Armenians in Malta

The first evidence of the presence of Armenians in Malta dates back to the 14th century, when after the fall of Cilician Armenia, some knights took refuge here. One of the historical testimonies of Armenians in Malta is the Church of Our Lady of Liesse, built in 1620 with the funds provided by the Bali of Armenia, Fra Giacomo Chenn de Bellay, a descendant of the Luzinian family.

Currently, the small Armenian community of Malta (about 500 people) are actively involved in various spheres of life in the country. They are mainly young families who emigrated from Armenia and the CIS countries in the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR.

The first conference of Maltese Armenians was held in 2009 when the community was officially registered. On December 22 of the same year, an Armenian khachkar was installed in Valletta “as a sign of gratitude to Malta for helping the Armenians who took refuge on the island during the tragic days for the Armenian people, in 1375 and in 1915”.