Armenians in Lithuania
Saint Vardan Armenian church in Vilnius
Total population
1477[1]-2500
Regions with significant populations
Vilnius, Klaipėda
Languages
Armenian language, Lithuanian language, Russian language
Religion
Armenian Apostolic Church

Armenians in Lithuania refers to ethnic Armenians living in Lithuania.

According to the Lithuanian census of 2011 there were 1,233[2] Armenians in Lithuania. Armenian organizations put the number around 2,500.[3] According to Soviet 1989 census there are 1,655 Armenians in Lithuania.[4] The Armenians live mainly in Vilnius.

History

The settlement of Armenians in Lithuania, in the distant past of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was of an episodic nature and was due mainly to the needs of trade, although from the historical sources it is known, that Armenian school was established in 16th century Vilnius, Armenian guild in the 16th to 18th centuries Vilnius.[5] One of the most prominent painter of the 19th century in Lithuania was Jan Rustem (Armenian: Յան Ռուստամ).

Demographics

The roots of the Armenian community now living in Lithuania traces back to migration occurring in the 20th century.

Population of Armenians in Lithuania 1959–2011
census 19591 census 19702 census 19793 census 19894 census 20015 census 20115
Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  %
471 0.02 508 0.02 955 0.03 1,655 0.04 1,477 0.04 1,233 0.04
1 Source: . 2 Source: . 3 Source: . 4 Source: . 5 Source: .

Community members estimated their count at 2500 in 2001.[6]

Recent developments

An Armenian community center was opened in year 2000.[6]

A Khachkar was erected in the Hill of crosses in 2001 and in the center of Kaunas in 2004.

An Armenian church St. Vardan was opened in Vilnius in 2006.[7][8]

In 2011 Armenian Embassy in Lithuania was opened.[9] Updates on Armenian cultural events in Lithuania can be found on twitter page of Armenian Ambassador to Lithuania.[10][11]

Famous Lithuanian Armenians

  • Seržas Gandžumianas, a famous designer
  • Marat Sargsyan, a TV host and film-maker

References

  1. ↑ "Population by ethnicity (2001 Census)". Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania), 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  2. ↑ "2011 Census Results". Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania), 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  3. ↑ ArmenianDiaspora website Archived May 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Демоскоп Weekly - Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года.Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  5. ↑ History of Armenians in Lithuania (in Lithuanian)
  6. 1 2 "THE ARMENIANS OF LITHUANIA: THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE IN THE NEW DIASPORA". AGBU | Armenian non-profit organization. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
  7. ↑ Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Lithuanian)
  8. ↑ davkstudio (2017-02-01), St. Vardan's Armenian apostolic church in Vilnius 2017, retrieved 2018-04-14
  9. ↑ "The Armenian Embassy was opened in Vilnius - Press Releases - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia". www.mfa.am. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
  10. ↑ "Tigran Mkrtchyan (@TMkrtchyan) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
  11. ↑ "Embassy of Armenia in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia (@armemblit) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2018-04-14.

See also

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