The church was built between 1880 and 1881 and is located in the old center of Constanta, on Callatis Street, at number 1. The first church for the Armenian community in Constanta was made of wood and was located close to the seashore.
It was not until 1880 that the City Hall offered a 1,300 square meter plot of land, also located on the seashore, in the area called the Cealic slum, for the construction of a church and a school for Armenians. In that year, the Armenian community in Constanta numbered 175 people, but a few decades later, during the interwar period, their number increased to 3,750, following the arrival of numerous refugee families from the Ottoman Empire after the massacres of 1915.
The Armenian church, dedicated to "Saint Mary", was built with the contribution of Nazaret Torosian, a member of the community. In 1940, the original wooden church was destroyed in a fire, and services were moved to a celebration hall on the first floor of the school building.
Over time, the number of students decreased, and starting in 1948, the entire building was taken over by the church. It was not until 1990 that a rectangular bell tower, specific to the Armenian style, was added, designed by architect Dan Rusovan. Inside, the walls are not decorated with paintings, but are covered with large icons, many of which were created by the painter Haig Azarian.
The renovation works carried out between 1990-1991 and 1998-2002, due mainly to the efforts of priest Avedis Mandalian, brought significant improvements to both the exterior of the building and its interior. The exterior plaster and roof were restored, and inside, the space was reconfigured with wide arches, stained glass windows reflecting medieval Armenian art, and an open altar.
Sursa: heritageconstanta.com
