Armenians in France ( hy, ֆրանսահայեր, translit=Fransahayer; french: Arméniens de France) are

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

ancestry. The French Armenian community is, by far, the largest in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and the third largest in the world, after

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Although the first Armenians settled in France in the Middle Ages, like most of the

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. ...

, the Armenian community in France was established by 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 ...

of 1915. Others came through the second half of the 20th century, fleeing political and economic instability in the Middle Eastern countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iran) and, more recently, 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 ''Ox ...

History

Early history

Armenians have a long history of settlement in France. The first Armenians appeared in

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. In 591
an Armenian bishop
named Simon is recorded to have met

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...

in the city of

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

Among other churches
the 9th century church of

Germigny-des-Prés Germigny-des-Prés () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The Oratory The oratory at Germigny-des-Prés (Loiret, Orléanais) was built by Bishop Theodulf of Orléans in 806 as part of his palace complex within the Gal ...

—built by

Odo of Metz Eudes (also Oto, Odo, Odon) of Metz (742–814) was an architect who lived during Charlemagne's reign in the Carolingian Empire, and is the earliest known architect born north of the Alps. He was of Armenian origin. Style His Carolingian archi ...

(possibly an Armenian)—is said by architecture historians to have an Armenian influence. The thirty-six letters of the

Armenian alphabet The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian language, Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and wikt:ecclesiastical, ecclesiast ...

found in a Latin inscription at the St. Martha Church in

Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tarasc ...

show that Armenians lived there before the 13th century, when the last three characters of the Armenian alphabet were added. Avignon-Jean-Althen-statue-5608

The contacts between Armenians and the French became frequent during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

. The

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

, located on the north-eastern shore of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, became of strategic importance to the crusaders en route to Palestine. Armenian kings

Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama (''asadora''), which originally aired on NHK from 4 April 1983 to 31 March 1984; it is the 31st ''asadora'' overall to be produced. The 297 15-minute episodes follow the life of during the Mei ...

and Leo IV are known to have given special trading privileges for the French. In the 14th century, the

Hethumids The Hethumids ( hy, Հեթումյաններ Hethumian) (also spelled Hetoumids or Het'umids), also known as the House of Lampron (after Lampron castle), were an Armenian dynasty and the rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1341 ...

were unable to retain power in Cilician Armenia and following the assassination of Leo IV in 1341, his

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

cousin became King of Armenia as Constantine II. The Lusignan kings were of French origin and ruled the country until 1375 when the last king, Leo V, was captured by the Mamluks and taken to Egypt. He was later released and transferred to France where he died in 1393 and was buried at the

Basilica of St Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

, the burial place of the French monarchs. Since the 15th century, Armenians began migrating to France in small numbers. An Armenian inscription from this period survives on the

Bourges Cathedral Bourges Cathedral (French language, French: ''Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges'') is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in Bourges, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bou ...

. In 1672, an Armenian named Pascal (Harut'iwn) opened the first

coffee house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non- ...

in Paris. From 1672 to 1686,

Voskan Yerevantsi Voskan Yerevantsi (1614–1674; hy, Ոսկան Երեւանցի) was one of the first Armenian book publishers during the years 1640–1666. He published the Bible in Amsterdam on October 13, 1668, which is believed to be one of the best samples ...

operated a publishing house in Marseille. With the liberalization of the economy, the number of Armenians in France increased and reach 300–400 by 1680.

Jean Althen Jean-Baptiste Joannis Althen, better simply known as Jean Althen (Hovhannès Althounian; 1709–1774), was an Armenian agronomist from Safavid Iran who developed the cultivation of madder in France. Although the plant had been present in the reg ...

(Hovhannès Althounian), a Persian-Armenian agronomist from Nakhchivan, is known to have introduced

madder ''Rubia'' is the type genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants, which also contains coffee. It contains around 80 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and subshrubs native to the Old World. The genus and its best-known spe ...

to southern France in the 1750s. A statue of him was erected in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

expressing the city's gratefulness to him. During his campaign in Egypt,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was presented an Armenian

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

named

Roustam Raza Roustam Raza (arm Ռուստամ Ռուզա) (Georgian: როსტომ რაზმაძე, Rostom Razmadze) (1783 – 7 December 1845), also known as Roustan or Rustam, was a mamluk bodyguard and secondary valet of Napoleon. Early life R ...

