Armenians in France
Encyclopedia
Armenians in France are ethnic Armenians
living within the modern republic of France
. Like much of the Armenian Diaspora
, most Armenians immigrated to France after the Armenian Genocide
of 1915–1923. Others came later, fleeing conflicts in places like Lebanon
, Syria
, Egypt
and Iran
. More recently there is an influx of immigrants from the Republic of Armenia
.
. Areas of Armenian concentration include Paris
(100,000), Lyon
(60,000), Marseille
(80,000) and Valence
(up to 10,000).
Religious contacts were established during this period and these are documented in the country’s oldest historical records.
During the crusades, political and commercial links flourished between the French and Armenians. First of all there were blood ties, stretching right up to almost the royal palaces. The last Regent of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , Leon VI of Lusignan, of French stock, died in 1393 in Paris and was buried at the Saint Denis Basilica just to the north of the French capital. After that, Cardinal Richelieu and Colbert helped the Armenians set up trading posts.
The Armenian immigrants who arrived between 1920-30 fought and died for France on the battlefields of World War II
and in the Resistance during the occupation by Nazi Germany.
French-Armenian ties were preserved and consolidated over the years. Thousands of new immigrants who arrived after the troubles in Turkey
(in 1956), Lebanon
(in 1975) and Iran
(in 1979) comprised the next wave of immigration. Today, many youngsters who are the product of this movement are completing their studies in France, setting up Armenian households and sending their children to Armenian language schools.
Today, Armenian classes are organized in many localities with full bilingual kindergartens and primary schools near Paris and Marseilles attended by several thousand children and youths. Armenian is currently a valid option counting toward the Baccalaureate, the French High School certificate.
In 1983, the bloody attack at the Paris Orly airport
, blamed on the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
(ASALA), raised a public outcry. Unlike the Orly attack, the occupation of the Turkish Consulate in Paris in 1981 was enthusiastically supported by young and old, and by all shades of public opinion.
The campaign to pass the resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide
at the European Council
unleashed on June 19, 1987 at a Strasbourg
demonstration.
The earthquake on December 7, 1988 in Armenia led to huge mobilization of the French Armenian community. The exhaustive effort made by French Armenians to provide humanitarian and logistical aid to the quake victims was probably unprecedented.
of the Armenian Apostolic Church
, with a minority belonging to the Armenian Catholic faith belonging to the Armenian Catholic Church
. Fewer numbers are Armenian Evangelicals.
The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Churches (in French Eglise Apostolique Arménienne) in France:
In the Île-de-France region:
In Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes region
In Marseille the Sud (South) regions:
The Armenian Catholic Church (Eglise Armenienne Catholique) has these churches:
The Armenian Evangelical group of churches includes churches three churches in Marseille, a church in Paris, also in Issy-les-Moulineaux, La Ciotat, Alfortville, Arnouville-Lès-Gonesse, Bourg-Lès-Valence, Décines, Lyons, Montélimar and Pont d’Aubenas
, established in 1906, and its founder Boghos Nubar
moved in 1921 to Paris, the diplomatic and political hub of the Armenian Question. AGBU chapters were set up in Paris, Lyon, Valence, Marseille and Nice.
The Armenian Social Aid Association, operating Armenian retirement homes, was founded before this period and is unique to France. National institutions, and first and foremost the Armenian Church of Paris founded in 1905, were very soon to co-exist in Paris, playing a fundamental role in defending and protecting the refugees.
Furthermore, in 2006, the French parliament submitted a bill to create a law that would punish any person denying the Armenian genocide with imprisonment up to 5 years and a fine of €45,000. Despite Turkish protests, the French National Assembly adopted a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. However, the bill was dropped in summer 2011 before coming to the Senate.
and the film director Henri Verneuil
, both the sons of refugees, or later still, world Formula One driving champion Alain Prost
, whose mother was Armenian. Also, the composer Michel Legrand (mother Der Mikaelian), and the author, composer and reggae singer Charly B
, grand grand son of refugees.
Armenian refugees were also prominent in the arts, including Alice Sapritch, Grégoire Aslan and Jacques Helian.
Jean-Claude Kebabdjian is the founder and director of the Centre de Recherches sur la Diaspora Arménienne.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
living within the modern republic of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Like much of the Armenian Diaspora
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
, most Armenians immigrated to France after the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
of 1915–1923. Others came later, fleeing conflicts in places like Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. More recently there is an influx of immigrants from the Republic of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
Distribution
The estimation of the number of Armenians in France varies. But most put it ap to around 300,000. According to ArmeniaDiaspora.com there are 400,000 Armenians living in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Areas of Armenian concentration include Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(100,000), Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
(60,000), Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
(80,000) and Valence
Valence, Drôme
Valence is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Drôme department, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseilles.Its inhabitants are called Valentinois...
(up to 10,000).
Earlier times
An Armenian-style church at Germigny-des-Prés south of Pithiviers on the River Loire is one of the examples of early contacts between the French and Armenian people dating back to between the 10th and 12th centuries.Religious contacts were established during this period and these are documented in the country’s oldest historical records.
During the crusades, political and commercial links flourished between the French and Armenians. First of all there were blood ties, stretching right up to almost the royal palaces. The last Regent of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , Leon VI of Lusignan, of French stock, died in 1393 in Paris and was buried at the Saint Denis Basilica just to the north of the French capital. After that, Cardinal Richelieu and Colbert helped the Armenians set up trading posts.
20th-21st century
After the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, the French authorities needed workers. The Armenian refugees and orphans crammed into Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon, arrived by the boatloads to Marseilles and journeyed to the mines and factories around Marseilles, Valence, Grenoble, Lyons and Paris. There, a quarter of a million Armenians settled down into tight little communities of between 2,000 and 4,000 people. The foundations of the Armenian community in France had been set.The Armenian immigrants who arrived between 1920-30 fought and died for France on the battlefields of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in the Resistance during the occupation by Nazi Germany.
French-Armenian ties were preserved and consolidated over the years. Thousands of new immigrants who arrived after the troubles in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(in 1956), Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
(in 1975) and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(in 1979) comprised the next wave of immigration. Today, many youngsters who are the product of this movement are completing their studies in France, setting up Armenian households and sending their children to Armenian language schools.
Today, Armenian classes are organized in many localities with full bilingual kindergartens and primary schools near Paris and Marseilles attended by several thousand children and youths. Armenian is currently a valid option counting toward the Baccalaureate, the French High School certificate.
In 1983, the bloody attack at the Paris Orly airport
Orly airport attack
The Orly Airport attack was the 15 July 1983 bombing of a Turkish Airlines check-in counter at Orly Airport in Paris, France, by the Armenian militant organization ASALA as part of its campaign for the recognition of and reparations for the Armenian Genocide...
, blamed on the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia or ASALA was an Armenian nationalist militant organization, that operated from 1975 to 1986. The group also operated under other names such as The Orly Group and the 3 October Organization...
(ASALA), raised a public outcry. Unlike the Orly attack, the occupation of the Turkish Consulate in Paris in 1981 was enthusiastically supported by young and old, and by all shades of public opinion.
The campaign to pass the resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
at the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
unleashed on June 19, 1987 at a Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
demonstration.
The earthquake on December 7, 1988 in Armenia led to huge mobilization of the French Armenian community. The exhaustive effort made by French Armenians to provide humanitarian and logistical aid to the quake victims was probably unprecedented.
Religion
The majority of the Armenian French population is of the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) faith and belong to the See of Holy EchmiadzinEchmiadzin
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin is a 4th century Armenian church in the town of Ejmiatsin, Armenia. It is also the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church....
of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
, with a minority belonging to the Armenian Catholic faith belonging to the Armenian Catholic Church
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
. Fewer numbers are Armenian Evangelicals.
