Armenians in Italy
Encyclopedia
Armenians in Italy covers the Armenians who live in Italy
. There are currently 2,500 Armenians in Italy
mainly residing in Milan
, Rome
and Venice
.
Besides the general population, there are monastic communities on the island of San Lazzaro (Venice
) and at the Moorat-Raphael College of Venice as well as Armenian clergy at the Holy See
(Vatican).
Later, in the 9th-10th centuries, a great number of Armenians moved to Italy from Thrace
and Macedonia. They were the descendants of Paulicians chased from Armenia by emperor Constantin.
As to Armenian communities, they were formed in Italy in the 12th-13th centuries, when active trade was going on between Cilician Armenia
and Italian big city-republics as Genoa
, Venice
and Pisa
. Under Cilician Armenian king Levon II (1187–1219) (also known as King Leo II of Armenia), treaties were signed between the two parties, according to which Italian merchants had the right to open factories and to develop industrial activities in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
and Armenian merchants could do the same in Italian towns. These treaties were periodically renewed, as long as the Cilician Armenian Kingdom existed. In the 13th century the number of Armenians in Italy increased because of the new wave of emigrants after the invasion of Tatars
and Mongols
.
Beginning with the 15th-16th centuries the process of catholicizing Armenians was strengthened in Italy which greatly contributed to their assimilation with Italian people. Nevertheless, some Armenian organizations continued to function with the aim to preserve national identity. As a result first Armenian books were printed in Venice.
Besides, in the beginning of the 18th century the Armenian Congregation of the Mechitarists
, was founded in Venice, on the St. Lazzaro Island (San Lazzaro degli Armeni
). It exists up till now with its monastery, library, manuscripts depository and publishing house, and is considered as a centre of Armenian culture in Italy.
There is also the reputable Moorat-Raphael College in Venice
for general education with student body from Armenians from many countries and Collegio Armeno (The Pontifical Armenian College) in Rome
for preparation of clergy in the Armenian Catholic Church
.
The Monastic Headquarters of the Mekhitarist Order is on the island of St. Lazarus in Venice
(San Lazzaro Monastero Armeno in Italian
). It is located on San Lazzaro degli Armeni
, (Armenian
: "Սուրբ Ղազարոս Կղզի", English
: Saint Lazarus Island), a small island in the Venetian Lagoon
, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by an Armenian Catholic monastery
that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order. It is considered as one of the world's foremost centers of Armenia
n culture.
The beginnings of the island's Armenian history started when Mekhitar
da Pietro and his seventeen monks built a monastery, restored the old church, and enlarged the island to its present 30,000 square metres, about four times its original area.
Its founder's temperament and natural gifts for scholarly pursuits immediately set the Mekhitarist Order in the forefront of Oriental studies: the monastery published Armenian historical, philological and literary works and related material, renowned for their scholarship and accuracy as well as for the beauty of the editions, on its own multilingual presses.
The island also houses a 150,000-volume library, as well as a museum with over 4,000 Armenian manuscripts and many Arab
, India
n and Egyptian
artifacts collected by the monks or received as gifts.
The Mekhitarist Order also publishes the longest-running Armenian periodical, the academic "Pazmaveb".
Finally, in 1885, thanks to the generosity of some wealthy Armenians and of Leo XIII, the Collegio Armeno (The Pontifical Armenian College) was granted the Church of S. Nicola da Tolentino in the street of that name and the original wishes and decree of Gregory XIII relaized after so many years.
The president of Collegio Armeno is an Armenian prelate; the students numbering from 20 to 25 study and attend lectures at the Collegio Urbano of the Propaganda, and wear red sashes and large-sleeved Oriental cloaks.
that was named Murat-Raphael College (Collegio Armeno Moorat Raphael) in honour of the donors.
The property housing the college was the Palazzo Ca'Zenobio, built in prestigious Baroque style in 1690, and a subtle example of Venetian art and life in the 17th century, as testified by the beautiful Sala degli Specchi and Sala degli Stucchi. The college also maintained high academic level of education, reputable teaching staff, both clergy and laity, and the college had beautiful gardens. Moorat Raphael College has been closed recently, and the location serves as a motel, but occasionally art exhibitions, summer schools and workshops are organized to keep the special artistic atmosphere of the college.
of the Armenian Catholic Church
. He served as Patriarch Catholicos of Cilicia for Armenian Catholics from 1937 to 1962, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
(Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) in the Roman Curia
from 1958 to 1970. Agagianian was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1946 by Pope Pius XII
.
