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March 26, 2015
AGBU Holland Discovers the Vibrancy of a Hidden Dutch Armenian Past
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Khachik Balikjian gives a lecture on the history of the Armenian church in Amsterdam. -
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Balikjian presents one of the Armenian books printed in Amsterdam in the 17th century. -
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Audience members at a lecture sponsored by AGBU Holland.
On February 15, 2015, AGBU Holland spent the afternoon delving into the Armenian history of the Netherlands in a lecture by Khachik Balikjian. A native of Istanbul and a resident of the Netherlands since 1986, Balikjian detailed the history of the Armenian presence in the Netherlands over the centuries.
The Dutch Armenian community was founded in the 17th century as a merchant colony, trading in silk, cotton, diamonds and other gemstones. Most of the merchants who settled in the Netherlands originally came from the Persian city of New Julfa, which was known for its network of tradesmen and merchants that spread across the world in the 17th and 18th centuries.
During this period, Amsterdam was considered to be the most significant New Julfan outpost in Western Europe.[1] Balikjian noted that the first Armenian church in Amsterdam, founded in 1663 and relocated in 1714, was commonly referred to as the Persian Church as a result of a conflation of the merchants’ ethnicity with their place of origin.
The merchants maintained their own language and religion, but were attuned to the technological advancements in their host country. By the 17th century, the printing press had become widespread in the Netherlands and Armenian merchants harnessed the technology to spread Armenian language, religion and culture. From 1660 to 1718, the merchants supported a series of printing presses and transformed Amsterdam into a hub for Armenian printing.
In his presentation, Balikjian highlighted the connection between the New Julfan merchants, the Armenian church and the Armenian printing industry: “The merchants financed both the church and the printing press and oftentimes the priests themselves were the printers. They worked with Christoffel van Dijck, a notable printer and inventor of Dutch typography, who helped them create the fonts they needed to publish the first printed Armenian Bible in Amsterdam in 1666.”
Balikjian then turned to the life of Arakel der Arakelents (known in the Netherlands as Arakel di Paulo), a major figure in the Dutch Armenian community in the 18th century. In 1749, he renovated the Armenian church in Amsterdam, which is still in use today.
He continued with a short summary of the history of the Armenian church in Amsterdam, noting that the church had been abandoned by the end of the 19th century as the Netherlands lost its influence as a trading power and the Armenian merchant community migrated abroad. From 1875 to 1985, the church served as a school led by an order of Augustinian nuns. In 1985, the Armenian community, with the support of the AGBU, reclaimed the church and it has since become a center for the Dutch Armenian community.
After the lecture, Balikjian took questions from the audience. Asked why it is important that the history of the Armenian community in the Netherlands be remembered, Balikjian replied: “Without roots, a tree cannot grow. Our history gives us a voice and a right to speak. These facts and events can sustain Armenian identity among the exiled.”
For more information on AGBU Holland, please visit http://agbuholland.nl/en/
[1] To learn more about the merchant network of New Julfa, please see From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean; The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa by Sebouh Aslanian.
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