Historical facts, finds, and figures that bring the Armenian legacy in Asia to life
By Liz Chater
Any Armenian today visiting the Asian world may be surprised to stumble upon clues and signs pointing to the presence of a once-prosperous and influential Diaspora that existed long before the dispersion of Armenian survivors after the Genocide of 1915. These oft-forgotten communities, built by wealthy merchants who resettled in Asia during the Silk Road period of the 16th and 17th centuries, left artifacts, ruins, documents, and other historical residue to describe the power and respect they once enjoyed in mainstream society, while remaining true to their Armenian identity and Christian faith. Later settlers to the region also made an indelible mark in business, culture and civic life.
Street Signs
Whether by coincidence or design, there are three Armenian churches on the Indian subcontinent—Kolkata, Dhaka and Chennai—with the same address of No.2 Armenian Street. This suggests the presence of Little Armenias in big cities of Southeast Asia. Each church was erected on the site of an Armenian cemetery.
Sir Paul’s Prized Portrait
In the 1920s Sir Paul Chater attempted to purchase the miniature portrait of King George III that had been presented to his great-grandfather Agha Catchick Arrakiel in recognition of his philanthropic good deed. Unfortunately Sir Paul died before he could secure the painting. It is now in the possession of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Prison Reform
In 1789, Catchick Arrakiel famously released a total of 157 prisoners in debtors’ jail in Kolkata by paying all their outstanding debts. It was a grand gesture to celebrate the good news that England’s King George III had recovered from his insanity.
The Araratian Library
Located at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata, the Library
was founded in April 1828. By 1843, its archives had grown significantly, containing over
1,000 precious and rare Armenian manuscripts
Lost Church of Myanmar
Hidden in the rubble of a church ruin is perhaps the most obscure sign of the Armenian presence dating back to the 18th century—the long abandoned and forgotten Catholic church in Thanlyin, Myanmar. Inside the ruin is a single Armenian tombstone. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church was commissioned by a wealthy Armenian merchant Nikoghosi de Aguilar and his wife Margaret in memory of their son Agatt who passed away in 1750. The church was erected in 1750 A.D. by Monseigneur Nerini under the auspices of the second Vicar Apostolic of the cities of Ava and Pegu. He was member of the Barnabite Mission, a Catholic brotherhood that worked in Pegu in the 1800’s.
Disposessed Treasures
While the official stone of the Armenian Holy Nazareth Church in Kolkata, India was laid in 1707, the church registers only start at 1793 due to a power struggle among three church wardens of the Kolkata church. One of them took the earlier pre 1793 registers home and they were never recovered. Moreover, when the church in Surat closed for good in 1861, due to a dwindling community, the Wardens of Bombay took possession of all the Surat church’s sacred books, vessels, and vestments that were transported to Bombay for preservation. Among them was a manuscript of an Armenian-language bible written in Surat in 1658, as well as an old chasuble (shoorjar) belonging to the church. The year 1782 is beautifully embroidered on it in gold thread.
National Flower
Singapore’s national flower was bred by horticulturalist Agnes Joaquim. Born Ashkhen Hovakimian to a family of Armenian merchants, Joaquim hybridized the Singapore orchid in the 1880s. Known for its resilience, Vanda Miss Joaquim was the world’s first cultivated orchid hybrid and is now found all over other tropical countries, especially popular in Hawaii. For her pioneering work, Agnes Joaquim was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Hovakimian’s family was well-known in Singapore. Her maternal grandfather, Isaiah Zachariah, was one of the members of Singapore’s first Chamber of Commerce, formed in 1837.
Raffles Hotel
The Sarkies Brothers, illustrious Armenian hoteliers, opened the Raffles Hotel in 1887. Named for the British founder of Singapore Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, it is the oldest and most iconic hotel in the country. Among its famous guests: Charlie Chaplin; Jean Harlow; Rudyard Kipling; Joseph Conrad; and Elizabeth Taylor to name a few. On its centennial in 1987, the hotel was declared a national monument.
Armenian Churches Lost and Found
The evidence of Armenian life across the Silk Road regions can be found in the many churches that were built by wealthy Armenian families for the sake of Armenian settlers or for their own personal use. Some have long disappeared, others stand in ruins, and a few survive today, long after the communities have vanished.
Church Location (Built)
Agra (1562)
Surat (1579)
Lahore (1656)
Saidabad* (1665)
Chinsurah* (1695)
Holy Nazareth Church, Kolkata* (1707)
Chennai* ( 1712)
Delhi (1713)
Dhaka* (1781)
Bombay* (1796)
Gwalior (1825)
Batavia (Djakarta) (1831)
Singapore* (1835)
Rangoon* (1862)
Holy Trinity Church Tangra, Kolkata* (1867)
St. Gregory the Illuminator, Kolkata* (1906)
Harbin, China (1923)
Soerabaia (1927)
* Still standing
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