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8/6/2019 Protestant Armenians in Cyprus
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PROTESTANTARMENIANS
IN CYPRUSAlexander-MichaelHadjilyra
Ithe 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 asa millet in the Ottoman Empire.
The first Armenian Evangelicals in Cyprus came after
after the arrival of the British in July 1878. As they
were not committed, and very few, they quickly
became associated with the Mother Church, such as
Apisoghom Utidjian (Stepan's son), the official state
documents' translator between 2110811878-0110411919,
who served as Chairman of the Armenian Parish
Council in Nicosia for 30 years. In 1887 Rev. Henry
Easson from the Presbyterian Mission in Latakia came
to Larnaca and, together with Daoud Saada, in 1892
they set up a school (which some refugee Armenians
attended in 1896) and built a wooden chapel with an
iron framework. Between 1896-1903, missionary Dr.
William M. Moore operated a dispensary in Larnaca
and also visited the students of Pagouran's Orphanage
in Nicosia.
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 professorManuel Kassouni (1922-1962) established in 1923 the
HayakhosMioutiun (ArmenophonyAssociation) for his
Armenian students; in 1926he started a Sunday school
and between 1925-1928 he printed the Lousarpi
(Sunlight) newspaper. The Armenian students of the
Nicosia Academy were taught Armenian by Miss
Annine der Arsenian (1924-1961).
In 1925 Rev. Haroutiun Manoushagian from Adana
was appointed in Nicosia for 3 years. In 1927 a joint
Council of Elders was elected and the Mission helped
open the Armenian school in Famagusta. In 1933 the
Council separated Armenians, Greeks and Americans;
responsible for the Armenians were Revs. Youhanna
der Megerditchian (1933-1947) and Hagop Sagherian
1946-1954). On 2310711946 the Armenian Evangelical
church was inaugurated in the yard of the old
American Academy on Mahmoud Pasha str.; a kitchen
was added in 1959.
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 alarger 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,
was inaugurated on 1010311907 and did not belong to
In the 1950s gatherings were sometimes held in
Famagusta, Limassol and Amiandos. After a long-
lasting 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 theAmerican 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 visitedCyprus after 61 years and preached at the Armenian
Evangelical service in Nicosia.
In the 1930s, American Brethren missionaries
converted a small number of Armenians
(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 GreekEvangelical 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 ((RedCrescent)). 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 orprejudices 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.
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.
