The Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage – Istanbul

Author: Arlet İncidüzen, 27/06/25 (Last modified 27/06/25) - Translator: Simon Beugekian.
We would like to thank Arsen Yarman and Senior Priest Father Krikor Damadian for their help in the preparation of this page.

This rich collection of photographs pertaining to the Kalfayan (often spelled “Kalfaian” in primary sources) Nuns’ Order was provided to us by Arsen Yarman, a friend of Houshamadyan and the author of many books.

During the construction of the third Vosgeghchyur Bridge, the buildings of the Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage-School and the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel, located in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood, were de-privatized by the Turkish government and demolished in 1972. The orphanage-school was moved to the Üsküdar neighborhood, where it continued fulfilling its mission of caring for female Armenian orphans and students in need of assistance.

However, the new school building did not provide living accommodations for the members of the order. Thanks to the philanthropy of the Armenians of Üsküdar, a three-story house was purchased for the nuns near the Saint Garabed Church of Üsküdar. This church became the order’s official prayer house.

A general view of the Kalfayan Order’s main building and the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel (now demolished). This large mansion, in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood, once belonged to the well-known money changer Amira Dakes, from Agn. Thanks to the efforts of Prioress Srpouhi Kalfayan and with the assistance of Armenian philanthropists, this building housed the Kalfayan Orphanage.

A collage commemorating Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian's 60th anniversary of taking the vows. The collage features photographs of the Kalfayan House buildings in the Altunizade neighborhood of Üsküdar, with their large garden. In 1971, the girls’ orphanage was moved to this location.

1947. A photograph taken after the construction of a new building (now demolished) at the Kalfayan House in Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu. The architect was Vosgyan Bedoyan. Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian is third from the left.

The traditional workshop of Kalfayan House, where the wards learned embroidery and various types of knitting. On the left, in the background, is Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian.

The dormitory of Kalfayan House in Halıcıoğlu.

The traditional workshop of Kalfayan House, where the students learned embroidery and various types of knitting. On the right, in the background, is Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian.

An exhibition of needlework knitted by the wards of the Kalfayan Orphanage. Left to right: Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Prioress Maryam Keoseyan, and Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian. The sign at the end of the table reads, in Turkish, “Kalfayan Yetihanesi” (Kalfayan Orphanage).

1960. Most probably needlework produced by the wards of Kalfayan House.

The twin mansions bequeathed to the Kalfayan Order and the Holy Savior National Hospital, which still stand in the once-Armenian populated neighborhood of İcadiye in Üsküdar. The mansions continue to generate income for the school.

1949. Unidentified individuals on the steps of the mansion that was bequeathed to the Kalfayan Order and Holy Savior National Hospital.

1947. Construction of the new building of the Kalfayan House in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood; architect: Vosgyan Bedoyan. The sisters clad in black, left to right, are Arousyag Mkhitarian, Maryam Keoseyan, and Zarmouhi Mehrabian. The others are unidentified.

May 22, 1907. Prioress Christine Papazian (1902-1919) with an unidentified woman. Photographer: Apollon, Constantinople.

Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian with an unidentified child.

1919 or 1923. Sisters Aghavni and Maryam Keoseyan. Both would later serve as prioresses of the Kalfayan Order.

At the entrance of the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel in Halıcıoğlu. Left to right: an unidentified man and child, Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, Sister Nevrig Pasmanian, Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, and Sister Maryam Keoseyan (behind Prioress Aghavni).

April 29, 1947. Antilias (Lebanon). Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan and Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, photographed during a visit to the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia.

January 23, 1935. Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian with an unidentified woman.

Standing, left to right: Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, and an unidentified individual. Seated: Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress).

The Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage was founded to care for orphans. From the beginning, the institution had no stated goal of preparing nuns for service. Simply, since the days of Prioress Srpouhi, women who had a calling to serve were accepted into the order, professed the vows, and served under the auspices of the Kalfayan institution. Over time, these sisters acquired experience within the church and in public service; reached the ranks of acolyte and subdeacon; and received permission to wear the habit. The members of the order were usually called “sisters,” and rarely “mothers.” Their leader was called “prioress.”

To this day, the Kalfayan School provides education to female Armenian students from Istanbul and other parts of Turkey, in an environment imbued with Armenian culture and Armenian identity.

