In general Armenians are/were Gregorian. However, there are/were Armenian Catholic communities in Turkey - One such was the village of Pirkinik. There was also a substantial Catholic Armenian Community in Pera/Beyoglu/Galata in Constantinople.

"A Catholic Armenian community formed in the early 19th century in Beyoglu through their contact with the French Levantines*, which facilitated the commercial relations with the latter and enabled the Catholic Armenians to get rich, as can be seen through the imposing buildings rising all along the avenue. One of them was Abraham who got the title of Pasha and to whom belonged the building inside which was opened the "Cercle d'Orient", the poshest club of the time, located before Halep Pasaji (Cite d'Alep)."

ISTANBUL Turkey Web Guide

The Armenian Catholic Churches in Istanbul Connected to the Azarian Family

Records available through the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) indicate that Abraham Azarian and Lucy Hagopian/Arivian married and had their children baptized in the Armenian Catholic Churches of Surp Savour, Holy Trinity and Surp Ohannes Vosgeperan as follows:

• Abraham Azarian married Ezisabet Hagopian on May 25, 1895 in Surp Savour.
• Gadarine Azarian was baptized October 6, 1896 in Surp Savour
• Christine was baptized March 28, 1899 in Holy Trinity Church.
• Melcon was baptized March 17, 1901 in Surp Savour.
• Zabel was baptized October 5, 1903 in Surp Ohannes (Hovhan) Vosgeperan.
• Virginia was baptized December 4, 1905 in Surp Ohannes (Hovhan) Vosgeperan
• Anna was baptized May 18, 1908 in Surp Savour .
• Mary was baptized _____ 21 1910 in Surp Savour.
• Alice was baptized December 27, 1914 in Surp Savour.

On a trip to Istanbul in 2005, Eileen and Ron Claveloux tried, without success, to locate the three churches connected to the Azarian family. However, Eileen did bring back a map that has helped me to specifically locate the church of St Savior. The map was also helpful in narrowing down the locations of the two other churches in question.

In the meantime I got a book (alas, in French) which is about the Armenian Catholic Churches in Istanbul. While it does not contain any addresses it did enable me to determine the various "names" of St. Savior, St. John Chrisostomus and Holy Trinity in French and Turkish and this facilitated finding listings for them on the Internet.

In May 2008 Tom and I visited Turkey for a week. We spent five days in Istanbul and we could not have had a more fabulous adventure. We were blessed to have the Çapan brothers, Levon and Koko as our guides and translators. Levon is a colleague of my husband, Tom. His brother Koko is a funeral director in Istanbul. Koko's place of business is, in fact, right next door to the church of Surp Hovan Vosgeperan. Not only did they take us around to the three churches that were connected to the Azarians, but they took us to the Armenian Catholic Cemetery in Sisli and showed us the Azarian mausoleum and the Pirkinik plot. (Having a funeral director as your guide to a cemetery helps a lot.) In addition, Koko and Levon arranged an audience with the Armenian Catholic Archbishop, Hovhannes Çolakyan, at the Catholic Armenian Patriarch Building.

We were able to visit the interiors of Surp Hisus Pirgic and Surp Hovan Vosgeperan, but it appears that Surp Yerrortutyun has been closed for some time.

Armenian Churches of Istanbul

Levon Çapan and his wife, Ani, are Armenians born in Istanbul. They very generously gave me Istanbul Ermeni Kiliseleri (Armenian Churches of Istanbul) by Pars Tuglaci (1991).

This book deals mainly with the Armenian Apostolic churches in Istanbul. There is, however, a section on the Armenian Catholic Churches.

Pars Tuglaci says there are 12 Armenian Catholois Churches in Istanbul. The oldest was Saint Jesus the Saviour founded in 1832.

