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06.09.2012

ACTIVITY OF THE ARMENIAN EVANGELICALS IN ARTSAKH

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Tigran Ghanalanyan
Expert of the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation

Artsakh has been a stage for the activity of the Armenian Evangelicals for about two hundred years. In both pre-Soviet and post-Soviet periods the Evangelicals played and still play considerable role there. The study of the issue has become even more topical taking into consideration an exceptional role of Artsakh for the Armeniancy and the challenges its faces.

Basel Evangelical Missionary Society, which obtained a permit of the Russian authorities to establish centers, schools, printing houses in the Caucasus in order to spread Christianity among non-Christian population, played a significant role in the establishment of Evangelism in Artsakh. This initiative was managed by the European ministers and the most outstanding among them were Avgust Dietrich and Felician Zaremba.

The Swiss missionaries established in the center of Artsakh Shushi in 1823 by the assent of the tsarist authorities. At first they were involved in the educational activity as well as they established ties with the spiritual and intellectual circles. The ministers Dietrich and Haag learned Armenian, the latter learned Karabakh dialect. Here their companion was Mirza Farukh (Harutyun Galstyan)1.

In 1823 Swiss missionaries bought land property in Shushi in order to build training school, printing house and other buildings. After that the missionaries centered their attention on education. In 1827 training school and printing house were open. In that school pupils studied Armenian, read Gospel, and made translations from Grabar to Ashkharhabar and visa-versa.

The school played a significant role because its graduates, with a partial assistance of the missionaries, opened schools in the city and villages. Two of such schools were in Shushi, five in the villages; each of them had 20-30 pupils. A historian Leo wrote about the educational activity of the Protestant missionaries: “...the European Protestants who pursued religious goals gave Armenian children a kind of education which, being religious, was a very beautiful educational novelty. It laid down the foundations of public education in Karabakh and in this aspect the “lemsin shkol” (German school) was similar to the Nersesian School in Tiflis, which founder long before that realized grate meaning of public education and made the school available for the broad masses”2.

In June 1831 in response to the protests against them, the missionaries submitted to the Minister of National Education the results of their activity. In particular, the number of the pupils of the school since opening had reached 130 people.

It is remarkable that by opening a school the Evangelical missionaries from Basel planned to involve Armenian graduates in disseminating Christianity among the Muslims3.

The printing house opened at the same time with the school in Shushi was remarkable phenomenon. Religious literature was published there. At the same time Basel Evangelical Missionary Society was publishing literature in the Armenian in Moscow. Thus in Shushi and in Moscow the missionaries published 11.679 copies in Armenian, 728 copies in Persian, 147 copies in Turkish and 100 copies in Hebrew. On the Armenian books the names of the then catholicos and person who authorized printing of those books were mentioned4.

From the very beginning Swiss missionaries stated that their activity would be directed to the conversion to the Christianity only pagans and Muslims, as for the Christians they would only spread Bible among them. But in reality their actions did not only pursued educational goals or spreading religious literature, but it also resulted in the situation when Christians began changing their confession.

Without taking into consideration their intention to spread their activity among non-Christians, the missionaries concentrated their attention mostly at the Armenians. In 1823 they wrote about it: “Though we intend initially to spread the Gospel only among the Armenians and establish schools for them, but our real goal is to spread a word of God among the Muslims in the near future”5.

Since early 1830s the Armenian clergy’s attitude towards the Protestant missionaries had become negative. Information was received that two of ... of Sevan adopted Protestantism, which caused great discontent. They turned to the authorities to stop conversion. This had a negative effect on the authority of the missionaries, their pupils started to leave their schools. Russian authorities interfered: in particular in January 1835 the governor of the Caucasus Rozen sent a message to the Minister of Home Affairs in which he protected the stance of the Armenian clergy and supposed that the activity of the Basel missionaries was no more acceptable. Rozen substantiated his point of view by the fact that the missionaries concentrated their attention exclusively at the Armenians which caused discontent of the Armenians; meanwhile no Muslim was ever converted to Christianity. For this reason the government decided to prohibit the missionary activity of the Basel ministers. It was also prohibited to admit Armenian young people to the missionary schools. As a result, in 1837 the missionaries selling their property in Shushi left the city. Leo assesses the activity of the Basel missionaries in Shushi in the following way: “…the activity of the Basel missionaries in Shushi was not only of local, but of Armenian and Caucasian significance” 6.

