PROTESTANT ARMENIANS IN CYPRUS

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra katoomba@cytanet.com.cy

n the aftermath of the European Enlightenment, there was a spiritual and intellectual awakening of Armenians in Constantinople, where in 1834 American missionaries opened a school followed by schools in Smyrna and elsewhere in Cilicia. In 1836 the ((Brotherhood of Piety)) (Parebashdoutian Miapanoutiun) was established, whose members studied the Bible and questioned practices and traditions of the Apostolic Church. Excommunicated by Patriarch Mateos Chouhadjian, they established the Armenian Evangelical Church on 01/07/1846 and Apisoghom Utidjian was elected as its first ordained minister (badveli): his brothers, Simon and Stepan, served in other newly-founded churches. On 1511111847 Evangelical Armenians were recognised as a millet in the Ottoman Empire.

a particular group, although most of its faithful were Armenians. In 1908 Rev. Walter McCarroll founded the American Academy for Boys in Larnaca, with a small Elementary School for Armenian refugees (1916-1917 and 1924-1926). In 1922 Miss Lola Weir set up the American Academy for Girls in Nicosia.

In 1920 Rev. Siragan G. Aghbabian came to Larnaca from Marash; at the time, there were 45 members and arrangements were made to have services in Greek, Turkish and English. In Nicosia Dr. Samuel V. Mouradian voluntarily held gatherings on Sundays, while Rev. Aghbabian preached once a month, until he settled in 1930. The arrival of Armenian refugees, as a result of the Genocide, increased membership to 283 in 1929. In Larnaca, American Academy professor Manuel Kassouni (1922-1962) established in 1923 the Hayakhos Mioutiun (Armenophony Association) for his Armenian students; in 1926 he started a Sunday school The first Armenian Evangelicals in Cyprus came after and between 1925-1928 he printed the Lousarpi after the arrival of the British in July 1878. As they (Sunlight) newspaper. The Armenian students of the were not committed, and very few, they quickly Nicosia Academy were taught Armenian by Miss became associated with the Mother Church, such as Annine der Arsenian (1924-1961). Apisoghom Utidjian (Stepan's son), the official state documents' translator between 2 110811878-01104119 19, In 1925 Rev. Haroutiun Manoushagian from Adana who served as Chairman of the Armenian Parish was appointed in Nicosia for 3 years. In 1927 a joint Council in Nicosia for 30 years. In 1887 Rev. Henry Council of Elders was elected and the Mission helped Easson from the Presbyterian Mission in Latakia came open the Armenian school in Famagusta. In 1933 the to Larnaca and, together with Daoud Saada, in 1892 Council separated Armenians, Greeks and Americans; they set up a school (which some refugee Armenians responsible for the Armenians were Revs. Youhanna attended in 1896) and built a wooden chapel with an der Megerditchian (1933- 1947) and Hagop Sagherian iron framework. Between 1896-1903, missionary Dr. 1946-1954). On 2310711946 the Armenian Evangelical William M. Moore operated a dispensary in Larnaca church was inaugurated in the yard of the old and also visited the students of Pagouran's Orphanage American Academy on Mahmoud Pasha str.; a kitchen in Nicosia. was added in 1959. In the 1950s gatherings were sometimes held in Famagusta, Limassol and Amiandos. After a longlasting dispute regarding the use of Hymns, Armenian Evangelicals were granted provisional autonomy in July 1954, which was formalised on 01/01/1962. Since then, responsible were the lay preachers Manuel Kassouni (1954-1962), Nishan Halvadjian (1954-1964) and Levon Yergatian (1962-1964). In September 1955 the American Academy Nicosia moved to its current premises. Following the intercommunal troubles (1963-1964), membership was reduced to only 55 in 1965 (compared to 230 in 1946). In January 1964, the Armenian Evangelical church was occupied by the Turkish-Cypriots; currently it is illegally used as a handicrafts centre. Services were later held at the American Academy chapel by A r m Sarkissian (1964- 1966) and Mihran Djizmedjian (1966-1973). In 1973 lay preacher Levon Yergatian established the Logos School in Limassol. After nearly 30 years of inactivity, Armenian Evangelicals were re-organised at the Greek Evangelical church in Larnaca in 2002, with the encouragement of Novart Kassouni and the late Lydia Gulesserian. In 2005 lay preacher Hrayr Jebejian, Executive Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf, moved to Nicosia and meetings are since held regularly at the Greek Evangelical church. In 2006 meetings were also held at the Saint Barnabas' Anglican church in Limassol. Today, Armenian Evangelicals in Cyprus number about 40-50. On Holy Saturday, 03/04/2010, Rev. Vartkes Kassouni visited Cyprus after 61 years and preached at the Armenian Evangelical service in Nicosia.

