Molokans: A Quiet Community in Armenia

At one point the number of Molokans reached an estimated 500,000. During the 19th Century, Tsarist officials instituted policies designed to force Molokans from Central Russia to the periphery of the empire. Accordingly, Molokan communities developed in Caucasus and Central Asia. Today, Molokans are found around the world, including several dozen communities in the United States and a handful in Australia.

One Molokan community in Armenia is located at Fioletovo, a village with a population of about 1,500. The Fioletovo community is the largest cluster of Molokans outside of Yerevan. Overall, there are nine Molokan communities in Armenia, with a total population of about 5,000. About a decade ago there were an estimate 12,000 Molokans in Armenia. The rapid reduction in numbers is in part connected with the struggling Armenian economy.

Fioletovo has the feel of an ethnic Russian village. Conversations heard around town are conducted entirely in Russian, and villagers live according to long-held traditions, eschewing many modern conveniences. For example, women rely on devices called pakhtalkas, or butter churns. The primary source of revenue is agriculture with Fioletovo's main crop being cabbage.

Photographer Ruben Mangasaryan visited Fioletovo to document what is a rapidly disappearing way of life. A selection of his images is presented in this EurasiaNet photo essay.