Here, it is worth telling the story of how Arsen Yarman obtained this rich collection. The photographs presented on this page were preserved by the last prioress of the Kalfayan Order, Hripsime Sasounian. After her death in 2006, Arsen Yarman heard that her home was being emptied. He rushed there, and finding the photographs, he rescued them from oblivion. Then, he digitized these historical photographs and entrusted the originals to the board of trustees of the Kalfayan Orphanage. During his visit to the prioress’ home to rescue the photographs, Yarman also found a painting, which he identified as an oil painting by the world-renowned artist Hovhannes (Ivan) Aivazovsky. This painting is considered one of Aivazovsky's smallest. It was a gift from the artist to the Kalfayan Order. Yarman donated this painting to the Holy Savior Hospital. It is currently on display in the hospital’s museum.

Prioress Maryam Keoseyan and Patriarch Archbishop Shnorhk Kalousdian (1961-1990).

uly 1961. During his trip to Istanbul, Vazken I, Catholicos of All Armenians (1908-1994), visited Kalfayan House. In the center of the photograph, partly hidden from view, is Sister Maryam Keoseyan. In front of her, holding the gift, is Yetvart Benglian.

Most probably a ceremony marking the taking of the vows of a sister of the Kalfayan Order or marking a sister’s achievement of an ecclesiastical rank. The Holy Trinity Church of Beyoğlu. The clergyman wearing the miter is Patriarch Archbishop Shnorhk Kalousdian (1913-1990). Behind Prioress Maryam is Deacon Mihran Gyulian (later Senior Priest Father Sarkis; died in Canada). The kneeling clergymen are Father Khachadour Saradjian (left) and Father Bsag Hatabian (right), both of whom are deceased. Behind Father Khachadour is Deacon Garbis Semerdjian (deceased).

July 1961, Istanbul. Left to right: Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Prioress Maryam Keoseyan, and Catholicos of all Armenians Vazken I Baldjian.

The wards of the Kalfayan House visiting the graves of the order’s deceased prioresses and nuns at the Şişli Armenian Cemetery. On the very left is Hampartsoum Dadian, and on the very right is Pakarad Semerdjian.

Patriarch Archbishop Shnorhk Kalousdian (1913-1990), in the courtyard of the Holy Trinity Church of Beyoğlu. Left to right: Deacon Garbis Semerdjian, Senior Priest Father Haroutyun Haladjian, Patriarch Shnorhk, and Father Bedros Der Bedrosian.

1) Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian (left) and Sister Hripsime Sasounian (right) at the spring in the garden of Amira Dakes’ palace. On the top section of the engraved stone is the following construction inscription in Armenian:
“Aghpyur Dzaravyats
Hezutyamp khonarh
Makritch aghedyats
Vayr hosyal arad
Zor Dakes harkadz
Vomn bayazad
Abakin amats.
Hayots harazad.”
The word abakin conceals the spring’s date of construction, based on Armenian numerology: 1 + 800 + 1 + 3 + 30 + 400 = 1225. If 551 is added to this number (the year in which the Armenian calendar began), the result is the year 1776 CE. The Kalfayan Orphanage building in Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu had once been the palace of Amira Dakes, a well-known money changer from Agn. The fate of this inscription after the demolition of the orphanage building remains unknown.
2) Sister Aghavni Keoseyan photographed at the grave of Prioress Christine Papazian, in the garden of the orphanage.

Left to right: Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Sister Nevrig M. Hovhannesian, Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, Sister Maryam Keoseyan, and Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian.

Sister Nevrig M. Hovhannessian (seated) with a group of Kalfayan wards.

1969. Left to right: Father Krikoris Manian, member of the Mekhitarist Order of Vienna (later abbot of the order), Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Sister Hripsime Sasounian, Vartavar Aslanian, Elmas Aslanian, and two unidentified individuals.

1912. Sisters Aghavni and Maryam Keoseyan.

Seated in the center is Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan. Back row, left to right: Sister Nevrig Pasmanian, Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, an unidentified woman, Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress), and Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian.

An Overview of the History of the Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage (1866-2025)

The institution was founded by Srpouhi Kalfayan (born in 1822). In 1840, she took her vows and became a nun, renouncing worldly life and dedicating herself to the service of God.

During the 1865 plague epidemic in Constantinople, Prioress Srpouhi Kalfayan gave shelter to and cared for 17 orphaned girls between the ages of 2 and 10 at her home. This became the foundation of the orphanage-school. In the following year, 1866, the institution received official status when Archbishop Nerses Varjadebian (patriarch from 1874 to 1884) issued a certificate of support to the institution, noting that its purpose was to care for orphaned girls and teach them the crafts. This certificate was presented to Patriarch Boghos II Paktakian (1863-1869) and was ratified by him on the same day (3 September 1866).