. He became Napoleon's bodyguard and served him until 1814. Papier d'Armenie 1522

In the 19th century, many young Armenian males (among them poet and political activist

Nahapet Rusinian Nahabed Rusinian ( hy, Նահապետ Ռուսինեան, tr, Nahabet Rusinyan, french: Roussignan, 1819–1876) was a prominent Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Armenian poet, publicist, physician, orator, writer, political activist, tra ...

and architect

Nigoğayos Balyan The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dyna ...

) moved to France for education.

Papier d'Arménie Armenian paper is a type of incense that has been produced for centuries. The paper is infused with essences, fragrances or essential oils in order to achieve a perfuming or cleansing effect. Examples of Armenian paper include Papier d'Armén ...

("Armenian Paper"), a popular deodorising paper, was created in the late 1880s by Auguste Ponsot. He visited

Turkish Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

and found out that the Armenians use

benzoin resin Benzoin or benjamin (corrupted pronunciation) is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus ''Styrax''. It is used in perfumes and some kinds of incense and as a flavoring and medicine (see tincture of benz ...

and

plant sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...

to disinfect their homes and churches. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, thousands of Armenians escaped persecution in their ancestral homeland that was part 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) ...

at the time. Events like 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 ...

and the Adana massacre gave rise to greater Armenian emigration. By the eve of the First World War, around 4,000 Armenians lived in France.

World War I and the Armenian genocide

By the 1916 French–Armenian Agreement, the

French Armenian Legion The Armenian Legion (french: Légion arménienne) was a volunteer unit that was raised by the Allied Powers to serve in the Middle East Theatre during World War I. Trained and led by French army commanders, the Légion d'Orient (The Eastern Le ...

was formed out of Armenians from around the world, including many French Armenians, by negotiations between

Boghos Nubar Boghos Nubar ( hyw, Պօղոս Նուպար), also known as Boghos Nubar Pasha () (2 August 1851 – 25 June 1930), was a chairman of the Armenian National Delegation, and the founder, alongside ten other Armenian national movement leaders, of th ...

and French political and military authorities. The Legion took part in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the

Franco-Turkish War The Franco–Turkish War, known as the Cilicia Campaign (french: La campagne de Cilicie) in France and as the Southern Front ( tr, Güney Cephesi) of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey, was a series of conflicts fought between France (the ...

. As a result of the Allied victory in the First World War, tens of thousands of survivors of the

found themselves living in the French-occupied part of the

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 ...

, and far more in the French Mandate territories of Syria and Lebanon, as the

death camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...

Deir ez-Zor , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_title = Religions , population_blank2 = ...

were in Syria. In 1920, the French army under General Henri Gouraud ordered the French Armenian Legion to lay down their weapons and that the Armenian refugees should leave at once. He had formed a "peaceful, reconstructive policy" with the

Turkish nationalists Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

to pull French troops out of Cilicia, but all that ended up doing was allowing attacks against Armenian civilians to resume. Most Cilician Armenian fled alongside the French and were resettled in refugee camps in Alexandretta,

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...

(e.g. Anjar) and

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. From there, entire families took the opportunity to flee to France. The influx of the

Armenian genocide survivors Armenian genocide survivors are Western Armenians who were not killed in the genocide of 1915. Most of the survivors became refugees outside Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire. Other survivors are the non-Ottoman Armenians who resi ...

brought tens of thousands of Armenians to France. By the early 1920s, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 Armenians lived in France. According to another source 90,000 genocide survivors settled in France, more than half of whom were villagers. Most Armenians initially arrived in Marseille, thereafter many of them spread across France and settled in large cities, especially in Paris and the urban areas across the

Paris–Marseille railway The railway from Paris to Marseille is an 862-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the southern port city of Marseille, France, via Dijon and Lyon. The railway was opened in several stages between 1847 and 1856, when the final secti ...

, notably

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

. In the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

, the majority of Armenians in France were unskilled villagers that mostly worked in factories for low wages. Between 1922 and 1929, 80% of Armenians in France were labourers earning 10–15% less than Frenchmen. On 29 October 1920, Grégoire Sinabian was appointed by the

Armenian government The politics of Armenia take place in the framework of the parliamentary representative democratic republic of Armenia, whereby the President of Armenia is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Armenia the head of government, and of a mult ...

as the consul-general of

to France. In this period, a number of Turkish Armenian intellectuals moved to France, including

Arshag Chobanian Arshag Chobanian (; 15 July 1872 – 9 June 1954) was an Armenian short story writer, journalist, editor, poet, translator, literary critic, playwright, philologist, and novelist. Biography His father was a respected goldsmith. In 1898 he foun ...

(1895),

Komitas Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national scho ...

