Շամախու եւ Բաքուի հայ աւետարանական համայնքները (համառօտ ակնարկ՝ կազմաւորումից մինչեւ 1918)

Abstract

The Armenians of the Caucasus were introduced to Evangelism during the first half of the 19th century, first by Swiss and later by Swedish missionaries. The missionaries were confronted by the local Armenian Orthodox church authorities but were, nonetheless, able to establish a foothold through educational projects and the support of the Moscow Lutheran Church authorities. Eventually, Evangelism spread among the Armenians of Shamakha and Baku. The Armenian Evangelical Church in both cities played an important enlightening role in the field of education, charity and liberal thinking. They owned schools, a public library, a charitable organization and an Armenian periodical, Bari Lur. The article focuses on the evolution of these two communities, their relationship with the Armenian Orthodox Church and the local non-Armenian Lutheran church as well as its community engagement activities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.