{{Infobox ethnic group |group = Armenians in Lithuania |image = Saint Vardan Armenian church in Vilnius.jpg |caption = Saint Vardan Armenian church in Vilnius |population = 1477<ref name="2001a">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1731 |title=Population by ethnicity (2001 Census) |publisher=Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania), 2005 |access-date=2009-11-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505204825/http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1731 |archive-date=2009-05-05 }}</ref>-2500 |popplace = [[Vilnius]], [[Klaipėda]] |langs = [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], [[Russian language|Russian]] |rels = [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] |related = [[Armenian diaspora]] }} {{Armenians}} '''Armenians in Lithuania''' ({{Langx|hy|Հայերը Լիտվայում|translit=Hayery Litvayum}}) refers to ethnic Armenians living in [[Lithuania]].
According to the [[Lithuanian census of 2011]] there were 1,233<ref name="2011a">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/catalog/list/?cat_y=1&cat_id=3&id=2131 |title=2011 Census Results |publisher=Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania), 2012 |access-date=2012-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005063508/http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/catalog/list/?cat_y=1&cat_id=3&id=2131 |archive-date=2012-10-05 }}</ref> Armenians in Lithuania. Armenian organizations put the number around 2,500.<ref name="ArmenianDiaspora website">[http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/population.html ArmenianDiaspora website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511084353/http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/population.html |date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref> According to [[Soviet Census (1989)|Soviet 1989 census]] there are 1,655 [[Armenians]] in Lithuania.<ref>[https://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php?reg=8 Демоскоп Weekly - Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года.Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР]</ref> The Armenians live mainly in [[Vilnius]].
==History== In the [[Late Middle Ages]], Armenians inhabited the cities of [[Kyiv]], [[Włodzimierz Wołyński|Włodzimierz]], [[Krzemieniec]] and [[Łuck]] in the southern part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].{{sfn|Stopka|2000|p=26}} First Armenians in Vilnius were noted in 1501.{{sfn|Stopka|2000|p=120}} Armenians from Kyiv served as translators of Lithuanian envoys to the Tatar [[Khan (title)|khans]] in the 16th century.{{sfn|Stopka|2000|p=57}} After the main centers of Armenians in Lithuania passed to Poland within the [[Polish–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.<ref>[http://lietuva-armenija.lt/?p=27] History of Armenians in Lithuania {{in lang|lt}}</ref> One of the most prominent painter of the 19th century in Lithuania was [[Jan Rustem]] (Armenian: Յան Ռուստամ).
==Demographics== The roots of the Armenian community now living in Lithuania traces back to migration occurring in the 20th century.
{| class="wikitable" |+ Population of Armenians in Lithuania 1959–2011 |-bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="2" | census 1959<sup>1</sup> ! colspan="2" | census 1970<sup>2</sup> ! colspan="2" | census 1979<sup>3</sup> ! colspan="2" | census 1989<sup>4</sup> ! colspan="2" | census 2001<sup>5</sup> ! colspan="2" | census 2011<sup>5</sup> |-bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Number ! % ! Number ! % ! Number ! % ! Number ! % ! Number ! % ! Number ! % |- | align="right" | 471 | align="right" | 0.02 | align="right" | 508 | align="right" | 0.02 | align="right" | 955 | align="right" | 0.03 | align="right" | 1,655 | align="right" | 0.04 | align="right" | 1,477 | align="right" | 0.04 | align="right" | 1,233 | align="right" | 0.04 |- | colspan="13" | <small><sup>1</sup> Source: [https://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php]. <sup>2</sup> Source: [https://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_70.php]. <sup>3</sup> Source: [https://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_79.php]. <sup>4</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php]. <sup>5</sup> Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131014172519/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/default.asp?w=1920]. </small> |} Community members estimated their count at 2500 in 2001.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://agbu.org/news-item/the-armenians-of-lithuania-the-challenge-of-life-in-the-new-diaspora/|title=THE ARMENIANS OF LITHUANIA: THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE IN THE NEW DIASPORA|website=AGBU {{!}} Armenian non-profit organization|language=en-US|access-date=2018-04-14}}</ref>
== Recent developments == An Armenian community center was opened in year 2000.<ref name=":0" />
A [[Khachkar]] was erected in the [[Hill of crosses]] in 2001 and in the center of [[Kaunas]] in 2004.
An Armenian church, St. Vardan, was opened in Vilnius in 2006.<ref>[http://www.tm.lt/rel_static/rel_zinynas/1k_aab.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114070321/http://www.tm.lt/rel_static/rel_zinynas/1k_aab.html|date=2012-11-14}} {{in lang|lt}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=davkstudio|title=St. Vardan's Armenian apostolic church in Vilnius 2017|date=2017-02-01|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZ91fR2Gt8|access-date=2018-04-14}}</ref>
In 2011, the Armenian Embassy in Lithuania was opened.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mfa.am/en/press-releases/item/2011/11/26/lithuania/|title=The Armenian Embassy was opened in Vilnius - Press Releases - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia|website=www.mfa.am|language=en|access-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414233805/http://www.mfa.am/en/press-releases/item/2011/11/26/lithuania/|archive-date=2018-04-14|url-status=dead}}</ref> Updates on Armenian cultural events in Lithuania can be found on the twitter page of the Armenian Ambassador to Lithuania.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TMkrtchyan|title=Tigran Mkrtchyan (@TMkrtchyan) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/armemblit|title=Embassy of Armenia in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia (@armemblit) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-14}}</ref>
==Famous Lithuanian Armenians== *[[Seržas Gandžumianas]], a famous designer *[[Marat Sargsyan]], a TV host and film-maker *[[Asmik Grigorian]], a famous opera singer *[[Gabrielė Martirosian]], Mis Lithuania-2008
== See also == * [[Armenia-Lithuania relations]] * [[Armenian diaspora]] * [[Armenians in the Baltic states]] * [[Ethnic groups in Lithuania]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|last=Stopka|first=Krzysztof|year=2000|title=Ormianie w Polsce dawnej i dzisiejszej|language=pl|location=Kraków|publisher=Księgarnia Akademicka|isbn=83-7188-325-0}}
{{Armenian diaspora}} {{Immigration to Lithuania}} {{Portal bar|Lithuania}}
[[Category:Armenian diaspora in Europe|Lithuania]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Lithuania]]