Faith has been at the center of Armenian life in America from the very beginning. Before they built businesses, newspapers or political organizations, Armenian immigrants built churches. Today more than 130 Armenian churches across the United States hold regular services, and they are free to do so under the protections of American law.[1,2]
✝.1The First Christian Nation
Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion, traditionally dated to 301 AD, when St. Gregory the Illuminator converted King Tiridates III. The Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches.[3]
For Armenians, the church preserved their language, alphabet and identity through centuries without a state of their own. Immigrants brought this tradition with them to America, and the parish quickly became the heart of every Armenian community.
✝.2The First Parishes in America
The story begins in Worcester, Massachusetts, where Armenian workers formed a club in 1888 and invited a priest, Rev. Hovsep Sarajian, to serve them. The Church of Our Saviour was consecrated on January 18, 1891. It was the first Armenian church in the Western Hemisphere.[4,5,6]
In 1897 the growing communities were organized into four ecclesiastical districts: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Chicago and Fresno. A year later, in 1898, Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian (Khrimian Hayrig) issued an encyclical from Holy Etchmiadzin establishing the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.[7,8]
In California, the first Armenian Divine Liturgy in Fresno was held in 1895. The community built Holy Trinity Church in 1900, and its current building, completed in 1914, is the oldest Armenian Apostolic church in the western United States.[9,10] By 1916 there were 34 Armenian parishes in the U.S., with about 27,450 members.[8]
✝.3Growth, Division and Unity of Faith
As Armenians settled across the country, the church grew with them. The Western Diocese was established in 1927 and today serves Armenians from California to Alaska and Hawaii from its headquarters in Burbank.[11]
The political tensions of the 1930s divided the community. On December 24, 1933, Archbishop Levon Tourian, primate of the Eastern Diocese, was assassinated during Christmas Eve services at Holy Cross Church in New York.[12,8] In 1957, a group of parishes placed themselves under the Holy See of Cilicia, while the others remained under Holy Etchmiadzin.[13,7]
Today, Armenian Apostolic parishes in the U.S. are served by four jurisdictions: the Eastern and Western Dioceses (Etchmiadzin) and the Eastern and Western Prelacies (Cilicia). They share the same faith, liturgy and sacraments, and the division did not break Eucharistic communion.[7]
✝.4Cathedrals and Seminaries
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in Manhattan was built by genocide survivors and their children. Modeled on the ancient St. Hripsime Church in Etchmiadzin, it was consecrated on April 28, 1968, and was the first Armenian cathedral in the Western Hemisphere.[14,15]
On the West Coast, St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank, seat of the Western Diocese, was consecrated in 2010 by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.[16,11] St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, founded in 1961, trains clergy and lay leaders for the American church.[8]
✝.5Evangelical and Catholic Armenians
Most Armenian Americans belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Smaller communities belong to Armenian Evangelical (Protestant) and Armenian Catholic churches.[8]
The first Armenian Evangelical congregation in the U.S., the Armenian Church of the Martyrs in Worcester, began in 1881. Evangelical churches formed regional unions in 1901 and 1908, which merged into the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America in 1971.[17]
In 1981, Pope John Paul II established a jurisdiction for Armenian Catholics in the United States and Canada. In 2005 it was raised to the Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg, which today is based in Glendale, California.[18]
✝.6More Than 130 Churches Today
Today more than 130 Armenian churches across the United States are actively worshiping. A 2025 field survey counted 164 Armenian churches in the country, from New England to California.[1]
These parishes do much more than hold Sunday services. They run Armenian weekend schools, youth and sports programs, choirs, cultural festivals and charity drives. They welcome newcomers and help them settle into American life, and they keep the connection between Armenian Americans and Armenia strong.
✝.7Supported by the United States
Armenian churches in America grow freely because the United States protects religious freedom. The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion, and churches that meet the requirements of the tax code are automatically recognized as tax-exempt, so donations to them are tax-deductible.[2,19]
The United States also helps preserve Armenia's Christian heritage abroad. Through the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, it has funded:
- $510,000 to restore St. Hovhannes Church and its frescoes in Meghri (2016)
- More than $290,000 to preserve the churches and monuments of Sanahin Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site (2019 and 2021)
- $175,000 to conserve the 4th–5th century Yereruyk Basilica in Shirak (2023)[20,21]
From Worcester in 1891 to more than 130 parishes today, the Armenian Church has become a lasting part of America's religious landscape, and a living bridge between the United States and Armenia.
References
- Holy Cross Armenian Church — “Holy Cross 2025 Financial Transparency Analysis (U.S. Armenian church count).” https://holycrossarmenian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Holy-Cross-MA-2025-Financial-Transparency-Analysis.Slides.-Draft-22.05.2026.1850GMT1.pdf
- Constitution Annotated, U.S. Congress — “First Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/
- Wikipedia — “Armenian Apostolic Church.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Apostolic_Church
- Wikipedia — “Church of Our Savior, Worcester.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Savior,_Worcester
- The Armenian Weekly — “Armenian Church Registers and the Reconstruction of Immigrant Lives in America.” https://armenianweekly.com/2026/06/29/armenian-church-registers-and-the-reconstruction-of-immigrant-lives-in-america/
- Armenian Church of Our Saviour, Worcester — “About Us: Armenian Church of Our Saviour.” https://acoos.org/about-us/
- OrthodoxHistory.org — “A Short Introduction to the Armenian Church in the United States.” https://www.orthodoxhistory.org/2011/03/03/a-short-introduction-to-the-armenian-church-in-the-united-states/
- Wikipedia — “Armenian Americans.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Americans
- Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Fresno — “Church History.” https://holytrinityfresno.org/church-history/
- Wikipedia — “Holy Trinity Church, Fresno.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Fresno
- Western Diocese of the Armenian Church / St. Leon Cathedral — “The Diocese.” https://dev2.stleoncathedral.com/en/thediocese
- History Cooperative / Journal of American Ethnic History — “Contested Memories, Divided Diaspora: Armenian Americans and the Response to an Archbishop's Murder.” https://historycooperative.org/journal/contested-memories-divided-diaspora-armenian-americans-the-thousand-day-republic-and-the-polarized-response-to-an-archbishops-murder/
- Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church — “This Is How the Prelacy History Was Made.” https://armenianprelacy.org/2022/11/10/this-is-how-the-prelacy-history-was-made/
- St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral — “Our History.” https://stvartan.org/our-history/
- Wikipedia — “St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Vartan_Armenian_Cathedral
- Cyprus Travel Writers — “Saint Leon Cathedral in Burbank, California.” https://cyprustravelwriters.com/saint-leon-cathedral-in-burbank-california-a-testament-to-armenian-cultural-heritage/
- Armenian Missionary Association of America — “Armenian Evangelical Union of North America: Yesterday and Today.” https://amaa.org/armenian-evangelical-union-of-north-america-yesterday-and-today/
- Catholic World Report — “Eastern Catholics in the United States: A Look at the Numbers.” https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/12/01/eastern-catholics-in-the-united-states-a-look-at-the-numbers/
- Internal Revenue Service — “Churches and Religious Organizations.” https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/churches-religious-organizations
- U.S. Embassy in Armenia — “Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.” https://am.usembassy.gov/ambassadors-fund-for-cultural-preservation/
- Armenpress — “U.S. Ambassador and Armenian Minister Visit Yereruyk Basilica Conservation Project.” https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197979