Watch the documentary here

London, United Kingdom

St Sarkis Armenian church in London is the largest Armenian church in the UK. It is located in Kensington and was built during the 1920s.

Smyrna / Izmir

These photographs show soldiers operating machinery in a workplace manufacturing macaroni for the Greek army during the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War. The factory, which is located in Smyrna (today this is Izmir in Turkey), is described as being a former Armenian cinema.

Hungary

This documentary explores Armenian carpet makers living in Hungary, presenting a profession that is vanishing.

Baltic states

From 1922 to 1991, Armenia was part of the Soviet Union with internal migration establishing Armenian communities in other former-Soviet states. These photographs show Armenians in the Baltic states (Estonis, Latvia, Lithuania) taking part in events in the run up to those states' independence in the late 1980s.

Tallinn, Estonia

The St Gregory the Illuminator Church is an Armenian church in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. It was given to the Armenian community in Estonia in 1994 for their use. It is estimated that around 1,000 Armenians live in Estonia.

Solna, Sweden

This small chapel is located in Solna, a municipality to the north of Stockholm. The chapel was built in the 1870s on Överjärva farm. It is also known as the Armenian chapel, as the farm had been leased by Ohan Demirgian, an Armenian who was the stablemaster for King Charles XV.