Foreign missionaries in Turkey and Iran tried to convert members of the Apostolic Church to Roman Catholicism as early as 1630. One of the areas where they had some success in these conversion attempts was in Sivas. However, the Armenian Catholic church was not recognized until 1830 when Sultan Mahmed II issued a "firman" (royal decree) on January 6, declaring the Catholic Armenians a separate "millet" (a non-Muslim group or community in Turkey organized under a religious head of its own who exercises civil functions of importance [Webster]).

Stephan Azarian was the Armenian Catholic Patriarch from 1881 to 1889. He died in May 1899. I do not know if he was related to Abraham Azarian.

The maps that Tuglaci includes indicate that the Armenian Apostolic community was spread throughout the city and the Armenian Catholic community was concentrated in the "European" section of Beyoghlu, which included the subsection of Galata and Karakoy.

Holy Saviour (Saint Jesus the Savior)

Holy Saviour (Saint Jesus the Savior) Armenian Catholic Church is located on Kemeralti Cadessi, Galata, Karakoy, Istanbul (not far from the Galata Bridge). Saint Sauveur de Galata in French and Surp Hisus Pirgiç in Turkish

Surp Hisus Pirgiç Church was the first Armenian Catholic church in Istanbul. Built in 1834 with the permission of Sultan Mahmut II it served as the patriarchal seat from 1850 up to 1928, when the Patriarch moved to Beirut. In 1928 the headquarters of the diocese of Istanbul moved to the Armenian Cathedral (St Mary, Surp Azdvadzadzin) on Sakizagaci off Istakal Cadessi in Pera/Beyoglu.

Up until 1834, Armenian Catholics attended the church French Churhc of St Benedict, where masses were said in French, Greek, Armenian and Turkish.

The side of the building is on Kemeralti Cadessi with shops on the ground floor. The entrance is via a small courtyard on the west side. The church has no particular style. It has recently been restored.

Holy Saviour (Saint Jesus the Savior) is the church at which Abram and Lucy were married in 1895, Catherine was baptized in 1896, Melcon was baptized in 1901, Anna was baptized in 1908, Mary was baptized in 1910 and Alice was baptized in 1914.

This icon of the Virgin is credited with stopping a plague.

Holy Trinity (Surp Yerrortutyun ) Beyoglu

Eglise Sainte Trinite in French and Aya Triada Ermeni Katolik Kilisese or Surp Yerrortutyun in Turkish.

Holy Trinity Surp Yerrortutyun (Uchoran) Kilisesi was built in 1770. It is not known when it came under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholic Patriarch. The church is up a small alley called Perukar Çikmazi (the wig maker's alley) off Istalkal Caddesi (Odakule Yani). It is tucked next to the the 22 story glass high rise office building known as Odakule Center built in 1972.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the Internet as to when this church was built. John & Brendan Freely "A Guide to Beyoglu say:

"At the next corner we come to a cul-de-sac call Perukar Cikmazi "the Dead-End of the Wig-Maker." At the inner end of the cul-de-sac we see the Armenian Catholic church of Surp Yeratutyun (Holy Trinity). The first church here was a wooden structure built by the Armenian Catholic community in 1699. The church was destroyed by fie in 1762 and was rebuilt as a masonry structure in 1774. During the years 182-54 the building was used to house high-ranking Catholic officials, and for a time it was also used as a church by the Austrian community. When Napoleon III visited Istanbul in 1855 he persuaded Sultan Abdul Aziz to give the church back to the Armenian Catholic community, who still retain possession of it."

This is the church in which Christine was baptized in 1899.

Saint John Chrypostoma, Surp Hovan Vosgeperan

Eglise Saint-Jean le Precurseur in French and Surp Hovan Vosgeperan (or Voskeperan) Ermeni Katolik Kilisese in Turkish, is listed in Kulluoglu/Taxim at Ana Cesme Sok 4. Ana Cesme Sok is located near Taksim Square behind the French Consulate. From Istiklal Caddesi take Zambok Sok to Ana Cesmesi Sok.

Surp Hovhan Vosgeperan was opened in 1863.

