Armenians in Sweden (; ) are Armenians immigrants and their descendants living in Sweden. The number of Armenians is estimated at 13,000.
[ՇՎԵԴԻԱՆ ԵՎ ՇՎԵԴԱՀԱՅԵՐԸՙ ՔՍԱՆ ՏԱՐԻ ԱՆՑ]
/ref> Recently Sweden is seeing some influx from Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
as well. Most Armenians in Sweden live in Stockholm, with a significant number in Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the c ...
.
History
According to the Swedish legend dating from the 10th century, a navigator by the name of Petrus was so enchanted by the beauty of an Armenian princess, that he travelled to Armenia and married her. Traces of the Armenian influence are seen in many Swedish literary works and research documents, especially in the Middle Ages.
Official Armenian presence in Sweden starts with the 18th century. A group of Armenians from Turkey accompanied Swedish King Karl XII to Sweden in 1714 and stayed on and integrated into the Swedish society over the years. Later on, many Armenians were employed by the Swedish Embassy in the Ottoman Turkey. Among those were Hagop Tchamichoglu (Tchamichian) who served in the Swedish Embassy in Constantinople in the early 18th century and Hovhannes Mouradgian who held a key position as interpreter at the same Embassy in the mid-18th century. Over the years, the Mouradgian family became closely associated with Swedish diplomatic life in the Ottoman Empire.
The senior Mouradgians son and grandson, Ignatius Mouradgea dOhsson and Abraham Constantin d'Ohsson, are well known by Swedish historians. Abraham Constantin Mouradgea d’Ohsson, served in the Swedish diplomatic corps and at various times was posted in Spain, Holland and Germany. He died in Berlin in 1851. Abraham completed his education at Uppsala University
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation.
The university rose to significance during ...
in Sweden, studying Swedish literature, history, mythology and culture. He worked closely with famous Swedish scientist John Berzelius and became an honorary member of the Scientific Union of Uppsala in recognition of his research in chemistry.
Jean Anastatsi, an Armenian merchant from Damascus, served as Swedish Consul General in Egypt from 1828 to 1857. Paul Serphino (Serafian) held a similarly important post at the Swedish Embassy in Constantinople.
The trend continued over many decades. Ohan Demirjian, the son of Stepan Bey Demirjian who served as the Foreign Minister of Egypt from 1844 to 1853 and was instrumental in the opening of the Suez Canal, established close ties with the Swedish royal family. Demirjian, who settled in Sweden and was granted citizenship in 1867, is well known in Swedish academic circles as the author of two books on the commercial relations and contacts between European countries of the era and the Orient. Demirjian also built a small chapel on the outskirts of Stockholm. The building still stands and architects familiar with Armenian church structures say its interior style, especially its arches and altar-like section, are very close to that seen in Armenian churches worldwide.
Community
Originally most Armenians came in the later half of the 20th century from countries like Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, Syria, and Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, however a number of its members migrated from Poland and are members of the Armenian Catholic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 260px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...
(see Catholic Church in Sweden
, native_name_lang = sv
, image = Katolska_Domkyrkan_Stockholm.JPG
, imagewidth = 150px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Eric, Stockholm
, abbreviation =
, type ...
). Recently Sweden is seeing some influx from Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
as well.
They were joined later on by a good number of Armenians from Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, following the same path as significant numbers of Iraqi Arabs, Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Assyrians who had chosen Sweden to escape political turmoil in Iraq to settle in the country.
There is also a wave of Armenian immigrants from Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
and Russia.
Armenians have set up their own traditional organizations, also forming "The Board of the Union of Armenian Associations" in Sweden. Homenetmen also operates in Sweden as a Scout union and is active in sports as well. So does the Armenian Relief Society
The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) ( hy, italic=yes, Հայ Օգնութեան Միութիւն, Հ.Օ.Մ. H.O.M.), is an independent, nonsectarian, philanthropic society serving the humanitarian, social and educational needs of Armenians and non ...
(HOM) of Sweden based in Stockholm.
Religion
Most Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
under the jurisdiction of the See of Holy Echmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
. There is the Armenian Apostolic Church Council and church in Botkyrka Municipality
Botkyrka Municipality ( ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the town of Tumba.
In 1971 ''Grödinge'' was merged with Botkyrka and in 1974 ''Salem'' was added. ...
.Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Sweden
/ref> There is also the Arevik Church Youth affiliate organization working alongside the church.
There is a smaller number belonging to the Armenian Catholic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 260px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...
(around 150 families). There are church services in Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the ...
and Trollhättan
Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is loc ...
as well.
Notable people
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. ...
* Armenia–Sweden relations
* Immigration to Sweden
Immigration to Sweden is the process by which people migrate to Sweden to reside in the country.
Many, but not all, become Swedish citizens. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused some controversy regarding e ...
References
External links
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Sweden
The Board of the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden
History of Armenian-Swedish relations
Armenians in Scandinavia, Sweden
Armenian Catholic Church in Sweden
Homenetmen Sweden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenians In Sweden
Sweden
Middle Eastern diaspora in Sweden
Ethnic groups in Sweden