St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church ( hy, Սուրբ Ստեփանոս Հայաստանեայց Առաքելական Եկեղեցի), also known as Soorp Stepanos Church, is an

Armenian Apostolic , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

church in Watertown, Massachusetts. The church is located in the heart of Watertown's Armenian community, the largest on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

. Its jurisdiction falls under the

Armenian Prelacy of the Eastern United States 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 ...

, based in New York City, and the Holy See of Cilicia (Lebanon). The community was established in 1933, meeting in a rented church in Boston, but when the owners of the building decided to sell it, committees were established to seek out new facilities. On April 23, 1953 the church purchased two plots of land on Elton Avenue in Watertown on which to erect a new church. Groundbreaking took place on June 6, 1956, and the new church was consecrated on October 20, 1957 by Archbishop (Later Catholicos) Khoren I Paroian. Adjacent to the church is a bilingual school,

St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School St. Stephen's Armenian Elementary School ( hy, Սուրբ Ստեփանոս հայկական տարրական դպրոց), located in Watertown, Massachusetts, was founded in 1985. It is a small Armenian private school. History The school was fou ...

. The church has faced tensions during the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement signed in the aftermath of the Second Nago ...

.Boston 25 website, ''Sign posted outside an Armenian church in Watertown is being investigated as a hate crime'', article by Bob Ward and Maria Papadopoulos dated September 25, 2023
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Gallery

File:St. Stephen Armenian Church1.JPG File:St. Stephen Armenian Church.JPG File:St. Stephen Armenian Church Armenia and US flags.JPG, The Armenian and American flags in front of the church File:St. Stephen Armenian Church khachkar.JPG,

Khachkar A ''khachkar'', also known as a ''khatchkar'' or Armenian cross-stone ( hy, խաչքար, , խաչ xačʿ "cross" + քար kʿar "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, in ...

(cross stone) in the church yard, dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide

References

External links

St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church (Watertown, MA)
on Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian Apostolic churches in the United States Armenian-American culture in Massachusetts Christian organizations established in 1933 Churches completed in 1957 Churches in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Watertown, Massachusetts