Cardinal Agagianian was born in Akhaltsikhe
(in modern Georgia
), he studied at the seminary
in Tbilisi
and the Pontifical Urbaniana University
in Rome
. He was ordained as a priest on December 23, 1917. He entered the teaching Faculty of the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome
in 1921; he became later the Rector
of the same college from 1932 to 1937. Appointed Titular Bishop
of Comana on July 11, 1935, he was elected Patriarch Catholicos of Cilicia of All Armenians by the Armenian Catholic Synod, on November 30, 1937, with the name of Gregory Peter XV. On February 18, 1946 he was elevated to the College of Cardinals
by Pope Pius XII
.
During the 1958 papal conclave
, following the death of Pius XII, Agagianian received a large number of votes, eventually approaching the majority needed for election. This was confirmed by the elected pope himself, Pope John XXIII
. The newly-elected pope John XXIII appointed Cardinal
Agagianian to be a member of the leading body of the Second Vatican Council
together with Cardinals Leo Joseph Suenens
, Julius Döpfner
and Giacomo Lercaro
. Aghajanian was Pro-Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith from 1958 and full Prefect
from July 18, 1960 to October 19, 1970. He died in Rome on May 16, 1971.
(known as Treccani) holds to be "one of the most eminent men in the history of medicine". Baglivi was the name of a doctor of Lecce who adopted him as an orphan of a Julfa
family. Other famous Italians of Armenian origin are the Venetian engineer Anton Sourian, the Venetian abbot and author Zaccaria Seriman, the poetess Vittoria Aganoor
and the chemist Giacomo Luigi Ciamician
.
In spite of their small numbers, the Armenians in Italy have achieved notable successes in the country's cultural life. For example, often mentioned are the book and film critic Glauco Viazzi (Jusik Achrafian, 1921–1981), the art critic Eduardo Arslan (Yetwart, 1899–1968), the musician Angelo Eferkian (1910–1982), the Arslan family of ear, nose, and throat specialists in Padua
and Genoa
, and Alessandro Megighian (1928–1981), former president of the European Academy of Gnathology
. The first three were commemorated in a praiseworthy initiative from 1982 to 1984 in Venice, under the general title "Armenians in Italian culture."
A recently known famous Italian with Armenian ancestry is the showman Paolo Kessisoglu (1969), whose grandfather, born Keshishian, moved from Anatolia to Genoa
at the beginning of 20th century fearing aggressions in Turkey (though having already changed his surname to a more Turkish version).
Gevorg Petrosyan is a famous Armenian kickboxer and muay thai fighter living in Italy and fighting out of Satori Gladiatorium in Gorizia, Italy.
was floored as a bill in the Italian Parliament that went on to recognize the Armenian Genocide. A memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide
was inaugurated in 2006 in the center of Rome.
, Italy has a number of very important churches and religious establishments.
Also operating are the Levonian Monastery and the Armenian Immaculate Conception Order.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. There are currently 2,500 Armenians in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
mainly residing in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Besides the general population, there are monastic communities on the island of San Lazzaro (Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
) and at the Moorat-Raphael College of Venice as well as Armenian clergy at the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
(Vatican).
History
The oldest information about Armenians living in Italy goes back to the 6th-8th centuries.Later, in the 9th-10th centuries, a great number of Armenians moved to Italy from Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and Macedonia. They were the descendants of Paulicians chased from Armenia by emperor Constantin.
As to Armenian communities, they were formed in Italy in the 12th-13th centuries, when active trade was going on between Cilician Armenia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
and Italian big city-republics as Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
. Under Cilician Armenian king Levon II (1187–1219) (also known as King Leo II of Armenia), treaties were signed between the two parties, according to which Italian merchants had the right to open factories and to develop industrial activities in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
and Armenian merchants could do the same in Italian towns. These treaties were periodically renewed, as long as the Cilician Armenian Kingdom existed. In the 13th century the number of Armenians in Italy increased because of the new wave of emigrants after the invasion of Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
and Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
.
Beginning with the 15th-16th centuries the process of catholicizing Armenians was strengthened in Italy which greatly contributed to their assimilation with Italian people. Nevertheless, some Armenian organizations continued to function with the aim to preserve national identity. As a result first Armenian books were printed in Venice.
Besides, in the beginning of the 18th century the Armenian Congregation of the Mechitarists
Mechitarists
The Mechitarists , are a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian Catholic Church founded in 1712 by Abbot Mechitar of Sebastia. They are best known for their series of scholarly publications of ancient Armenian versions of otherwise lost ancient Greek texts.-History:Their eponymous...
, was founded in Venice, on the St. Lazzaro Island (San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by a monastery that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order, the island is one of the world's foremost centers of Armenian culture.- Background :The...