(1919, transferred to a hospital in Paris where he remained until his death),

Levon Pashalian Levon Pashalian ( hy, Լեւոն Բաշալեան; 1868 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire - 1943 in Vichy, France), was an Armenian short story writer, journalist, editor, novelist, and politician. Biography Levon Pashalian was born in 1868 in ...

(1920),

Shahan Shahnour Shahan Shahnour (August 3, 1903, Istanbul – August 20, 1974, Saint-Raphaël), hy, Շահան Շահնուր, French transliteration Chahan Chahnour), who signed his French language writings as Armen Lubin () was a French-Armenian writer ...

(1923).

World War II and the Fourth Republic

The Armenian community of France played an active role in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. Poet and communist militant

Missak Manouchian Missak Manouchian (Western hy, Միսաք Մանուշեան; , 1 September 1906 – 21 February 1944) was a French-Armenian poet and communist activist. An Armenian genocide survivor, he moved to France from an orphanage in Lebanon in 1925. H ...

, the commander of the multiethnic Groupe Manouchian, became an important Resistance leader. Besides Arpen Lavitian, the other executed Armenian member, his group also included many Jews from across Europe. Poets

Kégham Atmadjian Kegham Mihran Atmadjian ( hy, Գեղամ Միհրանի Աթմաճյան, literary pseudonym ''Sema'', November 18, 1910 – May 18, 1940) was a French-Armenian poet and editor. Biography Being a survivor of the Armenian genocide, Atmadjian lived ...

and

Rouben Melik Rouben Melik (; 14 November 1921 – 21 May 2007) was a French-Armenian poet and a member of the French Resistance. Officer of Ordre des Arts et Lettres (1963). Rouben Melik studied in Sorbonne with Gaston Bachelard, before his entrance to th ...

were other prominent participants in the Resistance. The Anti-Fascist Underground Patriotic Organization was commanded by Armenian officers. Resisters Alexander Kazarian and Bardukh Petrosian were awarded by the highest military orders of France by General

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

. Another Resistance fighter,

Louise Aslanian Louise Aslanian (pseudonym ''LAS''; french: Louise Aslanian, Lass, hy, Լուիզա Ասլանյան; 5 May 1904 – 30 January 1945) was a French-Armenian communist and anti-fascist activist, writer, novelist, poet and a prominent figure in the ...

, a famous writer and poetess, was a recruiter for the

Francs-Tireurs et Partisans The ''Francs-tireurs et partisans français'' (FTPF), or commonly the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP), was an armed resistance organization created by leaders of the French Communist Party during World War II (1939–45). The communist par ...

in a combat cell of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

. She along with her husband

Arpiar Aslanian Arpiar Aslanian ( hy, Արփիար Ասլանյան, 16 December 1895 – 15 February 1945) was a French anti-fascist of Armenian descent, communist, husband of the writer Louise Aslanian, and a prominent figure in the French Resistance. Ear ...

worked in an underground publishing house and actively engaged in supplying fighters of the

with weapons. Louise opened the women's division of the

and was responsible for the Armenian Resistance in the Northern France. She and her husband were arrested on July 24, 1944, and were later killed in

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

. Henri Karayan, a member of the Manouchian Group, participated in illegal distribution of ''

Humanité ''Humanité'' (french: L'humanité) is a 1999 film directed by Bruno Dumont. It tells the story of a withdrawn police lieutenant investigating a rape and murder of a schoolgirl in rural France, his slow enquiries interspersed with everyday scenes ...

'' in Paris and was engaged in armed struggle until the Libération. In 2012, 95-year-old

Arsène Tchakarian Arsène Tchakarian (21 December 1916 – 4 August 2018) was a Armenians in France, French-Armenian historian, former tailor and member of the French resistance. He was a member of the Manouchian Group of the FTP-MOI, a wing of the larger Francs- ...

, the last survivor of the Manouchian resistance group who fought against occupying Nazi German forces during World War II, was decorated as Officer of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

by President

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

. Immediately after the Second World War, about 7,000 Armenians repatriated to Soviet Armenia.

Migration of Armenians from the Middle East

Thousands of new immigrants arrived in France from the Middle Eastern countries like

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 ...

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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

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 ...

since the 1950s. These new immigrants mobilized the French Armenian community. By the 1980s around 300,000 Armenians lived in France. In 1983, the

Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active between 1975 and the 1990s whose stated goal was "to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for the Armenian genocide i ...

launched an attack at the Paris Orly airport, as part of its campaign for the recognition of and reparations for the Armenian genocide. The explosion killed eight people and injured fifty-five. The campaign to pass the resolution condemning the

at the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

unleashed on June 19, 1987, at a

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

demonstration.

