Constanța
St. Mary’s Armenian Church is situated close to the seashore. Located on Callatis Street, no 1, the building which hosts the church was built in 1880; initially a school for the Armenian community in Constanța. Due to fire destruction in 1940, the first floor of the school, which had been the festivity ballroom, was transformed to a place of worship. With the diminishing number of students, the school slowly became the church we see today.
The first Armenians that arrived in Dobrogea in the 15th and 16th centuries settled in the town of Babadag; the center of the Ottoman administration in the region. Later, Armenians began to settle in Constanța and built a wooden church in 1740. To find out more, click here.
On 25th of April 2017, the ceremony of unveiling and blessing of the Khachkar (stone cross) took place on the seafront near the famous, now defunct Constanta Casino. The Stone Cross, made of volcanic rock (tuf) was carved in Armenia and brought in by sea. This monument stands as a proof of the friendship between the Armenian and the Romanian people and bears the following inscription in both languages: “This monument is a proof of the centuries-old presence of Armenians in Dobrogea, as well as their gratitude for the hospitality they received. We honour the memory of our ancestors and of the martyrs of the Armenian people who preserved their identity and faith.” To find out more, click here .
Tulcea
Built in 1885, the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator with its cross shaped facade, is located on Concordiei Street, no 2. The church suffered from the bombings of World War 2, and the remedial work that followed, resulted in a change of its exterior design. The church was to sustain more damages caused by the 1977 earthquake. This time, major cracks appeared, endangering the stability of the structure. In the same year, a convention was held between The Armenian Church in Romania and The Romanian Orthodox Church through the Archdiocese of Tomis and lower Danube where it was agreed that repairing would be carried out and the church would be given to the Romanian Orthodox Church. In the church’s yard there are still a few memorial stones with old Armenian inscriptions. To find out more, click here.