This site highlights an ongoing project concerning the Armenian diaspora communities worldwide. It represents only a small percentage of the material that have been catalogued. For each country/region, there is a brief history, a map selected randomly, and 10 entries also selected randomly.
Quick background:
It is difficult to determine the specific beginning of the Armenian presence in Georgia. The earliest piece of Georgian literature written sometime in the late 5th century, is about the martyrdom of an Armenian princess; Shoushanik Mamikonian. Shoushanik, daughter of Commander Vardan, was killed by her spouse, a Georgian prince, who had renounced Christianity to ingratiate the Persian Emperor.
Armenians started to settle in Tbilisi/Tiflis in the 6th century, shortly after its foundation. As the capital of a neighboring country with similar culture and longer periods of political stability, Tbilisi continued to attract Armenian refugees for centuries. The first Armenian institutional presence dates back to 631 when a church called Saint George of the Fortress (in Armenian: Berd Surb Guevorg) was built. By the end of the 18th century Tbilisi was an Armenian city par excellence. Armenians accounted for three forth of the city’s population and much of its elite. During the 19th century, Tbilisi became the center of Armenian cultural and political revival in the East, complementing Constantinople/Istanbul in the West.
Elsewhere in Georgia, two regions have strong Armenian presence. One is the southern region of Javakheti/Javakhq that borders Armenia and where Armenians constitute the majority. The other one is the northern separatist province of Abkhazia where Armenians compose one fourth of the population. Armenians migrated in mass to these two regions from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and then again during the Genocide of 1915.
Map:
A map of Tbilisi, 1910, modified to highlight the three main Armenian-inhabited neighborhoods in the early 20th century: Havlabar/Avlabari in green, the Old Center in purple, and Sololak/Sololaki in yellow. All 27 Armenian Apostolic churches and a few secular institutions are also shown. To be noted that from 27 Armenian churches the Bolsheviks demolished 12 in the 1930s and left some 5 to natural decay and erosion. From the remaining 10, the independent Georgian authorities (post 1991) restored and transferred 8 to the Georgian Orthodox Church, leaving only 2 for the Armenian community.
1.
The teaching staff of Nersisian School, date and photographer unknown. Sitting in the first row, third from the left: writer Ghazaros Aghayan. The iconic school was a major center of education and cultural revival for one hundred years (1824-1924). Despite formally being a seminary, it was a bastion of modern eastern Armenian literary language and a champion of modern education. The school alumni were people of different views and professions: leftist, nationalists, communists, writers, architects and scientists. The future founders of Tbilisi Armenian Drama Theater also studied here and the first performances were staged at the Seminary.
2.
Portrait of Shoushanik Nadirian, circa 1845, Hakob Hovnatanian, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan (44 cm x 55 cm). H. Hovnatanian (1806-1881) was a member of the Hovnatanian dynasty of Armenian-Georgian miniaturists comprising 5 generations and 7 artists (17th-19th centuries). A 5th generation Hovnatanian, he is certainly the best known member of the dynasty thanks to his portraits of Tbilisi elite: Armenian, Georgian and Russian noblemen and women, clergymen and military officers whom he painted 1830-65. In his advanced years, he worked at the Court of Persia. He combined western art of portraiture with eastern art of miniature, and placed great emphasis on facial expressions and dress accessories.
3.
The family coat of arms of Argutinsky-Dolgoruky (Russified of Arghoutian Yerkayinabazuk). In the Tsarist period, the members of Tbilisi’s city council, including the mayors, were mostly from the Armenian elite; businessmen, lawyers, members of nobility and so on. Arghoutian Yerkayinabazuk (meaning long-arm in Armenian), an Armenian noble family in the Kingdom of Georgia since at least the 12th century, produced two mayors: Nikoghayos (3 times: 1891-1893, 1895-1896 and 1903-1904) and Alexander (1902). In fact, Alexander could not take office because his election was not “validated” by imperial authorities.
4.
Countess Mariam Toumanian, date and photographer unknown. M. Toumanian / Tumanova (1870-1947) was a patroness of art and a social activist. Starting in 1891, she organized the Literary Thursdays at her house in Tbilisi. She also used to spot young talent, support them in their work, and put them in touch with publishers and promoters. In the 19th century, Tbilisi became the center of Armenian cultural revival in the East, complementing Constantinople/Istanbul in the West. Many schools and theaters were opened; literary circles such as Literary Thursdays were formed; and various publications and associations were launched.
5.
The remnants of Surb Nishan Church in the village of Kvakhvreli, near Gori, Shida Kartli province. It was the seat of the Gori Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church 1660-1923. The unique cave complex includes a church deep in the rock, corridors decorated with medieval Armenian cross stones and a bell tower on the top of the cave entrance. The Armenian community of Gori and its surrounding villages, including Kvakhvreli, gradually assimilated over the centuries.
6.
Mantashev Trading Rows (now: Shardin Street) in the Old Town, Central Tbilisi. They were designed by Lazar Sarkisov (Ghazaros Sarguisian) and built in 1903. Alexander Mantashev/Mantashiants was a merchant of first guild, an influential oil magnate and a banker. Exceptionally, the Soviet authorities did not erase his name from the building façade. The architect Sarkisov/Sarguisian worked for Mantashev on several other projects. Like some other Tbilisi-based architects of the early 20th century, he was a champion of the art nouveau style.
7.
The Vardaton festival, 2017. The Feast of Roses (in Armenian: Vardaton) refers to an annual music festival that takes place on the last Sunday of May in Tbilisi to celebrate Sayat Nova’s legacy. Sayat-Nova (1712-1795) is considered the greatest Armenian troubadour of all times. He wrote hundreds of lyrics in Armenian, Georgian, Caucasian Turkish and some mixed-language (Armenian and Turkish) ones. He was the court minstrel under King Heraclius II of Georgia. The Vardaton festival was instituted by writer Hovhannes Toumanian, painter Guevorg Bashinjaghian and Georgian poet Joseph Grishashvili more than 100 years ago.
8.
Armenian fruit seller ("kinto" peddler) from Tbilisi, circa 1900, photographer unknown, National Library of the Netherlands, The Hague. A popular character in the Armenian-Georgian communities and particularly in the Tbilisi-based community, the kinto was a street dweller who sold fruit, wine, fish or nothing at all. A kinto who did not sell anything spent his time entertaining people in taverns by telling jokes and stories. The phenomena emerged in the 19th century and lasted until the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921. The kinto phenomenon was common among the Georgians too. The Georgian Kintouri dance is based on this character, and portrays him as cunning, swift, and informal. The kinto has also been portrayed in figurative art by Georgian artists such as Pirosmani.
9.
The traditional celebration of Epiphany on the 6th of January in the village of Heshtia (Javakheti/Javakhq province). Heshtia is an Armenian Catholic village founded in 1830. The celebration starts with the blessing of water. Then the priest drops a big wooden cross into the pond and several divers dip into the icy water to find and take it out. The day-long festival is mostly comprised of less challenging activities such as singing and dancing, and eating barbecue.
10.
The Armenian "gata" (pastry) festival in Batumi, 2017, photographer unknown. That year, more than 40 versions of gata were presented to the jury and to the guests. Batumi, the capital city of Ajaria province, has a small but old Armenian community.