Contemporary period

The devastating earthquake in Armenia on 7 December 1988 led to huge mobilization of the French Armenian community. Among others,

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

established a charitable foundation in to help the victims of the earthquake. As the

Institut national d'études démographiques The French Institute for Demographic Studies (French: ''Institut national d'études démographiques'', INED) is a French research institute specializing in demography and population studies in general. History Before 1945 In 1941, Nobel Prize wi ...

, France's national statistics agency, does not collect data on ethnicity there is no reliable information about the number of French people of Armenian ancestry. Various experts, media and organizations have estimated the number of French Armenians to be 250,000, 300,000, 400,000, 450,000, 500,000, 500,000–700,000, 750,000. As of 2005, there were 12,355 Armenian-born people residing in France.

Culture

Language and education

SIL Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...

'' as of 2009 estimated that Armenian is spoken by around 70,000 people in France. Most French Armenians speak

Western Armenian Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...

, while a minority (recent Armenian immigrants from Armenia and Armenians from Iran) speak

Eastern Armenian Eastern Armenian ( ''arevelahayeren'') is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, as we ...

. Today, Armenian classes are organized in many localities with full bilingual kindergartens and primary schools near Paris and Marseille attended by several thousand children and youths. Armenian is currently a valid option counting toward the Baccalaureate, the French High School certificate.

Religion

Église arménienne Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Paris) 1

The majority of the Armenian French population is of the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) faith
and belong to the

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin ( hy, Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին, translit=Mayr At’oř Surb Ēĵmiatsin), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armen ...

of 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 ...

. A minority of Armenians belongs to the Catholic faith and are adherents 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 ...

. An estimated 5,000

Armenian Evangelicals The Armenian Evangelical Church ( hy, Հայաստանեայց Աւետարանական Եկեղեցի) was established on July 1, 1846, by thirty-seven men and three women in Constantinople. History In the 19th century there was an intellectua ...

live in France. Each of the three Armenian Churches has its own organization in France. The Diocese of France the Armenian Apostolic Church under the spiritual guidance and jurisdiction of the

Catholicos of All Armenians The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arme ...

. The Diocese has its ow
Youth movement l'Association de la jeunesse de l’Eglise apostolique arménienne de France
which has chapters in the various 26 parishes of the Diocese. The Eparchy of Sainte-Croix-de-Paris depending from the Armenian Catholic Church, and the Armenian Evangelical Churches Union of France, part of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

Institutions

The

Armenian General Benevolent Union The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or hyw, Հայ Բարեգործական Ընդ ...

, one of the largest Armenian organizations in the world, headquartered in Paris between 1922 and 1940. The Armenian Social Aid Association, operating Armenian retirement homes, was founded before this period and is unique to France. National institutions, and first and foremost the Armenian Church of Paris founded in 1905, were very soon to co-exist in Paris, playing a fundamental role in defending and protecting the refugees. In the municipalities with a high concentration of Armenians, there are a lot of associations in a vast array of fields ranging from the cultural (e.g. in Décines, near Lyon or Radio , in Paris), social (e.g. in Paris), sports (e.g. and football clubs), or more specific like the Association nationale des anciens combattants et résistants arméniens. There are also umbrella organizations, the Forum des associations arméniennes de France, created in 1991, and the Conseil de coordination des organisations arméniennes de France, new name since 2001 of the « Comité du 24 avril ».

Media

;Press The first Armenian journal in France began publishing in 1855. As of 1991, around two hundred Armenian newspapers and magazines have been published in France, more than any other European country. Currently, the only daily newspaper is ''

Nor Haratch ''Nor Haratch'' ( hy, Նոր Յառաջ) is an Armenian newspaper based in France. It was initially published twice a week (every Tuesday and Friday). In 2010 it started to be published thrice a week (every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). Nor H ...

'', an independent publication that started publishing on October 27, 2009, on the basis of 2 issues per week. It replaced ''

Haratch Haratch ('Forward') ( hy, Յառաջ) was an Armenian daily newspaper based in France. ''Haratch'' was founded in 1925 by Schavarch Missakian. The newspaper was famous for attracting high-profile names in Armenian literature and journalism, i ...