This is the church in which Zabel Azarian was baptized in 1903 and Virginia Azarian was baptized in 1905.

To see more photos of Istanbul churches go to Eglises, patriarcats et lieux de culte d'Istamboul

Why Did The Rites In The Azarian Family Take Place In Three Different Churches?

I have no real idea how the Armenian community in Istanbul functioned. However, based on on other communities I have researched in Europe and America rites were usually performed in the local congregation. Therefore, it is possible that the changes in churches reflect changes of address for the Azarian family in Constantinople in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Armenian Catholic Churches in New York and New Jersey

I have not been able to find what church the family may have attended in New York and New Jersey. There do not seem to have been specific Armenian Catholic churches in the area at the time.

Armenian Catholic Exarchate and St. Ann's Armenian Catholic Cathedral (New York) East 12 Street, in the East Village Tel: 212-477-2030. St Ann's on 12th Street in the East Village was built about 1847 as a Baptist church and was briefly used as a Jewish temple before becoming St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in 1871. The Armenian Catholics were given use of the church by Cardinal Cooke in 1983. The church closed in February 2004.

Mary Azarian made her communion at St Anthony's Church in 8th Street and Berginline Ave. Union City in 1924.

The Armenian Catholic Cemetery in Sisli

The entrance to the Armenian Catholic Cemetery in Sisli on Sisli Buyukdere Cadessi just above the Sisli Subway stop.

As a result of the great cholera epidemic of 1865 the government forbid burials inside the city. Before that date the Armenian communities who lived in Beyoglu had been buried in either the Pangalti Armenian Cemetery near Taksim (1560-1865) or the Roman Catholic Cemetery on the site of the present Taksim Park. Following 1865 the Armenian Catholics had their own cemetery in Sisli. The cemetery records indicate that 5,483 people were buried in the Sisli Catholic Armenian Cemetery between 1897 and 1929.

Tuglaci lists:

1. An Azarian "cenotaph" (a monument in honor of a person or persons buried elsewhere), no date. I do not know if there is any relationship to Abram Azarian.
2. Mausoleum of Arisdakes Azarian (1883). I do not know if there is any relationship to Abram Azarian.

The Armenian Catholic Cemetery in Sicli contains a section set aside the deceased from the village of Pirkinik (Sivas) .

Hosef Arevian born 1832, his son, Batist, and grandson, Hozef, were buried in this section of the cemetery. I believe that Hosef Arevian was either the father or step-father of Lucy Arevian/Hagopian. Batist was definitely related to Lucy Arevian Azarian.

See The Arevian/Hagopian Family

Other plaques where lying in a pile outside in back of the building. I quick search did not reveal any further inscribed stones.

*The filler which highlighted the information on the deceased has been removed from the stone so only the faint outline of the letters remain making it very hard to read the names.

Archbishop Hovhannes Çolakyan

In May 2008 Levan and Koko Çapan arranged for Tom and I to have an audience with the Armenian Catholic Archbishop Hovhannes Çolakyan. The Archbishop told us that some very wealthy Azarian brothers were very influential in Constantinople in the late 1800s. They were Armenain Catholics and were major contributers to the church. One of the brothers, Stepanos Petros Azarian, became the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. Archbishop Çolakyan believed that the family was from Perkinik.

Archbishop Çolakyan has written two books on the Armenian Catholic community of Constantinople/Istanbul: L'Eglise Armenienne Catholique en Turquie (The Armenian Catholic Churches in Turkey) and Farihi Surp Agop Hastanemizin Dunuu Ve Bugunu (I cannot find the translation). I actually had a copy of the L'Eglise Armenienne Catholique en Turquie which I bought on line before going to Turkey. The Archbishop gave me a copy of Farihi Surp Agop Hastanemizin Dunuu Ve Bugunu which, unfortunately, is in Armenian and Turkish. I believe that it is about the Armenian Hospital in Istanbul.