Categories: CultureWorld

The Armenian Holy Mother Of God Church In Nice, France

The Armenian Apostolic Church in Nice is represented by the Holy Mother of God Church (Surb Astvatsatsin Church) located on Madeleine Boulevard in the “Armenian Quarter”. The nearby bus stop interestingly is called “Cité Armeniénne” (“Armenian City”).

The church was established mainly at the expense of philanthropist Tigran Chamkertyan. It was built by Armenian refugees who had settled in the area (no one had lived here before the Armenians). Their descendants say that after the working day, their grandfathers would proceed with building the church, and the children would play nearby.

The first stone was laid on August 17, 1927, and the consecration of the church was done on January 6, 1928, by Bishop Grigoris Palakyan.

In the basement floor of the church, there used to be a school. The Parsamyan School Complex located nearby would be built later.

The first Armenians appeared here in 1923 (confirmed by city records), while the “Armenian quarter” was founded in 1924-1925.

Russian original from Michael Osipov

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

Tork Angegh: Storm, Stone, and the Oldest Face of the Armenian Pantheon

Long before Armenia's kings raised churches over pagan sanctuaries, before Hellenism folded Vahagn into Herakles…

2 days ago

The Goat on the Armenian Highland: A Symbol Older Than Writing

Introduction Long before Urartian kings inscribed their names in cuneiform on the cliffs of Van,…

5 days ago

“Summon Against Her the Kingdoms of Ararat”: Urartu-Armenia in the Prophecy Against Babylon

A Coalition Beneath the Mountain Among the oracles of judgment collected in the Book of…

6 days ago

The Tower That Never Left Us: From the Susi Shrine of Ancient Van to the Obelisk Above the Yerevan Cascade

If you have ever climbed the Cascade in Yerevan and looked up at the tall,…

1 week ago

Hayravank Monastery: The “Father Monastery” of Lake Sevan and the Legend of the Doves

On a rocky promontory above the southwestern shore of Lake Sevan, at an elevation of…

2 weeks ago

Scythian Ceremonial Swords and the Art of the Van Kingdom (Urartu)

Among the most arresting objects to survive from the Early Iron Age Near East are…

2 weeks ago