 Saint Vardan Armenian church in Vilnius | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1477[1]-2500 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vilnius,Klaipėda | |
| Languages | |
| Armenian,Lithuanian,Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Armenian diaspora |
Armenians in Lithuania (Armenian:Հայերը Լիտվայում,romanized: Hayery Litvayum) refers to ethnic Armenians living inLithuania.
According to theLithuanian census of 2011 there were 1,233[2] Armenians in Lithuania. Armenian organizations put the number around 2,500.[3] According toSoviet 1989 census there are 1,655Armenians in Lithuania.[4] The Armenians live mainly inVilnius.
In theLate Middle Ages, Armenians inhabited the cities ofKyiv,Włodzimierz,Krzemieniec andŁuck in the southern part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania.[5] First Armenians in Vilnius were noted in 1501.[6] Armenians from Kyiv served as translators of Lithuanian envoys to the Tatarkhans in the 16th century.[7] After the main centers of Armenians in Lithuania passed to Poland within thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the settlement of Armenians in Lithuania was of an episodic nature and was due mainly to the needs of trade, although from the historical sources it is known, that Armenian school was established in 16th century Vilnius, Armenian guild in the 16th to 18th centuries Vilnius.[8] One of the most prominent painter of the 19th century in Lithuania wasJan Rustem (Armenian: Յան Ռուստամ).
The roots of the Armenian community now living in Lithuania traces back to migration occurring in the 20th century.
| census 19591 | census 19702 | census 19793 | census 19894 | census 20015 | census 20115 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| 471 | 0.02 | 508 | 0.02 | 955 | 0.03 | 1,655 | 0.04 | 1,477 | 0.04 | 1,233 | 0.04 | |
| 1 Source:[3].2 Source:[4].3 Source:[5].4 Source:[6].5 Source:[7]. | ||||||||||||
Community members estimated their count at 2500 in 2001.[9]
An Armenian community center was opened in year 2000.[9]
AKhachkar was erected in theHill of crosses in 2001 and in the center ofKaunas in 2004.
An Armenian church, St. Vardan, was opened in Vilnius in 2006.[10][11]
In 2011, the Armenian Embassy in Lithuania was opened.[12] Updates on Armenian cultural events in Lithuania can be found on the twitter page of the Armenian Ambassador to Lithuania.[13][14]
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| Historic areas of Armenian settlement | ||
| Caucasus | ||
| Former Soviet Union | ||
| Americas | ||
| Europe | ||
| Middle East | ||
| Asia | ||
| Africa | ||
| Oceania | ||
| Largestethnic minorities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Smallerethnic minorities | ||
| Other | ||
