![]() Her first language was Armenian and Italian was her second. Born into the Armenian Community of Venice, she had lived her entire life in the city. OUR YOUNG GUIDE had the most impressive of Armenian names, Shoghik Baghdasaryan. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one hoping to be invited for lunch! The Cloisters – San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venezia – photo: Places were set for each of the resident monks in the wood-panelled refectory. When we visited it was Sunday lunch time and the smell of roasting meat was drifting tantalisingly through the cloisters. ![]() It is home to about a dozen Armenian monks. To this day it remains an important monastery, library and sanctuary of Armenian history and culture. Originally a leper colony, hence the name Lazzaro after Lazarus the patron saint of lepers, the island had been abandoned and was given as a gift to the Armenians by the Venetians. The island is about 20 minutes by boat from St Mark’s Square. It’s a small monastery island, a stone’s throw from Lido di Venezia, where a group of Armenian monks have lived and worked for more than 300 years. I was invited by my friend Mary to one of the less well known islands of the lagoon. ![]() Today was a very interesting day, a very interesting day indeed. JULY 2020 – Sunday, 19th July to be precise.
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