). It exists up till now with its monastery, library, manuscripts depository and publishing house, and is considered as a centre of Armenian culture in Italy.
There is also the reputable Moorat-Raphael College in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
for general education with student body from Armenians from many countries and Collegio Armeno (The Pontifical Armenian College) in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
for preparation of clergy in 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...
.
San Lazzaro Island
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
(San Lazzaro Monastero Armeno in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
). It is located on San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by a monastery that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order, the island is one of the world's foremost centers of Armenian culture.- Background :The...
, (Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
: "Սուրբ Ղազարոս Կղզի", English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Saint Lazarus Island), a small island in the Venetian Lagoon
Venetian Lagoon
The Venetian Lagoon is the enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Venetian language, Laguna Veneta— cognate of Latin lacus, "lake"— has provided the international name for an enclosed, shallow embayment of saltwater, a lagoon.The Venetian Lagoon...
, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by an Armenian Catholic monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order. It is considered as one of the world's foremost centers of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n culture.
The beginnings of the island's Armenian history started when Mekhitar
Mekhitar
Mekhitar da Pietro, known as Abbot Mekhitar, also spelled Mkhitar, born Petros Manuk was an Armenian Catholic monk and a prominent scholar and theologian who founded what would become the Mekhitarist...
da Pietro and his seventeen monks built a monastery, restored the old church, and enlarged the island to its present 30,000 square metres, about four times its original area.
Its founder's temperament and natural gifts for scholarly pursuits immediately set the Mekhitarist Order in the forefront of Oriental studies: the monastery published Armenian historical, philological and literary works and related material, renowned for their scholarship and accuracy as well as for the beauty of the editions, on its own multilingual presses.
The island also houses a 150,000-volume library, as well as a museum with over 4,000 Armenian manuscripts and many Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
artifacts collected by the monks or received as gifts.
The Mekhitarist Order also publishes the longest-running Armenian periodical, the academic "Pazmaveb".
Collegio Armeno in Rome
Gregory XIII in 1584 had decreed the erection of a college for the Armenians (Bull "Romana Ecclesia"), but the plan fell through. When the Collegio Urbano of the Propaganda was founded later, there were always some places for Armenian students to study.Finally, in 1885, thanks to the generosity of some wealthy Armenians and of Leo XIII, the Collegio Armeno (The Pontifical Armenian College) was granted the Church of S. Nicola da Tolentino in the street of that name and the original wishes and decree of Gregory XIII relaized after so many years.
The president of Collegio Armeno is an Armenian prelate; the students numbering from 20 to 25 study and attend lectures at the Collegio Urbano of the Propaganda, and wear red sashes and large-sleeved Oriental cloaks.
Moorat Raphael College in Venice
Two wealthy Armenians from India, namely Mkertich Murat and Edward Raphael made donations to establish an Armenian college in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
that was named Murat-Raphael College (Collegio Armeno Moorat Raphael) in honour of the donors.
The property housing the college was the Palazzo Ca'Zenobio, built in prestigious Baroque style in 1690, and a subtle example of Venetian art and life in the 17th century, as testified by the beautiful Sala degli Specchi and Sala degli Stucchi. The college also maintained high academic level of education, reputable teaching staff, both clergy and laity, and the college had beautiful gardens. Moorat Raphael College has been closed recently, and the location serves as a motel, but occasionally art exhibitions, summer schools and workshops are organized to keep the special artistic atmosphere of the college.
Cardinal Krikor Bedros Aghajanian and the Vatican
The Georgian-born Cardinal Grégoire-Pierre Agagianian (Krikor Bedros Aghajanian (September 18, 1895—May 16, 1971) was a leading prelatePrelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of 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...
. He served as Patriarch Catholicos of Cilicia for Armenian Catholics from 1937 to 1962, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
(Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) in the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
from 1958 to 1970. Agagianian was elevated to the cardinalate
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1946 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
.
Cardinal Agagianian was born in Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History...
(in modern Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
), he studied at the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
and the Pontifical Urbaniana University
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He was ordained as a priest on December 23, 1917. He entered the teaching Faculty of the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1921; he became later the Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the same college from 1932 to 1937. Appointed Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Comana on July 11, 1935, he was elected Patriarch Catholicos of Cilicia of All Armenians by the Armenian Catholic Synod, on November 30, 1937, with the name of Gregory Peter XV. On February 18, 1946 he was elevated to the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
.
During the 1958 papal conclave
Papal conclave, 1958
The Papal conclave of 1958 occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958 in Castel Gandolfo, after a 19-year pontificate. The conclave to elect his successor commenced on 25 October and ended three days later, on 28 October, after eleven ballots. The cardinal electors chose Angelo...
