Galatz

The Armenians were among the oldest settlers in Galaţi and they had already constructed a church and possibly had a local bishop by the 17^th century. This church or another one existed in late 18^th century, when it received a donation. In 1808 there were 30 Armenian houses in the neighbourhood, gathered around the Armenian Church which was burnt in 1821[1]. The number of believers remained rather constant throughout the 19^th century, numbering 254 believers in 1882 and 265 in 1890, but we have no information regarding their organisation as a juridical community.

Most Armenians were involved in trade and other local enterprises. In 1779 two Moldavian Armenians, Muses and Ovanez Căracaş, owned a slaughterhouse at Galaţi, and several of their brethren were involved in commercial exchanges with Constantinople[2]. The community remained gathered around the church, which was rebuilt in wood and was replaced in 1850 with the actual one[3]. An Armenian school existed in 1839, and another primary school was functional in 1851[4].

During the period 1889–1906 an Armenian printing press was functional at Galaţi, thanks to the efforts of priest Leon Papazian[5].

[1] Paul Păltănea, Istoria oraşului Galaţi de la origini până la 1918, second edition, edited by Eugen Drăgoi (Galaţi: Editura Partener, 2008), vol. I, 128; Fabian Anton, Istoria comunităţii armene din Galaţi (Bucharest: Ararat, 2005), 12–13.

[2] Păltănea, Istoria, I, 157.

[3] Anton, Istoria, 12–13.

[4] Păltănea, Istoria, I, 408.

[5] H. D. Sirnuni, “Tipăriturile armeneşti din România”, Revista istorică, 17:7–9 (1931), 167.

References

Web sites:

Archival sources:

Bibliography:

Anton, Fabian, Istoria comunităţii armene din Galaţi [The History of the Armenian Community of Galaţi] (Bucharest: Ararat, 2005).

Pacu, Moise N., Cartea Judeţului Covurlui. Note geografice, istorice şi în deosebi statistice [The Book of Covurlui County. Geographical, Historical and Mainly Statistical Notes] (Bucharest: Stabilimentul Grafic I. V. Socecu, 1891).

Păltănea, Paul, “Aburel – un neam armean stabilit la Galaţi în prima jumătate a secolului al XIX-lea” [Aburel – an Armenian Family Settled at Galaţi in the First Half of the 19^th Century], Danubius, 31 (2013), 59–70.

Păltănea, Paul, Istoria oraşului Galaţi de la origini până la 1918 [The History of Galaţi from Its Beginnings to 1918], second edition, edited by Eugen Drăgoi (Galaţi: Editura Partener, 2008).