The Armenian Church is a centuries old independent Christian church. Also called the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, it is headed by the Catholics who live near the Capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Now, the Armenian Church is moving stateside, particularly in the Los Angeles area. As this progression takes place and this culture moves beyond the borders of its home country, there are some remarkable things taking place. First, more than 4 million Armenians live outside of Armenia while 3.8 million live within the country. As the spillover is taking place, Southern California is seeing a dramatic increase in their Armenian population. In fact, So Cal has the largest Armenian population existing outside of Armenia. Second, Armenians are working to keep their heritage and culture alive by erecting schools, churches and cultural centers.

Los Angeles is among the newer attractions for Armenians where they are settling and bringing their culture to America. Currently, more and more Armenians are immigrating to the Los Angeles area Interestingly, Armenians born in America from areas such as Fresno and the Eastern states are moving into Los Angeles as are immigrants hailing from some Middle Eastern countries and the Soviet Union. In fact, Los Angeles is quickly becoming a worldwide ethnic hub right here in the states.

This recent trend is very revealing of the attitudes of Los Angeles. Los Angeles County is become a veritable melting pot for a variety of cultures and ethnicities such as Hispanics, Vietnamese and Armenians. These groups, and others, are building churches and cultural centers to keep their rich heritages alive. This ethnic diversity lends a fun flavor to Los Angeles County as each group brings in its own pieces of its culture and history. What must be considered here is that as well as specific ethnic groups, there are also sub ethnic groups that cross borders and ethnicities.

In the early days of the Armenian Church Christians who wished to worship in Armenia would do so in Greek or Syriac. This was because the Armenian alphabet did not exist, meaning that there was no written language. A monk, who later became St. Mesrob, created a 36 letter alphabet in AD 404. He did this primarily to translate the Bible to Armenian and it was a brief time after that that the golden age of classical Armenian literature began.

The Armenian Church is the vessel where the Armenian culture is predominantly grounded. Interestingly, Armenia was the first nation to take Christianity as a state religion. This occurred in AD 301 because of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The Mother Church was built by St. Gregory at Etchmiadzin in AD 303. Over the years, Christianity in Armenia has been challenged, but the Armenian people have risen to rebel against such actions. Ultimately, the Armenians have managed to keep their Christian faith alive and well - and the Armenian Church as well. Not only do they accomplish this in Armenia, but in Los Angeles, "Little Armenia," as well.

About the Author

Ilangez http://www.LAArmenianPages.com myusa2000@gmail.com