May 2009 • Vol. 30, No. 4 (106)
On Tuesday, April 21, Dr.
George Bournoutian presented his third and final lecture in a series on the
Armenian Churches of Persia,
Russia,
and South Asia. The lecture covered the many areas in South Asia where Armenian churches exist and are
maintained. Dr. Bournoutian
accompanied his talk with slides that he had taken
during his numerous trips to the region.
Many of the churches,
including Holy Etchmiadzin,
the headquarters of the Armenian Church, show the
artistic influence of Armenia’s
neighbors. Over the years, due to war and hardships,
Etchmiadzin had been
neglected and when it was renovated and redecorated in the seventeenth century,
the Persian influence was very
strong.
From 1600-1800 many
Armenian churches were constructed in a number of South Asian cities, such as Delhi, Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai),
and Calcutta (Kolkata). Holy Nazaret church in
Kolkata is the oldest church in India,
and while it does not look like a traditional
Armenian church, the dome is of
an Armenian style. Calcutta had many Armenians
who settled in the area, creating the largest Armenian
community in India, with
about 4-5,000 Armenians having lived there at one time. Today, there are only
some 200 Armenians left in Calcutta.
A
major street in the city is now known as “Armenian Street,” and a resident priest
from Etchmiadzin is responsible for all Armenian
churches in South
Asia.
The Armenians living in India were
greatly influenced by the British merchants, who came to the area to establish
trade
agreements. Both Indians and Armenians were increasingly influenced by
the British throughout the years, for example, Armenians started
changing their
names, from Davidian to simply David. In addition, Armenian gravestones began
to be written in English, instead of Armenian.
The
Armenian Sports Club
and the Armenian College
in India
are still open and active today. Students from Lebanon,
Cyprus, Armenia, Iran,
and
other countries travel to study at the Armenian
College and Philanthropic Academy,
whose curriculum is based on the British educational
system.
Bombay’s Armenian community only has twelve to fourteen
Armenians, most of who intermarried with the British or Indians. There
is a
commercial building in Bombay,
called Ararat, and the money collected from rents is donated to the Armenian
Church.
In Bangladesh,
there
is a beautiful church built with three large church bells. In the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the city had many Armenians,
who
produced 85% of the jute, which is a material used for burlap and ropes. The
Armenians became wealthy through the jute trade.
The
church in Bangladesh has
an octagonal dome, executed in an Armenian style. Until today, a caretaker is responsible for
maintaining
the church and he resides in a house directly next to the Church.
Names here also started changing, for example, Haroutoun Krikor Simonian
became
Arratoon Gregory Simeon. Today, there is only a single Armenian living in Bangladesh.
Singapore is another country that was
once home to a large Armenian
community. A huge church was built in
1835 and is currently extremely well maintained and restored thanks
to the
former Armenian ambassador in Thailand.
The church is so large and beautiful that non-Armenians, such as the Koreans,
often wed
at the church. There is a plaque in front of the church, recognizing
the building as the Church
of St. Gregory the
Illuminator.
Surprisingly,Shanghai, China,
is another location where Armenians have settled. In the past, there have been a number of
buildings owned by Armenian
people, however due to countless renovations and
advances, the city of Shanghai has changed and many of these buildings are no
longer
in existence.
There once was a large and
beautiful Armenian church in Jakarta, Indonesia and a smaller one in Surabaya. Unfortunately,
the government
purchased the Jakarta
church and demolished it, donating the money to the Armenians. Currently, there
are about twenty
Armenians left in Indonesia.
Armenians have migrated to
many different areas of the world and whether the Armenians relocated for
economic,
political, or family reasons, they managed to maintain a strong
relationship with their faith. Although they were far away from their
Motherland,
the Armenians built churches everywhere they went, staying true to
their roots. The Armenian people deeply cherish their Christian
faith and due
to their strong bond, they have maintained their unique identity over time.