Armenian Church

The Armenian Church, or Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Resurrection to give it its full name, stands opposite Mitford Hospital at 218 Mitford Road.  It was completed in 1781 on the site of a former Armenian graveyard (some graves still exist) and shows that there was a significant Armenian community in the region during the 17th and 18th centuries.  It is a two-storeyed building with a central section and two rectangular wings on either side.  A spiral staircase leads to the second floor.  There used to be a clock tower with bells that could be heard four miles away, but the clock stopped in 1880 and the tower was destroyed in the 1897 earthquake.

Armenians settled here for political and economic reasons when their homeland was occupied by the Persians.  They used to trade in jute and leather in the 17th century, some of them settling here permanently.   The area where they lived was known as Armanitola. 

Mother Teresa (1910-97) stayed in the church compound during her 1996 visit to Dhaka.