Armenian Evangelical Schools

Author: Ani Voskanyan, 13/03/25 (Last modified 13/03/25) - Translator: Simon Beugekian

The first Armenian Evangelical Church was established on July 1, 1846, in Constantinople. The church received official recognition from Sultan Abdülmecid I (1839-1861) four years later, on November 27, 1850. [1]

The Armenian Evangelical community achieved significant successes in a short amount of time. Soon, Armenian Evangelical churches and schools were being opened in the provinces, too. In 1855, in the Kayadjuk central district of Ayntab, the first Armenian Evangelical church of the city was founded. A second church was opened in the western Heyig [2] district in 1868. Plans were made for another church in the Alay Bey district. [3]

According to the Araks periodical, by the end of the 19th century, there were 3,000 Protestants in Ayntab. They had three meeting halls, six primary schools, one orphanage, one girls’ school, one hospital, and one college – the Central Turkey College. [4] In 1874, the community founded its own boys’ secondary school. [5] By the early 20th century, the number of Protestants in Ayntab reached 4,000. [6]

The joint summit of the Cilicia Society was held in 1886, in Marash. It was attended, among others, by missionaries. One of the topics of discussion was “the reforms of our public schools.” [7] Reports were delivered on elementary and upper schools, and practical suggestions discussed regarding their improvement. Later, in 1892, the summit formed a special committee tasked with creating a plan for primary schools; and in 1893, all Evangelical upper schools began providing instruction in the Armenian language. [8] According to the minutes of this committee from 1893, the primary school of the Evangelical church of Kayadjuk had six grades and served both sexes. Each grade had its own classroom and its own teachers. The school also offered idadiye education, meaning grades seven through nine. Armenian was the official language of instruction at the school. [9]

According to Yeghya Kasouni, the idadiye of the Heyig Church, which operated within the Niziblian School, had already implemented this change about six-seven years earlier, when Kasouni himself was a pupil there, learning from teacher Apraham Yusufian. By the 1892-1893 school year, when Kasouni was already a teacher at the school, grades five through seven had been merged with grades eight and nine, under the tutelage of Reverend Garabed Ketendjian. These grades, together, constituted a five-year upper school. At Yeghya Kasouni’s and Garabed Ketendjian’s request, and with the approval of the board of trustees, a religious service was held every morning in the Armenian language (readings from the Holy Books, liturgical singing, sermons, and prayers). [10] As at the time, there was great demand for three-year Armenian idadiyes that provided instruction in Armenian, institutions that trained elementary school teachers began focusing on this level of instruction. One such institution was the Girls’ College of Marash. [11]

In the 1890s, the Armenian Evangelical schools of Cilicia began using Armenian textbooks, instead of textbooks in Armenian-lettered Turkish. Moreover, due to the shortage of textbooks, Armenian Evangelical schools opted to adopt the textbooks used in Armenian parochial (Apostolic) schools. This decision contributed to reconciling the differences between Armenian Evangelical and Armenian parochial schools. [12]

According to figures from 1912, the church of the Heyig district, one of the three that belonged to the Armenian Evangelical community in Ayntab, had eight schools, with a total enrollment of 445 pupils, of whom 210 were girls. The “First” or Kayadjuk Church had seven schools, with a total enrollment of 319 pupils, of whom 135 were girls; while the “Third” Church had one coeducational school, with a total enrollment of 73 pupils. In total, the Armenian Evangelical community of Ayntab had 16 schools, two principals, 27 teachers of both sexes, and an enrollment of 837 pupils, of whom 44 percent were girls. The church of the Heyig district also had a school for the blind, with a total enrollment of 12 students, of whom three were Muslim. The same church also had a kindergarten, with an enrollment of 68 children. [13]

The Ayntab Seminary was founded in 1856. It became the foundation for the Central Turkey College and the Marash Theological Seminary. This seminary had two departments – theological, where Missionary Schneider taught; and educational, with a curriculum that included geography, mathematics, linguistics, and other subjects. The director of this second department was Aleksan Bezdjian, who, by then, had graduated from the American school of Constantinople. [14]

The students at this newly founded seminary were split into two groups. Young men between the ages of 30 and 35 were accepted into the theological department; and youths between the ages of 15 and 20 were accepted into the educational department. [15]

In 1857, Mr. and Mrs. Coffing arrived in Ayntab. Coffing restructured the local Sunday school. Previously, the school had 100-150 students, but soon, this number reached 1,268. Men and women between the ages of 16 and 80 came to the school to study the Bible. Alongside these adults’ classes, a large number of children, both boys and girls, received religious instruction in the school building. Coffing was also able to secure permission to build a new school building on the western side of the Evangelical church in Kayadjuk. This building was also used by the Theological Seminary, and hosted classes of the Central Turkey College, before the latter moved into its own building. [16]

The first school specifically for girls in Ayntab was founded by Protestant missionaries. Various schoolmasters/teachers and khalfas had female pupils, but it was Mrs. Schneider who founded the first girls’ school of the city.

