![Armenian Church of Thessaloniki (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Armenian_Church_of_Thessaloniki_%282%29.jpg)
The Armenians in Greece ( el, Αρμένιοι, ''Arménioi'') are
Greek citizens of
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
descent. The Armenian presence in Greece began centuries ago when Armenians, for various reasons, settled in the wider area of
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
,
Macedonia (
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
) and
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...
. Traces of Armenians can also be found on the Greek islands of
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
and
Kerkyra
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The is ...
(Corfu). The Armenians in Greece however, acquired the character of a community after the 1920s, when 70,000 to 80,000 survivors of the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
fled to Greece from
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...
,
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
,
Ionia
Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionian ...
,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
and other regions of
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, scattering all over Greece.
Today, immigration to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
has diminished the Armenian population of Greece. The number now counts for roughly 20,000–35,000 Armenians.
Early settlement
The presence of Armenians in Greece dates back to the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
era, when Armenians settled in Thessalia, Macedonia, Thrace and the islands of Crete and
Kerkyra
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The is ...
for various reasons such as war and business. Many
Byzantine emperors were also of Armenian origin (such as
Artabasdos) etc.
Additional proof of their presence in Greece can be found in several historical testimonies, the genealogical history of certain old Armenian families and the names of some towns or villages that have Armenian names, such as an old village of
Thessalia that was named Armenos, a village between the cities of
Larissa
Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...
and
Volos that is called
Armenio
Armenio ( el, Αρμένιο) is a village and a former municipality in the Larissa regional unit, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kileler
Kileler ( el, Κιλελέρ, between 1919 and 1985 ...
and other settlements in various places of
mainland Greece,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
and islands.
19th century
A Munich newspaper quoted about 87.000 Armenians "mostly in Greece" in year 1823.
In 1890, there was a small community of Armenians in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and in
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
of about 150 people which turned into 600 after the incorporation of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
(1912) and some cities of Macedonia after the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
.
During the
Hamidian massacres
The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. Estimated casualties ranged from 100,000 to 300,000, Akçam, Taner (2006) '' A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide an ...
, Armenians that managed to escape and who were saved from the slaughters were given shelter at the harbour of
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
. More than 1,000 Armenians enjoyed the hospitality of the Greeks. At that time the
Prime Minister of Greece
The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ ...
,
Theodoros Deligiannis
Theodoros Deligiannis () was a Greek politician, minister and member of the Greek Parliament, who served as Prime Minister of Greece five times from 1885 to 1905.
He led the Nationalist Party, which, alongside the New Party led by his prima ...
, showed fatherly affection to them.
Early 20th century
After the genocidal campaign of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
against the Armenians and Greeks, Greece welcomed a large influx of refugees consisting of about 80,000 Armenians and 1,500,000 Greeks into its country. The refugees mostly came from Cilicia, Smyrna, Ionia, Constantinople and other regions of Asia Minor. The Greco-Armenians were very active in art and commerce producing painters like Edouard Sakayan.
Post 1991 Independence of Armenia
![Détail cimetière arménien 00085](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/D%C3%A9tail_cimeti%C3%A8re_arm%C3%A9nien_00085.JPG)
Armenia gained independence from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1991. It had faced enormous problems by the
1988 Spitak earthquake
The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurre ...
and, soon after its nationhood, got involved in the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
. This constituted a new challenge for the Armenians in Greece (just like for the entire
Armenian Diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
). They tried to be of help to their country when the devastating earthquake struck the northern part of their country, then with the conflict for Nagorno-Karabakh, followed by major economic and living problems such as hunger and energy thirst caused by the embargo imposed on Armenia by
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. The provisional also accommodation and the caring of some hundreds of refugees that resorted to Greece were covered up to one degree by the Armenian community.
As of 2007, the number of Armenians in Greece is estimated at approximately 20,000–35,000, living mainly in Attica (Athens, Piraeus and the suburbs) and in smaller communities in Thessaloniki, Kavala, Komotini, Xanthi, Alexandroupolis, Didimoticho, Orestiada and Crete. The majority of Greco-Armenians are
Armenian Apostolic Christians
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
, with the rest being
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
. There are a number of Armenian institutions in Greece, among them being:
* Two kindergarten and elementary schools and a three-class high school, in Athens and Piraeus with almost 350 pupils, which belong to the Armenian Blue Cross.
* A kindergarten and an elementary school of almost 60 pupils, in Palio Faliro, that belongs to the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (A.G.B.U.).
* Two single day elementary schools are founded by the Armenian Blue Cross, in Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis, with 50 and 70 pupils accordingly.
* The ''Armenian Community Cultural Center'' in Thessaloniki.
* ''Armeniki'', an amateur soccer club in Athens.
Armenians also have two newspapers: the over fifty years old daily ''
Azat Or'' (Free Day), which has the largest circulation all over Greece and the weekly ''
Nor Ashkharh
''Nor Ashkharh'' (Նոր Աշխարհ in Armenian meaning New World) is a Greek-Armenian bilingual newspaper established in Athens, Greece. It is the official political organ of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar party) in Greece.
'' ...
'' (New World); The magazine ''Αρμενικά'' (''Armenian'') is published every two months in Athens. The community's main political representative is the
Armenian National Committee of Greece. Its headquarters are in Athens with branches all over Greece. It expresses the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation's (Dashnaktsutiun) political perspective. The organization Homenetmen is also active in Greece, organizing sporting and Scouting events for Armenians in the country.
See also
*
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
*
List of Greek Armenians
*
Armenian-Greek relations
*
Greeks in Armenia
The Greeks in Armenia, like the other groups of Caucasus Greeks such as the Greeks in Georgia, are mainly descendants of the Pontic Greeks, who originally lived along the shores of the Black Sea, in the uplands of the Pontic Alps, and other parts ...
*
Armenians in Cyprus
Armenians in Cyprus or Armenian-Cypriots ( hy, Կիպրահայեր, el, Αρμένιοι της Κύπρου, tr, Kıbrıs Ermenileri) are ethnic Armenians who live in Cyprus. They are a recognized minority with their own language, schools a ...
References
External links
Azat Or Armenian newspaper in GreeceSt. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church in Athens
{{Ethnic groups in Greece
Ethnic groups in Greece
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
Middle Eastern diaspora in Greece
Armenia–Greece relations
Oriental Orthodoxy in Greece