To keep the orphans busy and to ensure a steady income for the institution, the prioress, at her home in Khaskyugh, opened a workshop where the girls learned embroidery, dival, and various types of knitting. The products of this workshop were sold at the covered market of Constantinople. This allowed the most talented among the orphans to obtain employment at the closed market, knitting with valuable golden thread. Prioress Srpouhi’s workshop became well-known, and prosperous Armenians began supporting it.

Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress).

Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress). A note on the back of the photograph reads, “To my dear mother.” Photographer: Hodja-Ibrahim, Bursa.

Prioress Maryam Keoseyan (1881-1970), wearing a pectoral cross that she received as a gift from Vazken I in 1961. Photographer: Photo Galatasaray.

Hripsime Tayiryants, Senior Deaconess of the Tbilisi Cloister.

Prioress Christine Papazian. Photographer: Hodja-Ibrahim, Bursa.

The students of the Kalfayan School participate in a march on the occasion of an official celebration.

In addition to being a humanitarian, Prioress Srpouhi was a very enterprising woman. On behalf of the institution, she purchased a store in the Ghalatia neighborhood. The rental income from this store supported the institution’s humanitarian work. In spring 1870, Prioress Srpouhi and her wards visited Sultan Abdul-Aziz at his palace in Kağıthane. The monarch donated 50 Ottoman pounds to the orphanage. Moreover, from that day on, the government began supplying 7.5 okha (9.6 kilograms) of meat and 15 okha (19.2 kilograms) of bread per day to the institution. This grant continued until the abolition of the sultanate in 1923.

The institution founded by Prioress Srpouhi did not immediately become a religious order. Archbishop Nerses Varjabedian and Sepan Pasha Aslanian played a key role in regularizing the institution’s status. Prioress Srpouhi penned a charter/set of bylaws, which was ratified by the Constantinople Patriarchate. In his turn, Kevork IV Kerestedjian, Catholicos of All Armenians, confirmed this ratification with a pastoral edict. In 1871, Prioress Srpouhi visited Etchmiadzin and attended the ceremony of the blessing of the chrism.

Despite the sale of embroideries made by students, donations, and grants received from the royal court, the Kalfayan Orphanage perpetually faced financial challenges. In 1883, Prioress Srpouhi once again appealed to the reigning monarch, Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, and even visited him to ask for assistance. She presented the Sultan with a rug woven by the orphans. He, in turn, donated 300 Ottoman pounds to the institution. Thanks to this donation, the orphanage purchased a shop in Silihdar for 120 pounds. The rental income generated by this property was earmarked for the needs of the orphanage. By order of the Sultan, the provision of bread and meat to the orphanage was further regularized.

October 9, 1927. The sisters Aghavni and Maryam Keoseyan, members of the Kalfayan Order. Both would later serve as prioresses. A note on the back of the photograph reads, “On the occasion of the 25th anniversary,” likely referring to the 25th anniversary of the sisters’ taking their vows.

Prioress Maryam Keoseyan’s visiting card, addressed to Mr. Dzouligian and dated December 5, 1961.

Sister Aghavni Keoseyan (later prioress).

The sisters of the Kalfayan Order. Left to right: Sister Nevrig M. Hovhannesian, Prioress Maryam Keoseyan, and Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian. The others, left to right: Father Theotoros Fuchudjian and his wife, Mrs. Araksi Fuchudjian. The other individuals in the photograph are unidentified. The photograph was taken during a coffee break in the garden of the Üsküdar summer retreat. In 1971, when the Kalfayan Institution lost possession of its own building and the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel in the Halıcıoğlu neighborhood, the school was moved into this summer retreat in Üsküdar.

Prioress Srpouhi served the institution for 24 years. When she was already on the verge of death, she requested permission from Archbishop Khoren Ashukian to build a chapel on the institution’s grounds. After her death in 1889, she was succeeded by two of her former assistants, Prioress Yeranouhi Hovhannesian (1899-1902) and Prioress Christine Papazian (1902-1919). Prioress Srpouhi was buried inside the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel, which was built thanks to her efforts.

Under the leadership of Prioress Christine Papazian, two members of the order, Aghavni and Maryam Keoseyan, were appointed as her assistants. After his election and throughout his tenure, Archbishop Maghakia Ormanian (1896-1908) closely followed the work of the Kalfayan Order and did his utmost to support it.