In 1852, she opened her first school in her own home, where she taught a small number of pupils. Then, in 1859, Mrs. Mayda Proctor transformed this school into a regular day school. In 1860, the boarding section of this school was opened. It would later become the first girls’ college in Cilicia. [17]

On July 30, 1860, American missionary Mayda A. Proctor founded the American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab, the first school of its kind in Ayntab. She spent 18 years at the helm of this institution, laying a solid foundation for its future. The school began as a rented room in the Kayadjuk neighborhood. At first, it faced problems procuring desks, and only the teacher had a desk and chair. There was also a blackboard in the classroom. Moreover, it was difficult to find textbooks in a language that the pupils could read. Even six years after the founding of the school, the only printed textbooks used by the pupils were the Holy Bible and a geography textbook, which lacked maps. For all other subjects, the school used handwritten textbooks for instruction. The school’s curriculum included natural sciences, geology, astronomy, mathematics, general history, psychology, theology, Armenian, Turkish, English, etc. Geography was taught as a practical science, focusing on the drawing of maps. [18]

The second fundamental challenge faced by the school was the hiring of teachers. Initially, Mrs. Proctor was the only teacher. A short while later, she was joined by Reverend Haroutyun Boynouyozounian, who served as her assistant. He taught Armenian, led the students in readings from the Bible in modern Armenian, and also taught basic mathematics in the Armenian language. He was succeeded by Teacher Nerses Bezdjian, who worked at the school for three years, also as an assistant. Others who taught at the American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab included Teacher Nerses Kazandjian and Reverend Garabed Markarian, the latter from Adana. Aleksan Bezdjian also helped at the school, teaching astronomy. [19]

The number of pupils enrolled at the school increased year by year, which led to the necessity of new classrooms. Until the construction of its own building, the school operated in several rented homes. Eventually, the school was able to purchase a home, and later several homes, on Kayadjuk Hill. Construction of the school’s own building began in 1886. It was designed by architect Adams, an American missionary in Antioch. [20]

After the construction of the school building, enrollment began to rise. In 1886, the boarding section of the school was opened, which also contributed to a rise in enrollment. Moreover, the school administration was able to secure grants and donations from philanthropists to cover the tuition fees of indigent pupils.

The school also had a kindergarten. Each of the students of the graduating class was duty-bound to teach or supervise the kindergarten students for an hour per day, in order to prepare as future educators. In fact, the mission of the school was not only to elevate the educational level of girls and women, but also to train teachers to serve in primary and elementary schools. Christian girls of all denominations, and not only Evangelicals, could attend the school. Sources also mention that the school also accepted non-Christian students. [21]

Miss Proctor taught pedagogy. She had written a short textbook on the subject, in Armenian-lettered Turkish. In late 1867, she was joined by another missionary, Miss Hallister, who worked at the school for about two years. She was replaced by Miss Bliss, who arrived from Constantinople, then Harriet Powers. In 1874, due to Mrs. Proctor’s return to America and the absence of other teachers, the school did not operate, and no pupils graduated from it that year. The students of the preparatory grade were transferred to the school in the house of Varteni Bachi [23] (Teacher Varter Seferian-Kaymakamian) [22] (see Ayntab – Schools – I), and studied under the supervision of Teacher Mariam.

