22, Armenian Street/ Strada Armeneasca nr. 22
 
 

Strolling along the streets of the old city centre, between the Princes’ Court and the Golia Monastery, one can see the still proud towers of the Armenian church. The Armenian community in Moldavia is old indeed; it had begun to settle in the area even before the foundation of the principality and played a major role in the development of the state, its trade and its towns. An important migration generated by the Seljuk conquest and destruction of Ani brought Armenians to Crimea, Poland/Lithuania/Ukraine, Moldavia and Transylvania as early as the 12th century. The Armenian church in Cetatea Alba was probably built some time at the beginning of the 14th century (but there is a tombstone from the 10th century and Cilician coins from the 12th century were also found in the town). The church in Botosani was founded in 1350, and the church in Roman, in 1355 (according to the tradition, it was a wooden church purchased from the local Saxons). In 1365, the Armenian churches in Moldavia were assigned to the newly created bishopric in Lwow/Lviv. In 1389 we have the first mention of an Armenian church in Suceava (the new capital of the principality).

According to the inscription inside, the Armenian church in Iasi was built in 1395:

‘With the mercy of God the foundations of the church of the Holy Mother of God were laid through the assiduity of the priest Hagop and the hadji Makar. E. K. R. 1395’

This inscription is a birth certificate for both the Armenian community in Iasi and for the town itself. It shows that by the end of the 14^th century there was a community strong enough to build its own church – which means that the town was already quite important from an economic point of view. What is interesting is that it is also the first "document" connected with Iasi – the next one is (perhaps) a list of Moldavian towns in a Russian chronicle from Novgorod (also written in the 1390s), while the first internal document mentioning the town is a privilege offered by the prince Alexander the Good (1400 – 1432) to the merchants from Lwow/Lviv in 1408.

The authenticity of the inscription has been questioned at various times by various authors. However, the arguments brought forth by the sceptical side do not seem very strong. The inscription was uncovered during the renovation of 1803, a date when excesses of local patriotism were not yet fashionable. Moreover, the foundation date is quite similar with those of other Armenian churches in Moldavia, which were already mentioned as a group in 1365 and were numerous enough to form a diocese in 1401. While the inscription does not mention the date according to the Armenian calendar (starting in 551 AD), this is not such an unusual thing: there are cases of Armenian churches in Ani (the medieval capital of Armenia) where only the "Western" date is mentioned. It should also be said that some of the Armenians in Moldavia had actually come from Poland, where "Western" dates were used. The position of the church itself  (see map - it is the church with two towers near the note saying "Str. Sf. Sava") – close to the "Old Street" (today’s Costache Negri Street), supports the authenticity of the inscription.

The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, just like most of the Armenian churches in the area (the main church in Botosani, the churches in Chisinau, Roman, Focsani, Galati, Cetatea Alba, Targu Ocna, Constanta, two of the churches in Suceava).

There is a local tradition according to which the Romanian Orthodox church of St Sava was built on the initial place of the Armenian church in Old Street; Armenians received a compensation and built a new church close to the previous one. While the monastery of St Sava is mentioned as early as the beginning of the 15^th century, a document from the 17^th century mentions that the present church was built on the site of several houses belonging to the nobility. This casts doubt upon this particular tradition, although we still do not know precisely what may have generated it.

In July 1401, prince Alexander the Good (here is his seal) appointed a certain Hovhannes as the bishop of Armenians in Moldavia. The bishop had his residence in Suceava (the capital of Moldavia at the time) and was subordinated to the Armenian patriarch of Constantinople. Privileges granted by Alexander soon brought 700 Armenian families to Suceava, while in 1418 a further 3000 Armenian families were settled in seven Moldavian towns: Suceava, Iasi, Botosani, Dorohoi, Vaslui, Galati, Hotin. (The list of towns has about three slightly different versions, but Iasi is on all of them).

The two decades following Alexander’s reign bear some more Armenian traces. A German traveller mentions Iasi under the Oriental name of Asis Bazar, probably taken from local Armenian merchants. In 1451 a Gospel copied in 1351 in Kaffa (Crimea) by a certain Garabet was donated to the Armenian church in Iasi (today you can see it in the Armenian Museum in Bucharest).