Reteos Tateosian served as a teacher at the Kalfayan School-Orphanage from the day of its founding. In 1908, he was succeeded in his position by Hmayag Shishmanian.

When Prioress Christine died in 1919, she was succeeded by Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan (1919-1955).

Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian outside the dormitory of Kalfayan House in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood.

Sister Maryam Keoseyan in the wards’ dormitory.

1970. The bathroom of Kalfayan House (now demolished).

The school of Kalfayan House (now demolished) and its students in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood. This wooden building, which already had a history of 150 years by 1904, was renovated by architect Sdepan Hamamdjian, and a new floor was added to it.

The Holy Mother-of-God Chapel located at Kalfayan House.

At the entrance of the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel at Kalfayan House in Halıcıoğlu, July 1953. In the center is Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, and on the right is Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian. Behind the unidentified man on the left is Araksi Sasounian, future member of the order and the future Prioress Hripsime.

Circa 1937. Group photograph of the wards of the Kalfayan Orphanage.

The wards of the Kalfayan Orphanage sing while Patriarch Archbishop Shnorhk Kalousdian (1913-1990) walks to the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel (source: Rober Haddedjian, Archbishop Shnorhk Kalousdian, Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey. His Life and Work, Istanbul, 1987, p. 78).

January 1, 1931. The sixth-grade students of the Kalfayan School in the 1930-1931 academic year. Seated in the center is Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian. The school’s 1930-1931 graduates were: Asdghig Hamamdjian, Aghavni Kouyoumdjian, Azniv Simonian, Yeghisapet Hamsiyan, Hamaspyur Boyadjian, Mary Gyumyushian, Mary Adjemian, Maryam Emeksizian, Makrouhi Hovhannesian, Sirarpi Nalchadjian, Siranoush Chorbadjian, and Zepyur Mazloumian (source: Hundred-Year Memory Book of the Kalfayan House, 1866-1966, Hagop Chinar and Berdj Erziyan (eds.), Istanbul, 1966, p. 144).

The inscription on the back of the photograph reads: “1907, wards of the Kalfayan Orphanage, the granddaughter of Emperor Menelik of Habeshistan, photographed with Princess Mary Baghdasarian.” They are all dressed in the uniform of the Kalfayan School. Photographer: Apollon, Constantinople.

Sister Nevrig M. Hovhannesian. The inscription on the back of the photograph reads: “My dear sister Vartouhi. I send you this photograph with sincere love and as a token of remembrance. N. M. Hovhannesian, 1907 June 2.” Photographer: Apollon, Constantinople. Sister Nevrig took the vows in 1906. History has recorded her surname as Pasmanian.

Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian. This postcard was sent to Vartouhi Kherbegian and was dated November 25, 1919. Photographer: Sebah & Joaillier, Constantinople.

A postcard. The inscription on the back reads: “29 May 1923. To Miss Foulig Roupenian, Constantinople. My dear sister Fouliane, I offer this photograph of my new life to you as a token of sincere friendship. Your sister, the soon-to-be nun, Z. D. Yeghiseyan (?).” Photographer: Apollon, Constantinople. This young woman looks very much like Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, but the signature is not hers.

Wards of the Kalfayan House, with Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian in the center.

After the First World War, many surviving orphans were given shelter at the institution. The number of wards reached 90. Beginning in 1923, the number of wards under the care of the institution ranged from 95 to 100. The orphanage building was fully renovated in 1923.

In the 1920s, as a result of the new laws of republican Turkey, the Kalfayan Sisters’ Institution was officially recognized as an orphanage-primary school, with Hmayag Oughourlian (later Father Drtad) as its principal. Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan was succeeded by her sister, Prioress Maryam Keoseyan (1955-1970), Prioress Arousyag Mkhitarian (1971-1982), Prioress Hripsime Sasounian (1984-2007), and Prioress Kayane Doulkadirian (since 2007).

As we have seen, in the early 1970s, the Kalfayan Orphanage building and the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel in the Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu neighborhood were demolished to make way for a bridge. The grave of Prioress Kalfayan, which was next to the chapel, was moved to the Şişli Armenian Cemetery. In 1971, the Kalfayan School also moved to Üsküdar, to the building in the Altunizade neighborhood that had hitherto served as a summer retreat for the orphans. This building offered limited facilities as a school. A nearby boarding school was rented to be used for classes. In 1979, renovations were made to the Üsküdar building. A new dormitory and refectory were built.