Between 1878 and 1908, the director of the American Girls’ Upper School was Miss Pierce. From 1886 to 1891, Miss Graham served as her assistant and as the music teacher. She was succeeded by Miss Isabel Trowbridge, who served for six-seven years, and who spoke fairly fluent Armenian. She was succeeded by Miss Forman, who not only served as an assistant to the director for ten years, but also taught history, singing, and drawing. She also developed physical education classes and significantly elevated the level of education provided by the school. Miss Blake and Miss Norton also taught at the school. Beginning in 1882, the faculty included many graduates of Central Turkey College – Hovhannes Natuk Khodja, Nazaret Kurkdjian, Hagop Asadourian, Devlet Poladian, Zorapapel Donatosian, and Reverend Mardiros Iknadiosian. In the early years of the school, many of its graduates were employed as assistant teachers. Later, only those graduates of the school who had also graduated from the Marash Girls’ College were allowed to serve as assistant teachers. [24]

In 1907, 366 former graduates of the school created the “Graduates’ Society.” In 1910, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary jubilee. [25]

As Prof. Bezdjian mentions, from the day of its founding to the 1910s, 500 girls graduated from the school. Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, the stone school building could accommodate 150-200 pupils. [26]

In 1914, enrollment at the school stood at 240 pupils, of whom 60 were boarding students. From its founding to 1915, 527 pupils graduated from the school. Students who came to study at the school from elsewhere in 1915 were not able to return to their homes and were given shelter at the institution, which saved them from the deportations. When America, too, entered the war, the Ottoman authorities forced Miss Forman to return to America, while Miss Norton became the director of the Mardin Hill Orphanage. After the Armistice, Miss Forman returned and reopened the school, first in the buildings of the Evangelical church of the Heyig district, then in the building of the Niziblian Museum. However, the continued persecution of Armenians and subsequent political developments forced Miss Forman and Miss Vartouhi Loshkhadjian to move to Aleppo. There, they opened an Armenian Evangelical school for girls. Miss Norton and Miss Rahel Gyuldalian remained in Ayntab and continued running the school. At the time, the school had an enrollment of 50 local pupils. They, too, moved to Aleppo a short time later, in 1922, after the final expulsion of Armenians from Ayntab. [27]

Throughout its more than 60 years of operation, the American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab produced a large number of graduates, who in their turn made important contributions to the educational field and various other fields. Throughout the years, many of the school’s graduates served as teachers at the same institution, as well as in other educational institutions. Among these were Mariam Vartanian, Shoushan Boghosian, Lucia Sdepanian, the Boynoueoghounian sisters, Ovsanna and Hripsime Misirian, Flora Bezdjian (teacher of mathematics and biology), Gyulenia Bedrosian, Khatoun Misirian (teacher of Armenian), Annitsa Terzian (teacher of Turkish), Shoushan Kazandjian, Nouritsa Terzian, Azniv Israelian (teacher of Armenian), Vartouhi Loshkhadjian, etc. Vartouhi Loshkhadjian, after graduating from the school, continued her studies at the American Girls’ College of Constantinople, then at the American University of Beirut. Mariam Arakelian, who graduated in 1882, worked for many years at the girls’ school of Kessab and supervised all Evangelical primary schools in Kessab. Araksia Djebedjian attended the Girls’ Upper School after graduating from the Hayganoushian School, then continued her studies, initially at the Marash Girls’ College. After receiving university education in England, she returned and became a prominent spiritual and educational figures (she was killed in Deir ez-Zor in 1916). Another graduate of the school, Rebecca Krikorian, became the first social worker in Ayntab, visiting homes, cafés, and jails; and working with those who were addicted to alcohol. Sifora Shnorhokian, after graduating from the Girl’s Upper School, continued her studies and became a midwife. [28]

The American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab played a critical role in the education and advancement of girls and women in Ayntab and the surrounding area. Among its graduates were not only girls from Ayntab, but also girls from Adana, Urfa, Marash, Darson, Siverek, Diyarbakir (Dikranagerd), Bitias, Karaduran, Besni, Aleppo, Garmuch, Yozunoluk, and elsewhere. [29]

In the late 19th century-early 20th century, this school not only gave countless girls the opportunity to receive basic education, but also paved the way for them to continue their studies in various universities and other institutions of higher education.

In 1882, Dr. Fred Shepard and his wife, Fanny Shepard, arrived in Ayntab. Dr. Shepard was slated to take over the position of head doctor at the newly constructed Azariah Smith Hospital, and to lecture as a member of the medical faculty at Central Turkey College. [30] Mrs. Shepard, too, had been educated as a doctor, specializing in women’s health. [31]

Mrs. Shepard founded a night school, which met at the Niziblian Museum (also called Sheker Mektebi). This night school operated at the museum until the end of the 1908 school year, under the leadership of director Hovagim Bakalian. It then moved into the building of the Vartanian Institute. Among those who taught at the night school were Hrand Maledjanian (Armenian and English), Kevork Khodja Keoshgerian (mathematics and geography), and Kevork A. Sarafian (Armenian and French). Among the students of this night school were Baruyr Baghdoyan, Yeghya Bakamdjian (later styled Father Mesrob), Mgrdich Araradian, and Niziblian. [32]

The Roupinian Society was founded in the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the efforts and investment of philanthropist and businessman Adour Niziblian. The group’s primary goal was to educate Armenian youth. The society organized biweekly (twice a week) night classes, weekly reading evenings, and theatrical performances. The Roupinian Society operated for 15 years, and after its dissolution, its library was entrusted to the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Moreover, 66 Ottoman pounds were transferred from the society to YMCA, on the condition that the money be used to purchase books and newspapers.