The reign of Stephen the Great (1457 – 1504), Alexander the Good’s grandson, was the classical period of Moldavian history. It was also a prosperous period for the Armenian community, which benefited from the improvement in trade and general economic activities in the region. Armenian merchants had a quasimonopoly on Moldavia’s main trade – cattle; they also exported wheat, wax and wine and imported goods from as far as Germany or India. Their permanent movement along routes linking Crimea or the Moldavian Black Sea ports of Chilia and Cetatea Alba with Lwow/Lviv or Danzig/Gdansk helped maintain contacts between Armenian communities in the region. Several thousand Armenian families settled in Moldavia at the beginning of Stephen’s reign; more followed after the fall of Kaffa – a leading commercial town and Armenian centre in Crimea – to the Turks in 1475. The Armenian refugees settled in several Moldavian towns – Iasi was again one of them.

Moldavia’s ports (with large Armenian communities) were also to fall to the Turks in 1484, in spite of Stephen’s efforts to defend them. Some of the Armenians in Cetatea Alba were moved to Constantinople. The "Moldavian route" was now blocked, although trade with Poland and Germany continued. Beside its negative consequences on trade, this also weakened the links between Armenian communities and made their assimilation easier.

By the beginning of the 16^th century, Armenians had built for themselves a strong position in Moldavian society. During the following centuries, their communities (to which new members were added by unfortunate events in Armenia and other regions) would share the ups and downs in the history of the principality.

The Armenian church in Iasi, as well as those in Suceava and Roman, were damaged during the political strife of Stephen Rares’s brief reign (1551-1552). They would be repaired soon afterwards. It is quite possible that the present form of the Zamca monastery in Suceava (first mentioned as the bishop’s residence in 1415) may date from this period, although there is a tradition suggesting a later date (1606). New unpleasant events during Stephen Tomsa’s brief reign (1564) helped convince Armenians to keep a low profile in the volatile world of Moldavian politics.

In 1565, Iasi became capital of Moldavia. However, the see of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia was only moved from Suceava several decades later. As a rule, Armenian bishops remained in their traditional residence in Suceava.

In 1572, John, the (self-entitled) son of prince Bogdan (Stephen the Great’s son and heir) and the Armenian Serpega, became prince of Moldavia. Popular with the peasants and opposed by the nobility, he would lose his life in an unsuccessful fight against the Turks. Historians of different persuasions called him John the Valiant, John the Terrible or simply John the Armenian. Two of his Armenian (half-) brothers also briefly became princes of Moldavia: John (also known as Nicoara Potcoava) and Alexander/Peter the Cossack. The Armenian community and church in Iasi were soon to be affected by the Cossack invasion in 1594, during the reign of prince Aron the Tyrant.

The beginning of the 17^th century was marked by wars between the Ottomans and the Persians, with disastrous consequences for Armenia. This brought a new wave of Armenians to the Romanian principalities. The communities in Wallachia and Moldavia increased their numbers and new churches were built – such as the church of the Trinity in Botosani or St Simon's church in Suceava – or renovated: the old churches in Botosani, Iasi, Roman, the churches of Zamca Monastery. Indeed, the present shape of St Mary’s church in Iasi quite likely dates from the 17^th century. The church in Roman – rebuilt in the 1670s – is in a similar style.

It was in 1605 that a new Armenian church was built in Iasi, in Shoemakers’ Street, close to the old church of St Mary. The new church was dedicated to St Gregory the Enlightener. During the 17^th and 18^th centuries the church received donations of valuable church books, some of them still preserved to this day. In 1782 a porch would be added to this church through the contribution of the community. In the 1620s we also find mentions of Armenian bishops residing in Iasi rather than Suceava.

