200-year old Armenian church in Moldova becomes sanctuary for foreigners

CHISINAU, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Janna Hovhannisyan is among those rare residents of Moldova, who enjoy visiting St. Theotokos Church not only on Sundays, but the other days as well. Living far from the motherland never was an obstacle for her to bring her children up as true Armenians. Mrs. Janna finds that the Armenian language plays the main role in the preservation of the Armenian identity in Moldova and other Armenian communities as well.

Among other things Mrs. Janna noted: “The Moldavians are good people, notwithstanding they do not have much in common with the Armenians. But they also are very hospitable.” The “Armenpress” reporter had a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community of Moldova in the Armenian church located right in the centre of the city.

The Armenian church built yet in 1802 in Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, is one of the significant spiritual, literary, and cultural centers, which unites the Armenian community of Moldova.

80-year old representative of the local Armenian community Zinaida Petrosyan, who migrated from Baku, stated: “The Russians, Ukrainians, and Moldavians visit our church along with the Armenians. They always repeat that there is a favorable atmosphere in here, which helps to relax.”

Article by Tatevik Grigoryan