This church stands close to the turning towards the center of Troinex.

According to the church’s website (translated from the original French):

It was at the end of the 19th century that the first Armenian families settled in Switzerland. Fleeing the persecutions of Sultan Abdul Hamid in the Ottoman Empire, these Armenians settled first and foremost in French-speaking Switzerland, especially in Geneva. Later, during the genocide of 1915 and subsequent years, more refugees arrived.

Pastor Kraft-Bonnard created an orphanage in Begnins (VD) in the 1920s, for more than 200 orphans, survivors of the genocide. After finishing their studies, some remained permanently in Switzerland.

At the end of the Second World War, the community in Switzerland was estimated at about 300 people. Since then, this figure has grown steadily. The situation in the Middle East, the Soviet Union and independent Armenia has encouraged many Armenians to emigrate to the West and try to create a safer life for themselves. Switzerland has had its share and it is estimated that today there are about 5,000.

Spread throughout Switzerland, the community has created a number of institutions.The activities were carried out by an umbrella organization called the “Armenian Union of Switzerland (UAS)”, which generally represents the Armenians of French-speaking Switzerland in relation to third parties.

It was almost forty years ago that the Armenian Apostolic Church St Hagop was built at Troinex, near Geneva, today still the only Armenian church in Switzerland. It all began with a large donation from Mr. Hagop Topalian, an Armenian living in Rapallo, Italy.

The community set to work, completed the gift of Mr. Topalian, bought land at Troinex, and built the church. It was consecrated in 1969 to the memory of Mr Topalian’s parents.

The Church building belongs to a foundation created for this purpose, the St Gregory the Illuminator Foundation. The life of the church is managed by the Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church and a permanently appointed priest. The latter also deals with communities located elsewhere in Switzerland.

In the 1980s, as the number of Armenians increased steadily, the St Gregoire Foundation decided to build a Cultural Center on the site of the Church. It took several years to raise the necessary funds and begin construction.

On several occasions the work stopped because of lack of funds and also because the effort of the community had been absorbed by the consequences of the earthquake in Armenia. Later, work resumed and finally, and only in 2006 ended with the laying out of the great hall.

Today, the Center includes:

– a multipurpose hall with 300 seats
– a library of about 3000 volumes
– two large fireplaces
– Various meeting rooms
– a bookstore selling books and various objects from Armenia.

This Center is the main focus of all community activities in Geneva.

In 1985, Mr. Hagop Topalian created a foundation bearing his name. This foundation bought a part of the Armenian Center building and arranged it for its needs. According to the wishes of Mr Topalian, who has since died, the Topalian Foundation runs and finances a school, where Armenian children meet every Wednesday – public school day – during the school year.

The Foundation also finances the kiosk at the Armenian Center in Geneva, as well as the Armenian stand at the Geneva International Book and Press Exhibition every year and the website: www.centre-armenien-geneve.ch

The Foundation has close links with the UGAB (Armenian General Benevolent Union), whose offices in Switzerland are located within its walls.

I don’t know what the above is (some kind of memorial?), but I liked the way it looked. It has an interesting shape and the carvings on the upright stone seem old.