The Construction and Architectural Evolution of the Armenian Church of St. Bartholomew in Genoa (14th–19th Centuries) as a Product of a Formed Spiritual and Cultural Environment

Abstract

This article examines the Armenian–Italian medieval historical and cultural layers, aiming to document and historiographically analyze the preserved material-cultural traces of Armenian pres-ence along the Ligurian coast, with particular focus on the Church of Saint Bartholomew of the Ar-menians in Genoa. Founded in the 14th century by Armenian monks, transformed between the 14th and 19th centuries, and still functioning today, the church stands at the center of this study. The emergence of one of Italy’s most prominent port diaspora communities is examined, considering the Church of Saint Bartholomew of the Armenians as its spiritual core, alongside the history of the church’s construction, its architectural transformations, and its historical distinctiveness.
The research methodology encompasses an analysis of the formation and historical existence of the social, spiritual, and cultural environment. The scholarly objectives of the article are to docu-ment and analyze, within the context of historical developments, the foundation of the structure, its architectural solutions and characteristics, as well as its structural transformations from the 14th to the 19th centuries.
Primary-source materials have been included in the scholarly analysis; however, the research was conducted entirely on site. Fieldwork enabled a more detailed examination and the identifica-tion and synthesis of structural changes that occurred over the centuries.