Armenian Mechitarist Congregation

The Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni is home to the General Abbey of the Armenian Mechitarist Congregation since 1717, the year in which the founder, Mechitar, obtained it under concession from the Republic of Venice. The mission of the monastic community, which can be summarized in the desire to promote a cultural and religious flourishing of the Armenian people, has made San Lazzaro one of the most important Armenian religious and cultural centers in the world: the collections of the Monastery, from book collections to finds archaeological, artistic and scientific, are the tangible proof of it.