- Armenians in Syria
The Armenians in Syria are
Syria n citizens of Armenian descent. Syria and the surrounding areas have often served as a refuge for Armenians who fled from wars and persecutions such as theArmenian Genocide . It is estimated that there are more than 200,000 Armenians in Syria, most of whom live inAleppo . The village ofKasab is a majority Armenian village within Syria.History
Armenia under
Tigranes the Great subjugated Syria, and choseAntioch as one of the four capitals of the short lived Armenian Empire. During Antiquity, there was some Armenian presence in Northern Syria, however it wasn't a considerable one.Christianity became the official religion of Armenia in 301 largely thanks to the efforts of
Saint Gregory the Illuminator . Armenian merchants and travelers often frequentedAntioch , one of the earliest sites of Christian teaching and practice, and had relations with the even closer Christian centers of Edessa andNisibis , all of which are located inGreater Syria , where Christianity flourished in apostolic times.When the
Seljuk Turks conquered Armenia from its previous Byzantine rulers, waves of Armenians left their homeland in order to find a more stable place to live. Most Armenians established themselves toCilicia where an Armenian kingdom was founded, but some chose Northern Syria. Armenian quarters were formed in towns or cities such asAntioch ,Aleppo ,Aintab , etc.During the
Crusades , the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia chose to side with the European invaders rather than with the mostly Turkish rulers of Syria. Prior to theSiege of Antioch , most Armenians were expelled from Antioch byYaghi-Siyan , the Turkish governor of the city, thus the remaining Armenians of Antioch strengthened their support for the Crusaders. Thus, the new rulers of Antioch became the Europeans. Armenian engineers also helped the Crusaders during the Siege of Tyre by manipulating siege engines.The Armenian population of Syria and its surrounding areas greatly diminished after the
Mongols ,Tatars , andMamelukes took over the area by massacring the general population.During Ottoman rule, there was a much smaller quantity of Armenians in Northern Syria because of previous conflicts. A larger community existed in
Urfa , a city often considered part ofGreater Syria .Although the Armenians have had a long history in Syria, most arrived there during theArmenian Genocide . The main killing fields of Armenians were located in the Syrian desert ofDeir ez-Zor . 1.5 million Armenians were killed and hundreds of thousands fled historic Armenia. The nativeArabs didn't hesitate to shelter and support persecuted Armenians.During the rise of
Arab nationalism , thousands of Armenians left the country.Most Armenians of Syria live in
Aleppo , while a smaller community exists in the capital city ofDamascus .Kasab (Arabic : كسب, Armenian: 'Քեսապ') is aSyria n border town located inLatakia Governorate north west of Syria at 800 meters above and 3 kilometers from the Turkish border, and 17 kilometers from the Mediterranean sea.Kasab is an ancient Armenian town, over 1000 years old. The population today is mainly Armenian [cite book |last=Mannheim |first=Ivan |title=Syria and Lebanon Handbook: The Travel Guide |year=2001 |publisher=Footprint Travel Guides |isbn=1900949903 |pages=p. 299] and
Alawite Arab.Religion
The majority of Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) faith and under the jursidiction of the
Holy See of Cilicia of theArmenian Apostolic Church . The Armenian Orthodox population in Syria belongs to one of three prelacies:*Diocese of Aleppo, also knows as "Peria Tem"
*Diocese of Jezireh (in Kamishli)
*Diocese of DamascusThe churches include:
*Sourp Karasnitz Mangants Mayr Yegeghetsi (Aleppo)
*Sourp Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church (Aleppo)
*Sourp Krikor Louisavorich Yegeghetsi (Meidan, Aleppo)
*Sourp Asdvatzatzna Yegeghetsi (Seiraphi, Aleppo)
*Sourp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church (Kessab)
*Sourp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church (Latakia)
*St. Hripsime (Yakubie)There are also smaller number of Armenian Catholics and Armenian Evangelicals.
The Armenian Catholic Churches:
*Armenian Catholic Archbishopric and Notre-Dame des Dons Armenian Catholic Cathedral (Tilel, Aleppo)
*Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate and Notre-Dame Church of the Universe (Bab Touma, Damascus)
*St. Vartan Armenian Catholic Church of the Jesuit Order (Meydan, Aleppo)
*Ste. Barbe - St. Saviour Armenian Catholic Church (Suleymaniyye, Aleppo)
*Holy Trinity Armenian Catholic Church (Zvartnotz) (Meydan Square, Aleppo)
*St. Cross Armenian Catholic Church (Ourouba Square, Aleppo)
*St. Michel Armenian Catholic Church (Kessab)
*Armenian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (Djebel, Sayde)
*St. Martyrs Armenian Catholic Church (Rakka)
*St. Joseph Armenian Catholic Church (Kamichli)
*Ste. Famille Armenian Catholic Church (Hassake)
*St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Church (Deir Zor)The Latin Armenians have their own church:
*Fransiscan Church of Latin Armenians (also convent) (Suleymaniyye, Aleppo)The Armenian Evangelical churches include:
*Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church [3] (Aleppo)
*Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church (Aleppo)
*Armenian Evangelical Martyrs Church (Aleppo)
*Armenian Evangelical Churches (Kessab)References
ee also
*
List of Syrian Armenians External links
* [http://www.periotem.com Armenian Prelacy of Peria (Aleppo, Syria)]
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