San Lazzaro degli Armeni Island

Address: Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice, Italy

Website: https://www.sanlazzaro.org/

Hours: Monastery opening hours vary; island open with vaporetto service daily

Admission: Entrance to the island and the monastery typically involves a small ferry fare; guided visits to the Armenian monastery have modest fees

San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian lagoon that has been home to the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist monastery since the early 18th century. The monastery and its library form a significant repository of Armenian manuscripts, printed books and scholarship in exile.

The island is best known for the Mekhitarist community’s library and museum, which preserve an extensive collection of Armenian-language manuscripts, early printed works and archival material used for research and publication. The monastic complex includes cloisters, a church and exhibition rooms and has for centuries served as a centre for Armenian culture and education in Europe.

The Mekhitarist congregation acquired the island in 1717 and developed it into a monastic and scholarly establishment that attracted visitors, scholars and diplomats; the island remains an active religious community and a destination for cultural visits. Public access is available on organised visits and via regular vaporetto connections from Venice.

Located on a small island in the lagoon immediately east of the main Venetian islands, the monastery is reached by water and sits a short boat trip from central Venice’s north waterfront.

• Founding: Purchased by the Mekhitarist congregation in 1717 and developed as a major Armenian cultural, scholarly and religious centre outside Armenia.

What to See#

• Monastery: Mekhitarist monastery - the working monastic complex established on the island by the Mekhitarist congregation after their purchase of the island in 1717, containing cloisters, cells and communal spaces.
• Library and museum: Library and museum - a repository holding an extensive collection of Armenian manuscripts, early printed books and archival material assembled by the monastic community over centuries.
• Church: Church of San Lazzaro - the island church used for liturgy and preserving Armenian ecclesiastical art and inscriptions.

Vaporetti from Fondamente Nove or San Zaccaria stop at San Lazzaro (Line 20 or others depending on season). The crossing is short; check vaporetto schedules as some services are seasonal.

• Visit the Armenian monastery's library and manuscript collection if openings are scheduled; appointments may be required.
• Arrive on an early vaporetto and linger in the monastery's courtyard before tour groups arrive.
• Respect the quiet: this is a working religious community and certain areas are private.