San Lazzaro degli Armeni
Encyclopedia
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 Armenia
n culture.
, made it an ideal location for the quarantine station and leper colony founded there in the twelfth century, receiving its name from St. Lazarus, patron saint of lepers. Abandoned in the sixteenth century, in 1717 it was given by the ruling council of Venice to a group of Armenian monks. Mekhitar
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, which shut down in 1991, although an eighteenth-century printing press
may still be seen. S. Lazzaro 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 monastery and its gardens, noted for its peacocks, may be reached by vaporetto
(#20 from S. Zaccaria, near Piazza San Marco
). In the Summer of 2008 there is one guided tour a day, starting at 15.00, on arrival of the vaporetto that leaves S. Zaccaria at 14.45. Groups of visitors may ask a private tour with different schedule. Father Vrtanes and other fathers guide the tours in several different languages. It also has a long tradition of hospitality to scholars and students, among whom Lord Byron
, who studied Armenian there during much of the year 1816, is remembered by a permanent exhibition.
has a poem about the island:
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...
, northern 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...
, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by a 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, the island is 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.
Background
The islet's isolation, at some distance from the principal islands forming the actual city of 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...
, made it an ideal location for the quarantine station and leper colony founded there in the twelfth century, receiving its name from St. Lazarus, patron saint of lepers. Abandoned in the sixteenth century, in 1717 it was given by the ruling council of Venice to a group of Armenian monks. 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...
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, which shut down in 1991, although an eighteenth-century printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
may still be seen. S. Lazzaro 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 monastery and its gardens, noted for its peacocks, may be reached by vaporetto
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
(#20 from S. Zaccaria, near Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco , is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza". All other urban spaces in the city are called "campi"...
). In the Summer of 2008 there is one guided tour a day, starting at 15.00, on arrival of the vaporetto that leaves S. Zaccaria at 14.45. Groups of visitors may ask a private tour with different schedule. Father Vrtanes and other fathers guide the tours in several different languages. It also has a long tradition of hospitality to scholars and students, among whom Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
, who studied Armenian there during much of the year 1816, is remembered by a permanent exhibition.
In culture
Armenian poet Hovhannes ShirazHovhannes Shiraz
Hovhannes Shiraz was a notable Armenian poet.- Biography :He was born Hovhannes Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire . His first work called Beginning of Spring was published in 1935...
has a poem about the island:
| Armenian | English translation |
|---|---|
An Armenian Island in a foreign water, Old Armenian light is renewing with you... I know you are tired, it's been many centuries, For the motherland, outside of it. |
See also
- MekhitarMekhitarMekhitar 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...
- Armenians in ItalyArmenians in ItalyArmenians in Italy covers the Armenians who live in Italy. There are currently 2,500 Armenians in Italy mainly residing in Milan, Rome and Venice....
- Mekhitarist Alumni Association Toronto Canada. World Wide Members - http://www.mekhitariantoronto.org/
External links
- Mekhitarist Order
- San Lazzaro degli Armeni Monastery (photo essay)
- SlowTrav report on the island
- A Flickr photo set
- Mekhitarist Alumni Association Toronto Canada. World Wide Members - http://www.mekhitariantoronto.org/