The Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, ( hy, Լազարևի արևելյան լեզուների ինստիտուտ) established in 1815, was a school specializing in
orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...
, with a particular focus on that of
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 ''O ...
, and was the principal cultural center 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. ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, Russia. Many Russian scholars specializing in
Transcaucasus
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arm ...
related studies received their education at the institute. The former institute, located on Armyansky Lane, is listed as a memorial building and currently houses the
Embassy
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...
of Armenia ( hy, Ռուսաստանում Հայաստանի դեսպանություն, translit=Rrusastanum Hayastani despanut’yun) to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
.
The institute
The institute was established in 1815 by the wealthy Lazarev (Lazarian) family. In 1827, control passed to the Ministry of Public Education, the school was renamed the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, and was remodeled as a special ''gymnasium'' with language courses in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
, Armenian, Persian, and Turkish. By 1844 the school had 105 students, of which 73 were Armenians, 30 Russians, and 2 others. In 1848 the institute was upgraded to a ''lyceum'', and in this new form trained Armenian school teachers and priests. As the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
expanded through the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...
and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
, the institute became central to the training of Russian civil servants and interpreters. In 1872 it was formally divided into two sections, one of which continued as a gymnasium, while the other presented a three-year course in the Armenian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and
Georgian language
Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...
s, history, and culture.
Between 1919 and 1920, the institute was renamed first the Armenian Institute, then the Southwest Asian Institute, then the Central Institute of Modern Oriental Languages, and finally the
Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies
Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies (russian: Московский институт востоковедения, abbreviated МИВ (''MIV'')) was a university-level educational institution that operated in Moscow, Russia, in 1920–1954. It w ...
. By the 1930s the institute had lost its students, and its library was transferred to the Moscow's Lenin Library. Pioneering linguist
Roman Jakobson
Roman Osipovich Jakobson (russian: Рома́н О́сипович Якобсо́н; October 11, 1896Kucera, Henry. 1983. "Roman Jakobson." ''Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America'' 59(4): 871–883. – July 18,
The first stone buildings on the site, eventually incorporated into present-day building, emerged in the last quarter of the 17th century as the Miloslavsky residence. In the first half of the 18th century, they were owned by the Meller family - owners of iron mills in Ural region. Miloslavsky-Meller house is considered to be among the largest private stone buildings of 17th-century Moscow. Agasar Lazaryan, russified as Lazarev, acquired the land near the corner of present-day Krivokolenny and Armyansky lanes in 1758. Between 1758 and 1812 the main house was gradually expanded, notably by Ovakim Lazarev, son of Lazar and founder of the institute. Armyansky Lane area was spared by the Fire of 1812. In 1814 Ovakim Lazarev commissioned remodelling of the facade in
Empire style
The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...
. Name of the architect remains unknown; construction was managed by T. G. Prostakov, a free man, and I. M. Podyachy - a serf of Lazarevs.
By 1823 the main building acquired its present-day shape; an
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
in the rear courtyard, raised in 1822, was cast of
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with ...
produced at Lazarev's iron mills in Perm (later, the obelisk was moved into the front courtyard). In 1828 Lazarev purchased adjacent building (2, Armyansky Lane) and converted it to an Armenian printshop. This corner lot has been previously owned by Saltykov and Nesvitsky families. New property remained unchanged until the 1850s, when Pyotr Grigoriev (son of
Afanasy Grigoriev
Afanasy Grigorievich Grigoriev (russian: Афанасий Григорьевич Григорьев) (21 January 1782 – 13 May 1868) was a Russian Neoclassical architect, who worked in Moscow and its suburbs. Grigoriev is remembered for his r ...
) rebuilt it to match the main building. Subsequent restorations retained the street facades, but removed Grigoriev's finishes on the side wall, revealing 17th-century brickwork.
Embassy of Armenia to Russia
The building currently houses the Armenian embassy to Russia. As of 5 January 2022, the ambassador of Armenia to Russia is Vagharshak Harutiunyan.
See also
*
Armenia–Russia relations
Bilateral relations between modern-day Armenia and the Russian Federation were established on 3 April 1992, though Russia has been an important actor in Armenia since the early 19th century. The two countries' historic relationship has its root ...
List of diplomatic missions of Armenia
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Armenia. Armenia is a landlocked country located in the Southern Caucasus. Over 8 million Armenians reside abroad, with large communities located in Russia, France, Iran, United States, Georgia, Leba ...
Sources
* Памятники архитектуры Москвы. Белый город. — М.: Искусство, 1989. - c. 253-259
* Bournoutian, George, ''Russia and the Armenians of Transcaucasia, 1797 - 1889: A Documentary Record'', Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Press, 1998.
* Worrell, William H., "An Account of Schools for Living Oriental Languages Established in Europe", Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 39, 1919 (1919), pp. 189–195