History of Armavir

In the beginning of the XIX century Circassian people adopted Islam, some Armenian people (who lived among them) were Christians and they had to move to the borders of Russia. The main reason of migration was desire of Armenian people to save national originality and own Christian religion, and also desire to establish trade relations with Russian Empire. Russia was interested in such migration. With the help of Armenian people military forces tried to stimulate local people for the development of peaceful trade. Massive migration was headed by commander-in-chief, general-major baron Gregory Christophorovich fon Zass who played an important role in the foundation of Armavir. On the 21st of April, 1839 Armenian people were resettled to the left bank of the Cuban river, in front of the fortress Orochny Okop by the order of general G.C. Zass.

In 1848 by the initiative of Armenian priest in Stavropol Petros Patkanyan the settlement was named Armavir in memory about the capital of ancient Armenian kingdom which achieved a very high level of the development in the second half of the first millennium B.C. At the same time Caucasus governor-general approved the name as Armavirsky.

In 1861 in Armavir the construction of Armenian-Gregorian church was finished, and in 1865 the first Russian church school was opened.

A new impulse to the development of this settlement was given in 1875 when the Vladikavkas railway was built which came through Armavir. As a result, butter industry, repair-mechanical factories began working.

In 1876 Armavir became a village.The number of people was 3 715. Slowly the village Armavir became a big trade and industrial centre of the North Caucasus. By 1896 in the village Armavir there were 4 churches, 17 public and private houses, 235 small shops, 2 tobacco factories, a cotton wool factory, 3 brick factories, a lime factory, 3 soap factories, 4 butter factories. Trade was very developed.

In 1904 construction of the first electric station in Armavir began, it was completed in 1905.

In 1908 the joint-stock company "Armavir- Tuapce railway" was created. The aim of the company was to join industrially developed village Armavir and the nearest big centers with the coast of the Black sea. The length of the railway with the railway branch Maykop was 252 verst (1 verst = 3500 feet, 1.06 km). The railway was put into operation on the 15th of February, 1915.

On the 23rd of March, 1914 the village Armavir was reorganized into the city Armavir by the order of the Emperor Nicolai II.

On the territory of the city there are 13 archeological monuments, 262 monuments of history and culture.

In Armavir you can see 189 buildings which are monuments of architecture including the building of Armenian -Apostol church "Surb-Astvotsin" (St. Virgin) (in 1894 the construction began and in 1861 was finished). On the central square there is a monument to V.I. Lenin, which was built in 1926 (sculptor V.V. Kozlov). The same monument you can find near the Smolny palace in St. Petersburg.

In the cinema "Mars" in which the first congress of Soviets was held, A.I. Kuprin, V.V. Maykovsky spoke. One of the oldest theatre of drama and comedy named by Lunacharsky in the North Caucasus have worked for already 95 years.

In Armavir there is a tatar mosque.

Armavir citizens are proud of their picture gallery "Thinking about mothers" which can you find in the central children's library. The gallery is a unique collection of pictures, works, sculptures dedicated to the theme of mothers. This collection was made by S.A. Dangulov (1912-1990), soviet writer, citizen of Armavir.

Armavir was officially called the city in 1914 and it is the city of regional subordination. According to the decision of the City Duma the Charter of the city was adopted.