Adour Agha Niziblian hoped to build a separate building for the Roupinian Society. He founded the Niziblian Museum in the Kastel Bashi district. This museum was meant to serve as a palace of culture for the Evangelical youth of Ayntab. Using special legal methods, Adour Niziblian transferred ownership of the building to the three Armenian Evangelical churches of Ayntab. On January 22, 1892, he added a special provision to his will, bequeathing 500 Ottoman pounds to the museum as an endowment. [33]

The Grtasirats (Ousoumnasirats) Society was founded in the Akeol district of Ayntab in the 1900s. This was an Evangelical group, but individuals did not have to belong to the Evangelical community to become members or attend its lecture hall. The same rule applied to the society’s school. The aim of the society was to contribute to the education and advancement of the residents of the Akeol district; and to open a school that served children from poor families. After the reinstatement of the Ottoman constitution in 1908, both the society and its school experienced a period of rapid development. The school employed three female teachers. On Sundays, children of both sexes attended the “Sunday School,” and adults attended the “Lecture Hall.” This “Lecture Hall” hosted informational talks on political developments and lectures on educational topics. Occasionally, theatrical or musical performances were staged. Throughout the summer months, excursions and feasts were organized. The society had its own marching band, which used old musical instruments provided by the Central Turkey College, as well as some purchased instruments. The conductor/teacher of the marching band was Hagop Uyvezian (music teacher at Central Turkey College). He conducted the marching band without receiving any pay. [34] According to another source, the musical instruments used by the band were brought from Germany. The Ousoumnasirats Society also had its own library. [35]

The Grtasirats (Ousoumnasirats) Society was a fairly tight-knit organization. The society’s chairman was Hovhannes Hasurdjian, [36] graduate of Central Turkey College, who also served as office scribe and teacher of accountancy at the same college (killed in Deir ez-Zor [37]). The director of the lecture hall was Yakoub Hasurdjian, and the director of Sunday school classes was Sarkis Laleyan. The society’s organist was Azniv Manougian. [38]

The Armenian athletic club of Ayntab was founded in 1909 as the athletic club of the Ousoumnasirats Society. The club had numerous members and its own gymnasium. Football was the most popular sport among its members. [39]

According to another source, the Grtasirats (Ousoumnasirats) Society of Ayntab, under the auspices of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), was founded in 1905 by Levon Levonian, a graduate of Central Turkey College; and Sarkis Balabanian, a student at the same college. This organization, which accepted both Protestants and non-Protestants as members, had athletic, educational, and cultural divisions. After the reinstatement of the Ottoman constitution in 1908, a martial training division was also created. The society had its own boarding school and Sunday lecture hall, as well as a rich library. The society published a hectograph newspaper, called Ousoum. [40]

In 1876, Reverend Haroutyun (Hovhannesian) Halladjian founded an Evangelical orphanage-school, which provided shelter to many children. This institution was the first orphanage that served the Armenians of Cilicia. [41]

After spending about 30 years at the helm of this institution, Haroutyun Halladjian entrusted it to a board of trustees that had been formed by the Armenian Evangelical churches of Ayntab. During his tenure, Halladjian had been able to raise 10,000 Ottoman pounds for the orphanage, which was entirely used for the care of the orphans. [42]