After the Basel missionaries’ departure local Armenian Evangelicals tried to adjust the community life by themselves. In 1860s there were 28 Protestant houses in Shushi. Though later their number increased, the Armenian Protestants in Shushi had not have a church till 1880s when their number reached 100. In 1865 after graduating Basel Theological School an Armenian Protestant form Shushi Abraham Amirkhanyan returned to Shushi and opened a school. But due to the obstacles put in his way by the local clergy that school did not work long. In July 1885 in press a discussion of a judicial process between the Armenian Evangelicals and Apostolics in Shushi was raised. According to legal case 15 families were the adherents of the Protestantism, held meetings, but the religious rites for them were served by the Armenian Apostolic clergy. As a result the relations between the Apostolic and Evangelical Armenians had even aggravated and among the latter the idea of separating from the Armenian Apostolic church became dominant and in order to bring this idea to life they tuned to the government. In 1889 the Armenian Protestants in Shushi were divided into two groups – Baptists and Evangelicals. In 1890 the first Armenian Baptist church was opened in Shushi. In 1890s immigration of the Armenian Protestants to Baku was gaining a momentum and this process served as ground for strengthening of the Armenian Evangelical community in Baku7.

Spreading of Protestantism in Artsakh which was a part of the Russian Empire was also conditioned by processes which proceeded in the spiritual life of the whole state. At that time Protestantism and especially Lutheranism was wide spread all over the Russian Empire. Thus according to the first all-Russian census in 1897 the number of the Lutherans was more that 3.5 million (the entire population of the empire was 125 million people)8.

The events of the first two decades of the 20th century played a decisive role in the life of the Armenian Evangelicals in Artsakh either. Sharing a destiny of the whole Armenian nation the Armenian Evangelicals of Artsakh also went through various trials and as a result the community life was weakened. It is difficult to speak about the community activity of the Armenian Evangelicals in Artsakh in the period from 1920s till the Artsakh movement. On the one hand the Armenian Evangelicals were a subject of state’s anti-religious persecutions in the USSR, on the other hand being a part of the Soviet Azerbaijan the Armenian Evangelicals were victimized on ethnic grounds (just like the rest of the Armeniancy). So the activity of the Armenian Protestants re-flourished only alongside with the Artsakh movement and national-liberation war.

After the beginning if Artsakh movement and war the Armenian Evangelicals re-started activity in Artsakh. For the NKR which appeared in difficult situation the Armenian Evangelical organizations were of big importance, in particular it regards the activity of the Armenian Missionary Association of America. It includes educational, benevolent, cultural, health and other spheres. After the war AMAA took under its wardship 100 families which had 5 or more children in Stepanakert, Shushi, Askeran9.

In 1996 near Karkar river summer camps for children were organized, which hosted in 1996-1998 2000 children. This camp was built by a youth volunteer group of the Armenian Churches of the US and Canada. This is an exemplary phenomenon when a pan-Armenian organization involves young people from the Diaspora in the revival of Artsakh. Such initiatives can contribute to both solution of the economic problems of Artsakh and consolidation of the ties of the Armenians from Diaspora with Armenia and nationwide unity.

On July 14, 1998 timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the AMAA, new office was opened in Artsakh, and in this connection the executive director of the AMAA Movses Chanpazian said: “It is destined to become a center of Christian service, Christian presence, a symbol of the part of the Armeniancy of the Diaspora which is rallied round the AMA and want to state by this that Artsakh is Armenian and it will stay Armenian, and there should be investments made in Artsakh”10.

By the efforts of the Association water supply of the village Kichan in Martakert region was adjusted. In 1999 the first aid post of the village was opened. The AMAA carries out eager benevolent activity in Shushi either. In 2003 the repair works of the water supply of Khachen village in the Askeran region were finished11. Due to the efforts of the AMAA painting, singing, musical, crafts circles are opened; additional Armenian and foreign languages classes are organized in schools. The association contributed to publishing text-books, distributed a lot of Christian literature.

The activity of the president of the AMAA Movses Chanpazian was of great importance. In 2000 the president of NKR Arkadi Ghukasyan while speaking about him said: “...His support to the families of the deceased soldiers, needy families is invaluable. He made contribution to the solution of the problems our health system faced”12. In 2005 it has been 10 years since the AMAA started its activity in the NKR and in this connection the delegation of the AMAA met the then president of the NKR Arkadi Ghukasyan. In his letter devoted to the 90th anniversary of the AMAA the prime-minister of NKR A. Harutyunyan wrote to the representative of the AMAA in the Republic of Armenia and NKR Rene Leonian: “...I highly appreciate general activity of the Armenian Missionary Association of America and cordially congratulate this organization with its 90th anniversary. We can see the results of their activity in Artsakh either, and our compatriots are also grateful for that. We are looking forward for even more active cooperation between your organization and government of the NKR directed to the solution of a number of urgent issues”13.