The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Churches (in French Eglise Apostolique Arménienne) in France:
In the Île-de-France region:
- Cathédrale Apostolique Arménienne St. Jean-Baptiste (Paris)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Grégoire l'Illuminateur (Chaville)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne Ste. Mère de Dieu (Issy-les-Moulineaux)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Pierre et St. Paul (Alfortville)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Croix de Varak (Arnouville-Lès-Gonesse)
In Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes region
- Cathédrale Apostolique Arménienne St. Jacques (Lyon)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne Ste. Mère de Dieu (Décines)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Grégoire l'Illuminateur (St. Etienne)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Nichan (Charvieu-Chavagneux)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Sahak (Valence)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Grégoire l'Illuminateur (Valence)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne (Grenoble)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Nicolas (Romans)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne (Vienne)
In Marseille the Sud (South) regions:
- Cathédrale Apostolique Arménienne Saint-Sahak et Saint-Mesrob Serpotz Tarkmantchaz (Saints traducteurs) (Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Grégoire l'Illuminateur (Beaumont, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne Ste. Mère de Dieu (Ste. Marguerite, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Sahak et St. Mesrob (St. Jérôme, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Garabed (St. Antoine, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Thaddée et St. Barthélémy (St. Antoine, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Jacques (Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Kévork (St. Loup, Marseille)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Sauveur (La Ciotat)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne Ste. Mère de Dieu (Nice)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Jean (Saint-Raphaël)
- Eglise Apostolique Arménienne St. Vartan (Avignon)
The Armenian Catholic Church (Eglise Armenienne Catholique) has these churches:
- Cathédrale Sainte-Croix de Paris des Arméniens Catholiques de France (Paris)
- Eglise Armenienne Catholique Saint Grégoire l'Illuminateur (Arnouville-Lès-Gonesse)
- Eglise Armenienne Catholique (Lyon)
- Eglise Armenienne Catholique Saint Grégoire l'Illuminateur (Marseille)
- Eglise Armenienne Catholique Saint Nerses Shnorhali (Saint Chamond)
- Eglise Armenienne Catholique (Valence)
The Armenian Evangelical group of churches includes churches three churches in Marseille, a church in Paris, also in Issy-les-Moulineaux, La Ciotat, Alfortville, Arnouville-Lès-Gonesse, Bourg-Lès-Valence, Décines, Lyons, Montélimar and Pont d’Aubenas
Institutions
The Armenian General Benevolent UnionArmenian General Benevolent Union
The Armenian General Benevolent Union abbreviated as AGBU, is a non-profit Armenian organization. It was established in Cairo, Egypt in 1906...
, established in 1906, and its founder Boghos Nubar
Boghos Nubar
Boghos Nubar also known as Boghos Nubar Pasha was a Chairman of the Armenian National Assembly, liberal, the son of Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha and the founder, alongside ten other Armenian national movement leaders, of the Armenian General Benevolent Union on April 15, 1905.He was the...
moved in 1921 to Paris, the diplomatic and political hub of the Armenian Question. AGBU chapters were set up in Paris, Lyon, Valence, Marseille and Nice.
The Armenian Social Aid Association, operating Armenian retirement homes, was founded before this period and is unique to France. National institutions, and first and foremost the Armenian Church of Paris founded in 1905, were very soon to co-exist in Paris, playing a fundamental role in defending and protecting the refugees.
France and the Armenian Genocide
France is one of the countries that has recognized the Armenian Genocide.Furthermore, in 2006, the French parliament submitted a bill to create a law that would punish any person denying the Armenian genocide with imprisonment up to 5 years and a fine of €45,000. Despite Turkish protests, the French National Assembly adopted a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. However, the bill was dropped in summer 2011 before coming to the Senate.
Renowned French Armenians
The various generation of Armenians coming to France or born in the country, provided many celebrities like the singer Charles AznavourCharles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
and the film director Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil
Henri Verneuil was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who enjoyed a successful career in France.-Biography:...
, both the sons of refugees, or later still, world Formula One driving champion Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
, whose mother was Armenian. Also, the composer Michel Legrand (mother Der Mikaelian), and the author, composer and reggae singer Charly B
Charly B
Charly B, born Charles Blanvillain in 1981, is a French reggae singer-songwriter who performs, and whose music is distributed, internationally.-Debut:...
, grand grand son of refugees.
Armenian refugees were also prominent in the arts, including Alice Sapritch, Grégoire Aslan and Jacques Helian.
Jean-Claude Kebabdjian is the founder and director of the Centre de Recherches sur la Diaspora Arménienne.
Press
- HaratchHaratchHaratch was an Armenian daily newspaper based in France. Haratch was founded in 1925 by Schavarch Missakian.It has been renowned in attracting high profile names in Armenian literature including Shahan Shahnour, Schavarch Nartouni, Zareh Vorpouni, Hrant Samvel, Hrant Zartarian, Nchan...
(Armenian: Յառաջ) was an Armenian daily newspaper based in France. Haratch was founded in 1925 by Schavarch Missakian and stopped publication in May 2009. A new independent publication named "Nor Haratch" started publishing on October 27, 2009 on the basis of 2 issues per week. - Nouvelles d'Arménie Magazine
- France-Arménie Magazine
Broadcasting
- AYP FM is a radio station operating in Paris and surrounding region (Ile-de-France).
- Radio Arménie is a radio station operating in Lyon and surrounding area.
- Radio Gayané is a radio station operating in France.
External links
- Co-ordination Council of Armenian Organisations of France (CCAF)
- FRA Dachnaksoutioun - France
- Nor Seround - Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) - France
- Armenian Youth in France (JAF)
- Armenian House of the Youth and the Culture - Marseille
- Armenian National Committee of France (ANC)
- The Armenian Heritage Center - Valence
- Research Association of the Armenian Memory - Marseille