‘In Singapore we have a great heritage—the Armenian Church, where people of other nationalities also get married’: Ani Umedyan

Violinist and mosaic artist Ani Umedyan spoke to Alpha News about the Armenian community in Singapore, its culture and the contribution of Armenians living there to the country’s life.

“Every Armenian visiting Singapore for the first time visits the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church. It was built in 1835 and consecrated in 1836. When we first arrived, I couldn’t find a single Armenian for months. But one day I met Armenians by chance, and for the past 16 years, I have been coordinating our Armenian community. The Armenian church committee is quite small—there are only a few of us, all volunteers—but we do everything here with love. And I always say that our ancestors left us this great heritage—the Armenian Church—and we must preserve it. Almost every weekend, weddings are held in the church not only for Armenians but also for people of other nationalities,” she noted.

Speaking about the existing memorial park, Umedyan emphasized that Singapore does not have an Armenian cemetery, but it does have a Christian cemetery.

“We have a memorial park where tombstones of Armenians have been preserved—the first generations of Armenians who came here. I would like to emphasize that this is not a cemetery. There is no Armenian cemetery here, only a Christian one.

We have some great Armenians who have contributed greatly to the history and development of Singapore. We are very proud of them. Khachik Movsisyan, better known in Singapore as Catchick Moses, made quite a significant contribution to the history of the country. He founded a daily Singaporean newspaper, which is the largest and main news source. The newspaper is about 135 years old and we are proud to say that one of its founders is our compatriot. The newspaper is published daily and there is also a website,” the artist concluded.