, following the death of Pius XII, Agagianian received a large number of votes, eventually approaching the majority needed for election. This was confirmed by the elected pope himself, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
. The newly-elected pope John XXIII appointed Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Agagianian to be a member of the leading body of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
together with Cardinals Leo Joseph Suenens
Leo Joseph Suenens
Leo Jozef Suenens was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel from 1961 to 1979, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1962....
, Julius Döpfner
Julius Döpfner
Julius August Döpfner was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1961 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.-Early life and ordination:...
and Giacomo Lercaro
Giacomo Lercaro
Giacomo Lercaro was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Ravenna from 1947 to 1952, and Archbishop of Bologna from 1952 to 1968. Lercaro was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.-Early life and ordination:Giacomo Lercaro was born in Quinto al...
. Aghajanian was Pro-Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith from 1958 and full Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
from July 18, 1960 to October 19, 1970. He died in Rome on May 16, 1971.
Famous Italians of Armenian Origin
Among the most famous Armenian names in Italy in earlier centuries was Gjuro Baglivi (Giorgio Baglivi), whom the Enciclopedia ItalianaEnciclopedia Italiana
The Enciclopedia Italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti , is an Italian encyclopedia, generally regarded as the most authoritative of that language...
(known as Treccani) holds to be "one of the most eminent men in the history of medicine". Baglivi was the name of a doctor of Lecce who adopted him as an orphan of a Julfa
Julfa
Julfa or Culfa may refer to:*Jolfa, a city in the East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*Jolfa County, an administrative subdivision of East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*New Julfa, an Armenian quarter in Isfahan, Iran...
family. Other famous Italians of Armenian origin are the Venetian engineer Anton Sourian, the Venetian abbot and author Zaccaria Seriman, the poetess Vittoria Aganoor
Vittoria Aganoor
Vittoria Aganoor was an Italian poet with Armenian ancestry.She was the 7th child of Edoardo Aganoor and Giuseppina Pacini, lots of Italian celebrities, such as Andrea Maffei or Antonio Fogazzaro, visited their home when she was a child.In 1876 she went living to Naples, where she met Enrico...
and the chemist Giacomo Luigi Ciamician
Giacomo Luigi Ciamician
Giacomo Luigi Ciamician was an Italian photochemist of Armenian descent.-Biography:He was born on August 27, 1857 in Trieste, Italy .He was a nine-time Nobel prize nominee and an Italian senator...
.
In spite of their small numbers, the Armenians in Italy have achieved notable successes in the country's cultural life. For example, often mentioned are the book and film critic Glauco Viazzi (Jusik Achrafian, 1921–1981), the art critic Eduardo Arslan (Yetwart, 1899–1968), the musician Angelo Eferkian (1910–1982), the Arslan family of ear, nose, and throat specialists in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
and Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, and Alessandro Megighian (1928–1981), former president of the European Academy of Gnathology
Gnathology
Gnathology is the study of masticatory system, including its physiology, functional disturbances, and treatment. Because it is not part of dental school training, most is learned by participating in 'study clubs" with mentors with much experience...
. The first three were commemorated in a praiseworthy initiative from 1982 to 1984 in Venice, under the general title "Armenians in Italian culture."
A recently known famous Italian with Armenian ancestry is the showman Paolo Kessisoglu (1969), whose grandfather, born Keshishian, moved from Anatolia to Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
at the beginning of 20th century fearing aggressions in Turkey (though having already changed his surname to a more Turkish version).
Gevorg Petrosyan is a famous Armenian kickboxer and muay thai fighter living in Italy and fighting out of Satori Gladiatorium in Gorizia, Italy.
Community
In 2000, the issue of Recognition of the Armenian GenocideRecognition of the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide recognition refers to the formal acceptance that the massacre and forced deportation of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923 constitute genocide...
was floored as a bill in the Italian Parliament that went on to recognize the Armenian Genocide. A memorial dedicated to the victims of 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...
was inaugurated in 2006 in the center of Rome.
Religion
Besides the San Lazzaro degli ArmeniSan Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by a monastery that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order, the island is one of the world's foremost centers of Armenian culture.- Background :The...
, Italy has a number of very important churches and religious establishments.
- St. Gregory Church (Rome)
- Holy Cross Armenian Church (on Calle Degli)
- St. Blaise (Surp Vlas) Armenian Catholic Church (Rome)
- San Nicola de Tolentino Armenian Catholic Church (Rome)
- Armenian Apostolic Church of the Forty Martyrs (Milano)
Also operating are the Levonian Monastery and the Armenian Immaculate Conception Order.