'' (Յառաջ), a daily founded in 1925 by Schavarch Missakian that stopped publication in May 2009. ;Online media
''Nouvelles d'Arménie'' Magazine''France-Arménie'' Magazine
;Broadcasting
AYP FM
radio station operating in Paris and

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

Radio Arménie
radio station operating in Lyon and surrounding area
Radio Gayané
radio station

France and the Armenian genocide

France is one of the countries that has recognized the Armenian genocide. There are monuments dedicated to the genocide victims in several cities in France, including Paris,

, and Marseille. The

French Senate The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly (France), National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 34 ...

passed a bill in 2011 that criminalizes denial of acknowledged genocides, which includes both the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide. The bill was submitted by the parliament in 2012. However, the bill was considered unconstitutional on 28 February 2012 by the French Constitutional Court: "The council rules that by punishing anyone contesting the existence of ... crimes that lawmakers themselves recognised or qualified as such, lawmakers committed an unconstitutional attack on freedom of expression,". According to a 1996 survey in France 69% of respondents were aware of the Armenian genocide, of which 75% agreed that the French government should officially recognize it. On 24 April 1965, 10,000 Armenians marched on Champs-Elysées to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the genocide.

Notable French Armenians

:''Persons are arranged in chronological order.''

Entertainment

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) - La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * ''If Pari ...

(1916–1990), Turkish-born actress *

Henri Verneuil Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Fi ...

(1920–2002), Turkish-born film director *

Isabelle Sadoyan Isabelle Sadoyan (12 May 1928 – 10 July 2017) was a French-Armenian actress. She was the wife of actor Jean Bouise. Her filmography includes films by Jeanne Moreau, Claude Chabrol, Claude Lelouch, Luc Besson, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri Verneuil, ...

(1928–2017), actress *

Catherine Robbe-Grillet Catherine Robbe-Grillet (; ''née'' Rstakian; born 24 September 1930) is a French writer, dominatrix, photographer, theatre and film actress of Armenian descent who has published sadomasochistic writings under the pseudonyms Jean de Berg and J ...

(b. 1930), actress *

Francis Veber Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and playwright. He has written and directed both French and American films. Nine French-language films with which he has been involved, as either writ ...

(b. 1937), director (Armenian mother) *

François Berléand François Berléand (; born 22 April 1952) is a French actor. He plays Gilles Triquet, the officer manager and equivalent of David Brent in ''Le Bureau'', the French version of ''The Office'', produced by Canal+. He also appeared in the 2002 fil ...

(b. 1952), actor (Armenian father) *

Alain Berberian Alain may refer to: People * Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Alain (surname) * "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein * Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...

(1953—2017), director *

Robert Guédiguian Robert Jules Guédiguian (born 3 December 1953) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Life and career Guédiguian is the son of a German mother and an Arme ...

(b. 1953), film director, screenwriter, producer *

Serge Avédikian Serge Avédikian ( hy, Սերժ Ավետիքյան; born 1 December 1955), sometimes credited as Serje Avétikian, is an Armenian- French film and theatre actor, director, writer and producer, winner of Cannes Festival prize. Early life Avédik ...

(b. 1955), Armenian-born film and theatre actor and director *

Vardan Petrosyan Vardan Petrosyan (born February 27, 1959; hy, Վարդան Պետրոսյան) is an Armenian actor, scriptwriter, and parodist. He is based in Paris and Yerevan and holds a dual Armenian and French citizenship. Petrosyan is widely considered o ...

(b. 1959), Armenian-born actor, French citizen *

Pascal Légitimus Pascal Légitimus (born 13 March 1959) is a French actor, comedian and theatre director. He is a member of the famous French humour band Les Inconnus Les Inconnus ("The Unknowns") are a French trio of humourists consisting of Didier Bourdon, ...

(b. 1959), comedian (Armenian mother) *

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian language, Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenians, Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. ...

(b. 1962), actor *

Michael Vartan Michael S. Vartan (born November 27, 1968) is a French-American actor, known for his role as Michael Vaughn on the ABC television action drama '' Alias'', his role on the TNT medical drama '' Hawthorne'', and his role on the '' E!'' drama '' The ...

(b. 1968), actor *

Mathieu Madénian __NOTOC__ Mathieu Madénian (born 23 July 1976) is a French comedian, actor and columnist. Life and career Madénian was born in Perpignan, southern France. He is of Armenian and German descent. He grew up in Saleilles, a town in the suburbs o ...

(b. 1976), humorist, actor and columnist *

Raffy Shart Raffy Shart is a French-Armenian theater director and writer, film director and screenwriter, and composer / songwriter. In addition, Raffy Shart is an organizer of shows, does advertising campaigns, directs ads and music videos, writes musical ...

, director and musician

Literature, theatre, journalism

Arthur Adamov Arthur Adamov (23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd. Early life Adamov (originally Adamian) was born in Kislovodsk in the Terek Oblast of the Russian Empire to a wealthy A ...