Left to right: Sister Nevrig Pasmanian, Sister Maryam Keoseyan, Patriarch Archbishop Mesrob Naroyan (1927-1944), Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, and Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian (only partly visible). Photographed in the guest room of the Kalfayan House.

1917, Constantinople. Seated, left to right: Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress), Prioress Christine Papazian, Sister Aghavni Keoseyan (later prioress), and Sister Nevrig Pasmanian. The standing wards are unidentified.

October 1936. Wards of the Kalfayan House photographed in the garden of the orphanage chapel.

July 11, 1934. A group of Kalfayan wards. On the very right is Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, and beside her is Sister Nevrig M. Pasmanian.

May 25, 1927. The wards of the Kalfayan Orphanage-School with their teacher (unidentified).

June 21, 1929. A tea party in honor of the sixth-grade graduates of the Kalfayan School. At the head of the table is Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, and beside her is Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress). On the right is Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian. The school’s 1928-1929 graduates were Armine Kouyoumdjian, Anahid Sarafian, Haigouhi Demirian, Meline Nahabedian, Shake Chamchigian, Sirvart Aladjadjian, and Dalita Ekmekdjian. Photographer: Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian (source: Hundred-Year Memory Book of the Kalfayan House, 1866-1966, Hagop Chinar and Berdj Erziyan (eds.), Istanbul, 1966, pp. 143-144).

The Holy Mother-of-God Chapel (now demolished) of the Kalfayan House in Halıcıoğlu.

Wards of Kalfayan House in the Order’s garden. In the center, on the teacher’s left, is Sister Maryam Keoseyan; and on his right is Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian.

Wards of Kalfayan House. Seated, second from the left, is Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress). The man sitting next to her is probably a teacher.

1947. The construction of a new building at the Kalfayan House in Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu. The photograph features Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Miss Chrakian, and architect Vosgyan Bedoyan. In the background is Vosgeghchyur.

A group photograph of the wards, nuns, and teachers of Kalfayan House, including Sisters Zarmouhi Mehrabian and Arousyag Mkhitarian. Seated, on the very right, is Hmayag Oughourlian (later Father Drtad).

1947. Wards in the garden of the Kalfayan House in Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu. Vosgeghchyur is visible in the background.

Left to right: Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, Sister Maryam Keoseyan (later prioress), and Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian. Photographer: Photo l’Aigle, Constantinople.

Group photograph, probably with supporters and donors of Kalfayan House. Standing, first from the left, is Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian. Seated, first from the left, is Sister Maryam Keoseyan; and seated, third from the left, is Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan.

May 1, 1944. This photograph features Sister Maryam Keoseyan and Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan. The priest is Father Aram Basmadjian, and the boy next to him is acolyte Krikor Hapelian (later deacon and head chorister of the Asoghig Choir of the Beyoğlu School). On the back of the photograph is an inscription that reads: “A memento of May 1, 1944.”

Sisters of the Kalfayan Order in the garden of Kalfayan House in Halıcıoğlu. Left to right: Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Sister Nevrig Pasmanian, Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, Sister Maryam Keoseyan, an unidentified woman, and Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan. Given that Sister Nevrig died in 1952, this photograph must have been taken before that year.

1947. Probably the area between the garden of the Kalfayan House in Halıcıoğlu and Vosgeghchyur (Golden Horn). In the center is Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian.

February 26, 1926. Wards of the Kalfayan House in the garden of the Khaskyugh building, visiting the grave of Prioress Christine Papazian. Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian is second from the right.

Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian (left) and Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian (right). The others in the photograph are unidentified.

Spring 1932, Jerusalem. An Easter liturgy (most probably the Antasdan ceremony) in the courtyard of the Srpots Hagopyants Monastery. In the center is Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Torkom Koushagian.

Seated, left to right: Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan, an unidentified individual, Patriarch Mesrob I Naroyan (1927-1944), Sister Maryam Keoseyan, and Sister Nevrig M. Pasmanian. For some time, Patriarch Mesrob taught at Kalfayan House. The standing individuals are unidentified.

In the garden outside the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel. Left to right: an unidentified man, Sister Arousyag Mkhitarian, Sister Maryam Keoseyan, Sister Zarmouhi Mehrabian, and Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan.

At the entrance of the Holy Mother-of-God Chapel in Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu. Seated in the center of the front row is Sister Maryam Keoseyan. Standing in the second row, on the very right, is Prioress Aghavni Keoseyan.