• [1] Barkev N. Darakdjian, “The Characteristics of the Priesthood of the Armenian Evangelical Church,” Haigazian Scientific Review, Beirut, 1971, p. 171; Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian, “Observations on the Theological Orientation of the Armenian Evangelical Church,” Haigazian Scientific Review, Beirut, 1991, p. 125.
• [2] Alos called “Hayeg” or “Hayig.”
• [3] Krikor Bogharian, “The Boarding School of Cilicia, Ayntab (1873-1877),” Nor Ayntab [New Ayntab], number 3 (55), Beirut, 1973, p. 18.
• [4] Vart, “The City of Ayntab,” Araks, Saint Petersburg, May 1888, book 2, pp. 58-59.
• [5] Krikor Bogharian, “The Boarding School of Cilicia, Ayntab (1873-1877),” Nor Ayntab, number 3 (55), Beirut, 1973, p. 18.
• [6] Father Soukias Eprigian, Badgerazart Pnashkharhig Pararan [Illustrated Dictionary of the Natural World], volume 1, Venice-Saint Lazarus, 1903, p. 145.
• [7] Yehgya S. Kasouni, “Armenian Evangelicalism in Ayntab,” Badmoutyun Ayntabi Hayots [History of the Armenians of Ayntab], volume 1, edited and compiled by Kevork A. Sarafian, Los Angeles, 1953 (hereafter BAH, volume 1), p. 518.
• [8] Ibid.
• [9] Yehgya S. Kasouni, “Armenian Evangelicalism in Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 518-519.
• [10] Ibid., p. 519.
• [11] Ibid., pp. 519-520.
• [12] Ibid., p. 520.
• [13] Prof. H. A. Bezdjian, “Education in Ayntab – Past and Present,” Gochnag [Clarion], New York, 30 March 1912, n. 13, p. 306.
• [14] Dr. Loutfi Haleblian, “Autobiography of Adour Agha Niziblian,” Hay Ayntab [Armenian Ayntab], n. 3 (27), Beirut, 1967, pp. 27-28.
• [15] Ibid., p. 28.
• [16] Yehgya S. Kasouni, “Armenian Evangelicalism in Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 505-506.
• [17] Krikor Bogharian, “The Parochial Hayganoushian School,” BAH, volume 1, p. 689.
• [18] Yeghya S. Kasouni, “The American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, p. 867.
• [19] Ibid., pp. 867-868.
• [20] Ibid., p. 868.
• [21] Ibid., pp. 868-869.
• [22] Bacı (Turkish), translatable into “older sister,” and used as an honorific.
• [23] Yeghya S. Kasouni, “The American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 869-870.
• [24] Ibid., pp. 870-872.
• [25] Ibid., p. 873.
• [26] Prof. H. A. Bezdjian, “Education in Ayntab – Past and Present,” Gochnag, New York, 30 March 1912, n. 13, p. 306.
• [27] Yeghya S. Kasouni, “The American Girls’ Upper School of Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 872-874.
• [28] Ibid., pp. 874-877.
• [29] Ibid., p. 875.
• [30] Krikor Bogharian, “Doctor Shepard,” Hay Ayntab, n. 1 (21), Beirut, 1966, p. 23.
• [31] Hraztan Tokmadjian, Ayntabi Aseghnakordzoutyun [Embroidery of Ayntab], volume 1, Aleppo, Yerevan, p. 96.
• [32] Kevork A. Sarafian, “Mrs. Shepard’s Night School,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 885-887.
• [33] Dr. Loutfi Haleblian, “Autobiography of Adour Agha Niziblian,” Hay Ayntab, n. 3 (27), Beirut, 1967, pp. 29-30.
• [34] Sarkis Laleyan, “The Grtasirats Society of Akeol,” Hay Ayntab, Beirut, 1968, n. 2 (30), pp. 57-58.
• [35] Hovsep Mousayan, “The Grtasirats Society of Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 888-889.
• [36] The surname is also written as Hasirdjian.
• [37] Ibid., p. 889.
• [38] Sarkis Laleyan, “The Grtasirats Society of Akeol,” Hay Ayntab, Beirut, 1968, n. 2 (30), pp. 57-58.
• [39] Chormisian L., Hamabadger Arevmdahayots Meg Tarou Badmoutyan [Overview of a Century of Western Armenian History], volume 3 (1908-1922), Beirut, Sevan Printing House, 1975, p. 200.
• [40] Krikor Bogharian, Ayntabagank, volume 2, “Memorial to the Dead,” Beirut, Atlas, 1974, pp. 277-278.
• [41] Very Reverend G. B. Adanalian, Houshartsan Hay Avedaranaganats yev Avedaranagan Yegeghetso [Memory Book of Armenian Evangelicals and the Armenian Evangelical Church], Fresno, California, Crown Printing Co., 1952, pp. 335-336.
• [42] Yehgya S. Kasouni, “Armenian Evangelicalism in Ayntab,” BAH, volume 1, pp. 512-513.