Center for the Armenian heritage

You now stand in front of the Center for Armenian Heritage, a cultural center opened in 2005 in the former Faculty of Law. It features an exhibition retracing the history of the Armenian genocide, which took place between 1915 and 1916. This major 20th-century tragedy took place during World War I, in what was then still known as the Ottoman Empire. At the time, Armenians were living in eastern Turkey. As Christian in a predominantly Muslim empire, armenians had long been discriminated against for their religion, and did not enjoy the same rights as other inhabitants. Already in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several massacres took place in villages with a predominantly Armenian population.  When World War I broke out, Armenian populations found themselves caught between the Ottoman and Russian empires, which were not on the same side. The Ottoman government took advantage of this situation, accusing the Armenians of supporting the Russians and thus betraying the Empire. It then carried out large-scale massacres and deportations to concentration camps, where the vast majority of inmates died as a result of the extreme conditions or were executed. For over a year, the population was exterminated, along with all opponents of the political regime in power, which wished to eliminate all Christian minorities from its territory. The regime used the context of the world war to conceal the genocide. Of the 2.5 million Armenians living in the country, 1.7 million, that is over three-quarters, were exterminated. The survivors were liberated by the victorious Allies, and many took refuge in the surrounding territories, as well as in the United States and France. They mostly settled in Marseille, Lyon, Paris and Valence. Today, these cities are still home to large Amenian communities, hence the importance, for Valence to build a cultural center dedicated to this population, its history and the genocide it suffered a century ago. The center offers an interactive journey through the history of different populations and cultures, a reminder of the suffering associated with the genocide, and an understanding of the Armenian diaspora. You can visit the museum for just a few euros to discover its exhibitions.