Kolkata’s Armenian Legacy

You will have to make your way through the bylanes of Kolkata’s chaotic and crowded Burrabazar to find the oldest church in the city. The Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, is not just historic it is also symbolic. It is the city’s connection to the Armenian community that once controlled commerce and the famous jute trade of Kolkata.

Armenians played an important role through Indian history. They migrated from Armenia in West Asia, in the face of growing religious persecution in the 16th century CE and thrived as traders. By the time of Akbar’s reign the Armenians were an economically affluent and powerful community.