(1908–1970), Russian-born playwright *

(1906–1945), writer, poetess, Resistance fighter, communist *

Nina Berberova Nina Nikolayevna Berberova (russian: Ни́на Никола́евна Бербе́рова) (St Petersburg, 26 July 1901 – Philadelphia, 26 September 1993) was a Russian writer who chronicled the lives of anti-communist Russian refugees in ...

(1901–1993), writer that chronicled the lives of Russian exiles in Paris *

Henri Troyat Henri Troyat (born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov; – 2 March 2007) was a Russian-born French author, biographer, historian and novelist. Early life Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (russian: link=no, Лев Асланович Тарасов, ''Lev Aslanovich ...

(1911–2007), writer * Vahé Katcha (1928–2003), writer, screenwriter, journalist *

Jean-Claude Kebabdjian Jean-Claude Kebabdjian (born June 11, 1942 in Boulogne-Billancourt) is an Armenian-French publisher, journalist and author. Since the 1970s he raised awareness of Armenian memory and Armenian culture within the French society and within Europe. A ...

(b. 1942), editor and journalist, founder and director of the Centre de Recherches sur la Diaspora Arménienne

Music

Jacques Hélian Jacques Mikaël Der Mikaëlian better known as Jacques Hélian (born in Paris, 7 June 1912 - died 29 June 1986), was a famous French orchestra conductor for French music-hall. Biography Born of an Armenian father (descendant of Armenian bourge ...

(1912–1986), composer, arranger, conductor of big band orchestra (Armenian father) *

Rosy Armen Rosy Armen ( hy, Ռոզի Արմեն) is a French singer of Armenian descent. She is a multilingual singer, with most songs in French and Armenian, but also in other languages such as English, German, Spanish, and Italian. Biography Rosy Armen ...

(b. 1923), singer *

(1924–2018), singer *

Marc Aryan Henri Markarian, better known as Marc Aryan (14 November 1926 in Valence, France – 30 November 1985 in Ohain, Belgium), was a French-Belgian singer, songwriter, and record producer of Armenian descent born as a French citizen, who also acq ...

(1926–1985), singer, composer, producer *

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

(1932–2019), composer (Armenian mother) *

Georges Garvarentz Georges Diran Garvarentz ( hy, Ժորժ Տիրան Կառվարենց, 1 April 1932 - 19 March 1993) was an Armenian- French composer, noted for his music for films and Charles Aznavour's songs. Biography Georges Garvarentz was born in Athens, G ...

(1932–1993), composer *

Lévon Sayan Lévon Sayan or Levon Sanosyan ( hy, Լևոն Սայան, born 17 December 1934) is a French-Armenian impresario and producer, as well as an operatic tenor. Biography Lévon Sayan was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, in a family of Armenian genoc ...

, (b. 1934), impresario, producer, and operatic tenor *

Danyel Gérard Danyel Gérard (born Gérard Daniel Kherlakian; 7 March 1939) is a French pop singer and composer. Life and work Gérard was born in Paris, France to an Armenian father and an Corsican mother, but grew up mainly in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. I ...

(b. 1939), singer (Armenian father) *

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...

(b. 1944), singer (Armenian father) *

François Kevorkian François Kevorkian (born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French-born, U.S.-based DJ, producer, remixer and label owner of Armenian descent, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the Paradise Garage an ...

(b. 1954), music producer and remixer *

André Manoukian André Antranik Manoukian (born 9 April 1957 in Lyon) is a French songwriter, arranger, jazz musician, and actor of Armenian descent. Between 2002-2017, he served as one of four judges in the French version of Pop Idol, ''Nouvelle Star''. Early ...

(b. 1957), songwriter, musician *

Nariné Simonian Narine Simonian (sometimes written only as Nariné, born 1965 in Gyumri, Armenia) is one of the most baroque French organists, as well as a pianist, musical director and producer of operas, born in Gyumri, Armenia. Nariné is also an organist, an ...

(b. 1965), organist, pianist, musical director and producer of opera *

Patrick Fiori Patrick Fiori (; born Patrick Jean-François Chouchayan, 23 September 1969) is a French singer of Armenian descent. Biography Beginnings Fiori was born to a French-Armenian father (Jacques Chouchayan) and a Corsican mother (Marie Antoinette Fi ...

(b. 1969), singer (Armenian father) *

Helene Segara Helene or Hélène may refer to: People *Helene (given name), a Greek feminine given name * Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda *Helene, a figure in Greek mythology who was a friend of Aphrodite and helped her seduce Adonis *Helene (Am ...