(Yeghpayrner/Biraderler).For their gatherings they used to rent the ground floor of Dickran Tellalianys house on Kioroghlou street, Nicosia, with Khacher Kasbarian as their preacher; in the 1950s they also had meetings in Limassol. Currently there are about 10-20 Armenian Brethren. In the past there also used to be very few Armenian Pentecostals (Pendegosdetsi/ Hokekalsdagan), who used to gather at various houses around Nicosia until in 1952 when they built a church on 28 November str., Constantia in 1952. There are also about 5- 10 Armenian-Cypriots affiliated with the Anglican Church.

Larnaca Greek Evangelical church

The first Armenian Adventists (Shapatabah Kalsdagan) came to Cyprus in 1912 from Musa Dagh, Svedia, the family of Movses Boursalian. As of 1948 they held gatherings in Nicosia with pastor Aram E. Ashod preaching in Armenian and his wife Diamandola translating in Greek; gatherings were also held in Famagusta and Limassol. In 1956 they built church on Olympios Dias str., Nicosia, which was dedicated on 2010511961 by pastor Aram Aghassian; in 1963 it was occupied by the TIC and is currently used illegally by the so-called ((Red Crescent)). In 1966 Adventists acquired a new church building on Gladstone street, which they used until 1999. At present there are about 5-10 Armenian Adventists, who hold gatherings at Saint Paul's Anglican church in Nicosia. The existence of minute Protestant minorities within the already small and close-knit Armenian-Cypriot had sometimes been the source of tension. Although generally relations were good and even inter-marriage took place, at times there were reservations or prejudices on clashing approaches and practices regarding the nation, faith, language, education, marriage, community events etc., reflecting concepts deeply-rooted within the community itself. In Cyprus, it is customary for Armenian Protestants to be buried on the left-hand side of Armenian cemeteries in Nicosia and Limassol. In Larnaca, Protestants have their own cemetery, adjacent to the British one, which was purchased in June 1900.

Nicosia Evangelical church

On 1811111898 Rev. Haroutiun Sarkissian started preaching amongst Armenian refugees in Nicosia; his daughters, Rake1 and Hosanna, ran a kindergarten (1900-1905). The Larnaca chapel, which was destroyed by a malicious fire in April 1901, was replaced by a larger stone one, which was inaugurated in July 1902. Between 1905-1906, Michael Kassilian held gatherings in his house in Famagusta. In 1906 industrialist Anastasis Peponiades gave land and 200 for a church, which was built opposite the Nicosia Power House, In the 1930s, American Brethren missionaries was inaugurated on 1010311907 and did not belong to converted a small number of Armenians

Acknowledgements to Arto Arakelian, Antonakis Charalambous, Takouhy Devledian, Anahid Eskidjian, Haro Kouyoumdjian, Katerina Neophytou, Chris Olymbios, Evi Sylvestrou, Vartan Tashdjian and especially to VartkesKassouni, Hrayr Jebejian, Moses Elmadjian, Noris Gulesserian, Novart Kassouni-Panayiotides, John Matossian, Hercules Panayiotides-Djaferis, Azniv and Sylvia Salakian and Elsie and Haig Utidjian.