In 1997, the Turkish Ministry of Education mandated that all schools provide at least eight years of elementary education. As the Kalfayan School did not meet this requirement, starting in the 1999-2000 academic year, it merged with the Semerdjian Lyceum, a historic Armenian school in Üsküdar. The Armenian community of Üsküdar, recognizing the importance and value of Kalfayan House, opted to close the Semerdjian Lyceum and the Nersesian-Yermonian School, so that it could marshal all its financial and moral resources to support the Kalfayan School. Today, the dormitories of the Kalfayan School are housed in the historic building that the institution owns in Üsküdar (the former summer retreat). To attend classes, the students are transported every day to the building of the former Semerdjian Lyceum, in the Selamsız neighborhood of Üsküdar, on the road behind the Saint Garabed Church.

In 2012, the Ministry of Education repealed the legal requirement for eight years of primary schooling. The Kalfayan School could once again return to its original mission of educating successive generations of Armenian girls, this time in the former building of the Semerdjian Lyceum. Today, the Kalfayan School offers nine grades of schooling, from kindergarten to middle-school level, and has an enrollment of 57 pupils of both sexes. The school is funded by the revenue generated by its properties, as well as the donations made by the Armenians of Turkey. The Kalfayan School’s Instagram address is https://www.instagram.com/kalfayanokulu?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

A petition sent by Patriarch Hovhannes XII of Constantinople to the Ottoman Ministry of Justice (dated 1 April 1912), which asks for permission to print lottery tickets for a 1,000-pound prize to benefit the Kalfayan Orphanage of Khaskyugh (source: Başbakanlık Ottoman Archives, BOA. ŞD. 2811/21).

A petition sent by Prioress Abrahouni (Yeranouhi Hovhannesian), director of the Holy Mother-of-God Orphanage of Khaskyugh, to the Ottoman Sultan (Abdul-Hamid II), dated 5 March 1893. In the petition, the director of the orphanage asks for government assistance (source: Başbakanlık Ottoman Archives, BOA.Y.MTV. 75/117).

A petition sent by Patriarch Zaven of Constantinople to the Ottoman Ministry of Justice (dated 1 January 1914), which asks for permission to print lottery tickets for a 1,000-pound prize to benefit the Kalfayan Orphanage of Khaskyugh (source: Başbakanlık Ottoman Archives, BOA.BEO. 4249/318668).

December 3, 1987. Left to right: Sister Hripsime Sasounian, Father Mesrob Moutafian (later archbishop and patriarch of the Armenian Church in Turkey), Haigouhi Hyusyumian, and Archbishop Dirayr Mardigian (prelate of the dioceses of Romania and Bulgaria). The others (standing) are unidentified.

Probably early 2000s. Prioress Hripsime Sasounian with Patriarch Archbishop Mesrob Moutafian at the Istanbul Patriarchate.

The building of the former Semerdjian Lyceum, in the Selamsız neighborhood of Üsküdar, which currently houses the Kalfayan School.

The large garden and dormitory building of the Kalfayan Orphanage-School in the Altunizade neighborhood of Üsküdar. In 1972, after the demolition of its old buildings, the Kalfayan Order was forced to move to this building.

Sources

Krikor Markarian, Gensakroutyun Srpouhi Mayrabedi Nshan-Kalfayan [Biography of Prioress Srpouhi Nshan-Kalfayan], N. G. Berberian Printing House, Constantinople, 1892.
Kalfayan Aghchgants Vorpanots – Khaskyugh, Vetsamya Hamaradvoutyun (1914-1919) [The Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage – Khaskyugh, Six-Year Report (1914-1919)], G. Keshisian Son Printing House, Constantinople, 1920.
Vatsounamyag (1866-1926) Kalfayan Aghchgants Vorpanotsi – Khaskyugh [Sixty-Year Anniversary (1866-1926) of the Kalfayan Girs’ Orphanage – Khaskyugh], H. M. Setian Printing House, Constantinople, 1926.
Kalfayan Aghchgants Vorpanots (1866-1934), Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu [The Kalfayan Girls’ Orphanage (1866-1934), Khaskyugh-Halıcıoğlu], H. M. Setian Printing House, Istanbul, 1935.
Father Haroutyun Damadian, G. Bolso Hayots Badriarkoutyan Vanagan-Tbrevanagan Gyanku [The Monastic-Seminarial Life of the Constantinople Armenian Patriarchate], Holy See of Etchmiadzin, 2023.