(b. 1971), singer (Armenian mother) *

Alain Altinoglu Alain Altinoglu (born 9 October 1975) is a French conductor of Armenian descent. Biography Born in Paris, into an Armenian family who were originally from Istanbul, Altinoglu studied music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et ...

(b. 1975), conductor *

Essaï Altounian Essaï Altounian ( hy, Եսայի Ալթունյան, in Western Armenian ) born on 5 November 1980), sometimes credited as simply Essaï, is a French-Armenian singer, songwriter, keyboardist, music producer and an actor. Biography Essaï Alt ...

(b. 1980), singer and keyboardist, represented

in the

2015 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Br ...

as part of

Genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

. *

Anna Kasyan Anna Kasyan ( hy, Աննա Կասյան) (born 7 October 1981) is a Georgian-born Armenian opera singer ( soprano) living in France. Kasyan is one of the young artists who is viewed with high expectations in her field. Early life and educatio ...

(b. 1981), Georgian-born opera singer, soprano * Liz Sarian, singer

Painters

Edgar Chahine Edgar Chahine ( hy, Էդգար Պետրոսի Շահին: 31 October 1874, in Vienna – 18 March 1947, in Paris) was a French painter, engraver, and illustrator of Armenian descent. Biography Edgar Chahine was born in Vienna but moved to Cons ...

(1874–1947), painter *

Léon Arthur Tutundjian Léon Arthur Tutundjian ( hy, Լեւոն Թիւթիւնճեան; 1905, Amasya, Ottoman Empire – December 1968, Paris, France) was an Armenian painter who reached fame in France. Life Leon (Levon) Tutundjian was born in Amasya, in Sivas Vilaye ...

(1905–1968), painter *

Jean Carzou __NOTOC__ Jean Carzou ( hy, Ժան Գառզու, born in Aleppo; 1 January 1907 – 12 August 2000) was a French–Armenian artist, painter, and illustrator, whose work illustrated the novels of Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus. Life and care ...

(1907–2000), Syrian-born painter *

Jean Jansem Hovhannes "Jean" Semerdjian ( hy, Հովհաննես "Ժանսեմ" Միրիջանի Սեմերջյան, 9 March 1920 – 27 August 2013), also known as Jean Jansem, was a French-Armenian painter. Jansem's artworks are internationally known, an ...

(1920–2013), painter *

Melik Ohanian Melik Ohanian (in Armenian Մելիք Օհանյան, in Western Armenian Օհանեան; born 1969 in France) is a French contemporary artist of Armenian origin. He lives and works in Paris and New York City. His work has been shown in many solo ...

(b. 1969), painter

Politics

(1895–1945), communist militant and

fighter during World War II *

(1906–1944), poet, communist militant and

hero during World War II *

Édouard Balladur Édouard Balladur (; born 2 May 1929) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, comi ...

(b. 1929), politician, former Prime Minister, 1995 presidential candidate *

Patrick Devedjian Patrick Devedjian ( hy, Պատրիկ Դեւեջեան; 26 August 1944 – 28 March 2020) was a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. A close adviser of Nicolas Sarkozy since the 1990s, he was Minister under the Pri ...

(1944–2020), politician, mayor of

Antony, Hauts-de-Seine Antony () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Antony is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the arrondissement of Antony. Watered by the Bièvre, a tributary of the ...

, cabinet minister * Hilda Tchoboian *

Gérald Darmanin Gérald Moussa Darmanin (; born 11 October 1982) is a French politician who has been serving as Minister of the Interior in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean Castex and Élisabeth Borne since 2020. A former member of The Republicans (LR) ...

, Minister of the Interior (2020-)

Sports

Alain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Mich ...

(b. 1955), race driver, four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion (Armenian mother) *

Éric Assadourian Éric Assadourian ( hy, Էրիկ Ասադուրյան, born on 24 June 1966) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. As of 2020, he is the head of the academy of Lens. Born in France, he played for the Armenia national tea ...

(b. 1966), footballer *

Youri Djorkaeff Youri Raffi Djorkaeff (born 9 March 1968) is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Throughout his club career, he played for teams in France, Italy, Germany, England, and the United States. At ...

(b. 1968), footballer (Armenian mother) *

Alain Boghossian Alain Boghossian (born 27 October 1970) is a French-Armenian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He serves as an assistant coach for the France national team. Club career Born in Digne-les-Bains, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ...

(b. 1970), footballer (Armenian father) *

Nicolas Minassian Nicolas Minassian (born 28 February 1973) is a French professional racing driver of Armenian descent. After finishing 2nd place in the 1993 Formula Renault Eurocup, Marseille-born Minassian graduated to the French Formula Three Championship whe ...