The period of Vasile Lupu’s reign (1634 – 1653) was an era of relative peace and prosperity for Moldavia. It was a particularly good period for the Iasi – the Court was rebuilt in rich and elegant style, new beautiful churches were built, the population of traders and craftsmen increased. In 1646, the Catholic bishop Marcus Bandinus mentions an Armenian school in Iasi. Just like in other Moldavian towns such as Suceava, Botosani or Roman, Armenians in Iasi had their own guild (yeghbayrutiun), grouping together merchants and a wide variety of craftsmen. The guild of mindirigii (bedspread makers) was dominated by Armenians until the abolition of the guild system in the second half of the 19^th century. The Main Street (today called Stefan cel Mare/Stephen the Great Boulevard) and the Old Street (Costache Negri), the main commercial street in town, were strewn with Armenian shops.

While Armenian churches in Moldavia are closer to the local rather than the original style of their motherland, Moldavian architecture itself shows a considerable Armenian influence. One of the best examples is the church of the Three Hierarchs, built by Vasile Lupu, the most beautiful church in Iasi.

In 1650, Vasile Lupu had to fight a Cossack invasion which marked the end of this brief peaceful period. Towards the end of the 17^th century Moldavia became a battleground in the wars between Poland and the Ottoman Empire. In 1672, when Moldavia saw a powerful Turkish invasion – the church of St Nicholas in Iasi was turned into a mosque for a while –, a large group of Moldavian Armenians led by their bishop took refuge in Transylvania. The names of some of the refugees (Ashtzi, for instance) prove that they had left from Iasi. During the same period, Armenians in Poland had to accept the union with the Catholic church; some of those who refused settled in Moldavia, contributing to the recovery of the local Armenian community.

The 18^th century was a period of stagnation for the Armenian community. The principality had been seriously affected by the wars; more conflicts were on the way. The Porte chose to replace native princes with mainly Greek Phanariotes. The economic development of the region was stalled due to incredibly high taxes, political instability and frequent invasions. Greek competition over trade increased. Towards the end of the century, some of the Armenians tried to receive foreign (Austrian or Russian) citizenship as an insurance policy. Still, we have books (1706, 1787) and icons (1777, 1793) donated to the church in Iasi during that period. The last pre-Phanariote prince of Moldavia (more scholar than prince), Dimitrie Cantemir (1693, 1710 – 1711) includes a reference to Armenians in his Descriptio Moldaviae ("The Description of Moldavia") written for the German Academy in Berlin. Armenians are mentioned first among the "other nations" living in Moldavia; according to Cantemir, their churches were just as large and beautiful as those of Romanians. In 1735, during the reign of Constantin Mavrocordat, a fire started from the ‘large Armenian church’ and destroyed much of the Upper Town and Sararie Street, also damaging the church of Golia monastery.

The first half of the 19^th century saw the beginning of a re-birth of the Armenian communities in Moldavia, with Iasi as one of the leading centres. Following the earthquake in 1802, the church of St Mary was comprehensively restored in 1803. A new Armenian school was founded in the same year; its building (now renovated) can still be seen today near the church. (Several other Armenian schools were (re)opened during this period, including the one in Suceava). In 1841, during the reign of prince Mihail Sturza, the Armenian school was recognized and offered special privileges by the Moldavian government The school had 73 pupils and its curriculum included Armenian and French besides the objects usually studied in public schools. In order to provide local Armenians with higher education, Cristea Caracas founded a school which later on became one of the best private schools for girls in Iasi.

The Phanariote regime was abolished in 1821 and the Treaty of Adrianople (1829) restored the freedom of Moldavian and Wallachian trade. (On the other hand, the principality of Moldavia had lost half of its territory – Armenian communities included – to Russia and Austria). After a long period of relative stagnation, Romanian culture in the twin principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia started a period of fast development. The Armenian community tried (successfully) to keep pace with these new developments. The initial leader of the Moldavian "renaissance", Gheorghe Asachi (of Armenian origin, of course…) started printing one of the first Romanian newspapers – Albina romaneasca – in 1829; his printing shop also had an Armenian printing press, mainly used for church books. Asachi was also the founder of technical education, the initiator of the first theatre performances in Romanian, one of the founders of the new Academy… Armenian organisations – we still have the statute of the youth organisation in Iasi – tried to preserve and strengthen Armenian traditions (members were obliged and to attend church, to support the school … and to sing Christmas carols on the penalty of a fine…). Since the local Armenian bishop had been moved to Chisinau, under Russian rule, the local church was reorganised – it was governed by a council of five lay members, which was also in charge of opening new schools, managing common assets and solving conflicts within the community. In 1856, the documents prescribing the union between Moldavia and Wallachia proclaimed the principle of equality between all Christian citizens of the principalities, regardless of their nationality.

