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BBC: The last Armenians of Myanmar
13:22 28.08.2014
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/08/28/bbc-the-last-armenians-of-myanmar/
One of the oldest churches in Myanmar, also known as Burma, is
struggling to keep going - its congregation only occasionally reaches
double figures. But the opening up of the country to outside
investment and tourism is offering new hope.
"Reverend John Felix, priest at the Armenian Church in Yangon, also
known as Rangoon, can't speak Armenian - but then neither can his
congregation. Not that there is much of a congregation these days -
just seven, myself included, on a recent Sunday morning," Andrew
Whitehead writes in an article published by the BBC.
The 150-year-old church enjoys an imposing location, at a street
corner in downtown Yangon. It's a beautiful building, a patch of calm
in a bustling city. The Armenian Orthodox church of St John the
Baptist - standing, suitably, on Merchant Street - is almost all
that's left of what was one of the city's main trading communities.
"To judge from church records, there were once a few hundred Armenian
families in Burma but the last 'full' Armenian died last year. Across
the country, there are no more than 10 or 20 families who are part
Armenian - and just a handful still come to the church," says Felix.
Rachel Minus, in her mid-30s, can sing in Armenian - and does with
reverence - but can't speak the language. She attends on Sundays with
her father, who also tolls the church bells.
"My grandfather was full Armenian and our family name is derived from
the Armenian surname of Minossian. We're part Armenian and this church
and its services mean a lot to us," she says.
On that Sunday, just one other worshipper was of Armenian descent.
Percy Everard has been coming to the church for decades. His wedding,
the priest believes, was the last to be conducted at the church - but
it's so distant no one is quite sure how long ago it took place.
In the early 17th Century, large numbers of Armenians fled the Ottoman
Empire and settled in Isfahan in what's now Iran. From there, many
traveled on in later years to form a commercial network, which
stretched from Amsterdam to Manila.
Their influence in the British Raj reached its peak in the late 19th
Century, when census records suggest that about 1,300 Armenians were
living principally in Calcutta, Dhaka and Rangoon.
Their closeness to the Burmese royal court gave them a particularly
privileged status in Rangoon's trading community. The land on which
the church stands is said to have been presented to the Armenians by
Burma's king.
The region's most prestigious hotels - including The Strand a short
walk from the church in downtown Yangon and the even more famous
Raffles in Singapore - were established by Armenians.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28867884
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
13:22 28.08.2014
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/08/28/bbc-the-last-armenians-of-myanmar/
One of the oldest churches in Myanmar, also known as Burma, is
struggling to keep going - its congregation only occasionally reaches
double figures. But the opening up of the country to outside
investment and tourism is offering new hope.
"Reverend John Felix, priest at the Armenian Church in Yangon, also
known as Rangoon, can't speak Armenian - but then neither can his
congregation. Not that there is much of a congregation these days -
just seven, myself included, on a recent Sunday morning," Andrew
Whitehead writes in an article published by the BBC.
The 150-year-old church enjoys an imposing location, at a street
corner in downtown Yangon. It's a beautiful building, a patch of calm
in a bustling city. The Armenian Orthodox church of St John the
Baptist - standing, suitably, on Merchant Street - is almost all
that's left of what was one of the city's main trading communities.
"To judge from church records, there were once a few hundred Armenian
families in Burma but the last 'full' Armenian died last year. Across
the country, there are no more than 10 or 20 families who are part
Armenian - and just a handful still come to the church," says Felix.
Rachel Minus, in her mid-30s, can sing in Armenian - and does with
reverence - but can't speak the language. She attends on Sundays with
her father, who also tolls the church bells.
"My grandfather was full Armenian and our family name is derived from
the Armenian surname of Minossian. We're part Armenian and this church
and its services mean a lot to us," she says.
On that Sunday, just one other worshipper was of Armenian descent.
Percy Everard has been coming to the church for decades. His wedding,
the priest believes, was the last to be conducted at the church - but
it's so distant no one is quite sure how long ago it took place.
In the early 17th Century, large numbers of Armenians fled the Ottoman
Empire and settled in Isfahan in what's now Iran. From there, many
traveled on in later years to form a commercial network, which
stretched from Amsterdam to Manila.
Their influence in the British Raj reached its peak in the late 19th
Century, when census records suggest that about 1,300 Armenians were
living principally in Calcutta, Dhaka and Rangoon.
Their closeness to the Burmese royal court gave them a particularly
privileged status in Rangoon's trading community. The land on which
the church stands is said to have been presented to the Armenians by
Burma's king.
The region's most prestigious hotels - including The Strand a short
walk from the church in downtown Yangon and the even more famous
Raffles in Singapore - were established by Armenians.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28867884
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress