Pietro Kuciukian (born 18 January 1940) is an Italian writer and surgeon of Armenian descent. He is also the president of International Committee for the Righteous of Armenians and Co-Founder of The Gardens of the Righteous Worldwide Committee. He collaborates with the Armenian Genocide Museum in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

and is the founder of the “Memory is the Future” Committee, a project to sponsor Armenian cultural projects. Pietro Kuciukian

Life

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, Pietro Kuciukian was born in

Arco ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The Kuciukian family were originally from the

Sivas Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is a ...

region 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) ...

. His father Ignatio, was sent to Italy by his father Andon at the age of twelve in order to be saved from 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 ...

. Ignatio eventually went to the

San Lazzaro degli Armeni San Lazzaro degli Armeni (, "Saint Lazarus of the Armenians"; called Saint Lazarus Island in English sources; hy, Սուրբ Ղազար, Surb Ghazar) is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon which has been home to the monastery of the Mekhitar ...

, near Venice to get an education. He continued his education in Turin where he graduated with a Medical Degree. He then continued his studies in Paris as well. Ignatio got his first job as a doctor and radiologist in

, where he would spend the rest of his life. Like his father, Kuciukian studied at the Mekhitarist School at the

Island off the coast of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. He continued his education at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

and graduated with a degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1964. After the earthquake in Armenia in 1988, he went to the disaster zone to help those in need. Kuciukian worked to install an outpatient clinic in

Spitak Spitak ( hy, Սպիտակ), is a town and urban municipal community in the northern Lori Province of Armenia. It is north of the capital, Yerevan, and west of the provincial center, Vanadzor. Spitak was entirely destroyed during the devastatin ...

and two schools in Stepanavan. On March 16, 2007, Kuciukian was appointed Honorary Council of Armenia to Italy. He currently manages Italy-Armenia relations on behalf of the Embassy of Armenia.

Books

*''Le terre di Nairi, viaggio in Armenia'', Guerini, Milan 1994, *''Viaggio tra i cristiani d’oriente'', Guerini, Milan 1997, *''Dispersi, viaggio fra le comunità armene nel mondo'', Guerini, Milan 1998, *''Voci nel deserto. Giusti e testimoni per gli armeni'', Guerini, Milan 2000, *''Il Giardino di tenebra. Viaggio nel Nagorno Karabgh'', Guerini, Milan 2003, *''La terza Armenia. Viaggio nel Caucaso post-sovietico'', Guerini, Milan 2007,

Recognition

In January 2003 he was awarded by the City of Milan 's "Ambrogino d'Oro", the city's highest official recognition, for his activities in the research of the "Righteous for the Armenians." In 2006 he received from the Governor of the Province of Milan the "Gold Medal of Gratitude" for his work in the Genocide Museum and memorial in

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 ...

References

External links

Gardens of the Righteous Worldwide Committee - Gariwo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuciukian, Pietro Italian people of Armenian descent Italian activists Italian non-fiction writers 20th-century Italian non-fiction writers 21st-century Italian writers 20th-century Armenian writers 21st-century Armenian writers Italian surgeons Living people 1940 births People from Trento University of Padua alumni San Lazzaro degli Armeni alumni