Armenian craftsmen and merchants retained a prominent role in the economic life of the city. While the increasing Jewish population gradually came to dominate trade, Armenians still had their own specialised niches. Some of them were among the first local bankers; others were jewellers or traded in Oriental goods. There were famous Armenian inns, such as that of the Missiriant family in Old Street. As late as 1900, Armenian women were in high demand for preparing the dowries of girls from the high society. There also were wealthy Armenian landowners and bailiffs. Although Armenians were not concentrated in any particular part of the town, we have mentions of at least two "Armenian Quarters" - one of them somewhere between the White Church and the Beylik.

The second half of the 19^th century witnessed the beginning of the decline of the Armenian community in Iasi. The city was no longer a capital and the economic development of the region was relatively slower. The church of St Gregory was severely damaged by the great fire in 1827; plans to restore it around 1860 (and to build a primary school for girls in its vicinity) were abandoned and the church had to be demolished in 1899. The church of St Mary had two priests in 1860; in 1900 there was only one left. The use of the Armenian language declined, partly due to the progress of the public system of education. The local Armenian dialect had almost completely vanished by the end of the century. The Armenian school was finally closed in 1923.

A new Armenian graveyard – with a chapel – was established in 1876. Before this date Armenians were buried around the church; tombstones from the 18^th and 19^th centuries can still be seen today.

After the genocide of 1915 the Armenian community in Romania established an orphanage in Strunga, near Iasi. Several "new" Armenian families (such as Magardician, Melikian, Terzian) settled in Iasi, although most of the Armeni ans coming to Romania in 1895 or 1915 – 1920 preferred the south of the country. In 1929 the Armenian church was renovated – the last renovation to date…

Just like many other places in the world, Iasi has also seen its fair share of personalities of Armenian origin. After the union of 1859, the city tried to promote itself as the cultural capital of Romania, and played a major role in the development of modern Romanian literature. In its first year (1860), the local university had 160 students, two of which were Armenian. Soon after that, a group of young people founded "Junimea" ("The Youth"), a cultural society that shaped the "classical period" of Romanian literature. Some of the members of this society, including its secretary and historian, Iacob Negruzzi, were of Armenian descent. One of the first Romanian philosophers, Vasile Conta, was the (materialistic…) son of an Armenian priest. Here is the Pogor House, where the members of the group used to meet. Today it's the Museum of Romanian Literature.

"Junimea"’s tradition of literary excellence was continued by the group of "Viata romaneasca" ("Romanian Life") led by the Armenian Garabet Ibraileanu. The journal helped preserve the city’s leading status in Romanian literature at the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th. Born in the same small town (Targu Frumos) as Garabet Ibraileanu, Grigore Trancu-Iasi would be Romania’s first minister for social security, while his sister would be the first Romanian woman-surgeon. Composers Carol Miculi, Gavriil Musicescu and Mihail Jora helped shape the local – and national – musical tradition. Nutzi Acontz was one of the important painters of the period between the two world wars. Families such as Buiucliu, Missir, Aburel, Negruzzi, Hudic, Caracas, Malhasovici, Sava, Socor, Manea, Burdea provided generations of MPs (and even mayors), lawyers, writers, composers, theatre directors, University professors, enlightened sponsors of cultural enterprise…

Today, the Armenian community in Iasi is a shadow of its former self – although the "quality" of its few remaining members is still above average. There are only about 50 (mixed) families, the knowledge of Armenian is extremely limited and the church (served by a priest who has to cover the whole of Moldavia) is in a critical condition. Six hundred years of history are slowly dying out.