(b. 1973), race driver *

Dimitri Yachvili Dimitri Yachvili Markarian (born 19 September 1980, in Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze) is a French former rugby union footballer who played as a scrum-half for Biarritz and France. He played for France from 2002 to 2012, earning 61 caps and scori ...

(b. 1980), rugby union player (Armenian mother) * Cyriaque Rivieyran (b.1991), footballer *

Gaël Andonian Gaël Andonian ( hy, Կաէլ Անտոնեան; born 7 February 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Championnat National 3 club EUGA Ardziv in Marseille. He began his career with hometown club Marseille, making one ...

(b. 1995), footballer *

Ida Adamoff , country = , residence = , birth_date = , birth_place = Moscow, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place ...

(1910–1993), tennis player

Miscellaneous

;Science *

Vazken Andréassian Vazken Andréassian (Armenian: '; 10 April 1903 – 30 November 1995) was a French engineer and author of Armenian descent. Childhood Vazken Andréassian was born in the village of Hazari (now Anıl), Çemişgezek in the Ottoman Empire. He li ...

(1903–1995), aeronautical engineer *

Agop Terzan Agop Terzan (born Terziyan) (October 31, 1927 – April 4, 2020) was a Turkish- Armenian astronomer. Born in Constantinople Istanbul, he finished his high school from Getronagan Armenian High School, after he received his Bachelor's Degree in Ma ...

(1927–2020), astronomer ;Business *

Serge Tchuruk Serge Tchurukdichian (born 13 November 1937), known as Serge Tchuruk, is a French businessman of Armenians, Armenian descent. He was the chief executive officer and chairman of Alcatel-Lucent, Alcatel (a global telecommunications company (law), ...

(b. 1937), former CEO and Chairman of

Alcatel Alcatel may refer to: * Alcatel, a former French telecommunications equipment company, which became Alcatel-Lucent and is now part of Nokia * Alcatel Mobile, a brand of mobile phones, tablets and wearables, formerly a joint venture between Alcatel ...

* Alain Manoukian (b. 1946), fashion designer *

Alain Mikli Alain Mikli (born Alain Miklitarian; 1 April 1955) is a French-Armenian designer of high-end handmade eyeglasses and accessories. Mikli's line features unique colors and shapes, and are a favorite among European celebrities and avant-garde America ...

(b. 1955), designer *

Michel Mossessian Michel Mossessian (born 11 November 1959) is a French people, French architect of Armenian people, Armenian origin, based in London, United Kingdom, UK. Education Michel Mossessian gained his diploma in architecture at the École nationale sup� ...

(b. 1959), architect *

Rafi Haladjian Rafi Haladjian ( hy, Րաֆֆի Հալաջյան) born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1961) is a French serial entrepreneur of Armenian origin. He is the co-creator of the wireless-connected rabbit Nabaztag, a smart object of the Internet of Things. He i ...

(b. 1961), entrepreneur *

Francis Kurkdjian Francis Kurkdjian (born 14 May 1969) is a French perfumer and businessman of Armenian descent. He is best known for creating the men's fragrance Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995, which has become one of the world's best-selling perfumes. He ...

(b. 1969), fragrance creator * Paul-Louis Arslanian, director of French Air Accidents Bureau ;Other fields *

Anita Conti Anita Conti ( arm, Անիթա Գոնթի; ''née'' Caracotchian) (17 May 1899 – 25 December 1997) was a French explorer and photographer, and the first French female oceanographer. Biography Anita Caracotchian was born in Ermont in Seine-et-Ois ...

(1899–1997), explorer and photographer, first French female oceanographer

Fictional characters

* Ana Khesarian, a character in '' The Promise'' (2016). Pietro A. Shakarian, a PhD candidate in Russian history at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, wrote in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' that Ana represented the wealth held by the Armenians in France, with her wishes highlighting "affinities of the prosperous Armenian urban class for Europe."

References

;Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Diocese of France of the Armenian Apostolic ChurchCo-ordination Council of Armenian Organisations of France (CCAF)FRA Dachnaksoutioun – FranceBureau du Primat – Eglise Arménienne – FranceNor Seround – Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) – FranceArmenian Youth in France (JAF)Armenian House of the Youth and the Culture – MarseilleArmenian National Committee of France (ANC)

The Armenian Heritage Center – ValenceResearch Association of the Armenian Memory – Marseille
{{Migration to France from Asia

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

European diaspora in France Armenia–France relations Middle Eastern diaspora in France Immigration to France by country of origin