Orphans from Alexandropol by Kecharis Monastery

The photograph shows Kecharis Monastery in Tsaghkadzor, presumably in the 1920s. Kecharis is a medieval monastic complex in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor in the Kotayk Province. It was founded by the Pahlavuni princes in the 11th century. The monastery was an important religious and cultural centre of medieval Armenia and had a school of higher learning.

The picture shows Armenian pupils of the American orphanage in Alexandropol (Gyumri) on a summer hike, passing the monastery with an American flag. The flag symbolised the help and support of the United States for the Armenian people, especially for the orphans after the tragic events of the early 20th century.

The pupils, dressed in white, walk in a line with sticks on their shoulders. Sheep graze in the foreground; behind are the monastery’s churches and the remains of a tall, half-ruined wall.