In September 2011 a meeting between the president of the NKR Bako Sahakyan and AMAA mission took place at which they discussed their achievements and future projects. And November Bako Sahakyan visited the headquarters of the AMAA in New Jersey where he met the executive director of the AMAA Levon Filian and other representatives of the organization. The Head of the Artsakh Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan participated in that meeting too. At the meeting of the NKR authorities and AMAA representatives projects carried out in Artsakh were discussed; president Sahakyan particularly mentioned contribution of the association to the formation of the pre-school education network in Karabakh14.

It should be mentioned that besides the AMAA French “Hope for Armenia” organization is also working in Artsakh.

Today there are 13 Armenian Evangelical structures in Artsakh. The only Armenian Evangelical Church is situated in Stepanakert15. There are AMAA offices in Stepanakert, Shushi and Askeran. The most numerous among these structures are kindergartens which are situated in Stepanakert, Shushi, Askeran, Hadrut, and Martakert. Besides, there are two camps in Shushi and Stepanakert and Armenian Evangelical library in Shushi16. It is obvious that the centers of the Armenian Evangelicals in Atrsakh are Shushi and Stepanakert. It has its explanation as Stepanakert is the capital of NKR as well as the biggest population center of Artsakh and Shushi has always been of exceptional historical, political, strategic, cultural, spiritual significance not only for Artsakh but for the entire Armeniancy. Besides Shushi and Stepanakert there are Armenian Evangelical structures in Askeran, Hadrut and Martakert. The total number of the Armenian Evangelicals in the NKR is approximately 200 people.

Such a geographic coverage seems to be quite reasonable and sufficient at first sight but what strikes one’s eyes is that Martuni region, which is second, after Stepanakert, tensely populated center, is not included. Besides the Armenian Evangelicals do not have structures in such vital for Artsakh and entire Armeniancy regions as Shahumyan and Kashatagh.

The fact that the activity of Armenian Evangelical structures is mostly directed to the solution of educational, social, economic issues of Artsakh should be hailed. It means that their activity is mainly directed to the solution of nationwide issues. It becomes obvious that working within the national field and not pointing out confessional differences is of primary importance. This fact may have very positive effect for making the relations between Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Evangelical Churches in Artsakh even closer.

Thus, the Armenian Evangelicals in Artsakh, being an integral part of the Armeniancy, spread eager activity in the NKR. Here not only local but also organizations from the RA and Diaspora are involved which contributes to strengthening of Armenia (RA, NKR) – Diaspora relations. The activity of the Armenian Evangelicals contributes to the strengthening of Artsakh which receives high appraisal of the NKR authorities. In order to make the activity of the local Evangelical organizations even more efficient and make it to serve for the global nationwide strategic issues of the Armeniancy it is of vital importance to set cooperation with the Armenian Apostolic Church and particularly with the Artsakh Dioceses.

1Ղազարյան Ա., Լևոնյան Ռ.Ն., Հայաստանյայց Ավետարանական եկեղեցի (Հայաստան-Կովկաս), Երևան, 1999, էջ 81։

2Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի (1838-1913), Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 90:

3Ատանալեան Կ.Պ., Յուշարձան Հայ Աւետարանականաց եւ Աւետարանական եկեղեցւոյ, Ֆրեզնո, 1952, էջ 182։

4Լէօ, mentioned work., p. 92-93:

5Ibid, p. 88-89:

6Ibid, p. 89:

7Ղազարյան Ա., Լևոնյան Ռ.Ն., mentioned work., p. 88-95։

8Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897г. Распределение населения по вероисповеданиям и регионам, http://www.archipelag.ru/ru_mir/religio/statistics/said/statistics-imp/

9See «Հայաստանյայց Ավետարանական Եկեղեցի», Երևան, 1997, N 1, էջ 23:

10Ibid, 1999, N 2, p. 15:

11Ibid, 2003, N 3, p. 23:

12Ibid, 2000, N 4, p. 17:

13Ibid, 2008, N 3, p. 6:

14See "AMAA news", 2011, N 4, p. 17.

15The Armenian Evangelical church in Stepanakert was founded in 2003. At first the number of the local Evangelicals was 60 and according to the 2011 number it was 124. There is a Sunday school within the church. Ibid, 2006, N 1, p. 9.

16See AMAA Directory 2012: Armenian Evangelical Churches, Institutions, Organizations, Pastors and Christian Workers Worldwide, p. 13. http://amaa.org/Directory for website.pdf

“Globus” analytical journal, #8, 2012

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