An Armenian nun in church vestments

The photograph shows an Armenian nun in the 20th century. She wears long dark church vestments and a head covering, 2 crosses hang on her chest, and she holds a long staff topped with a cross-shaped head.

The nun stands in a photographer’s studio beside house plants, a table with books and an upholstered chair. Below the picture is a printed Russian caption with the number 7040, meaning “Armenian nun”.

According to the source, in Armenian monasteries and communities nuns played an important role not only in spiritual life but also in education and charity: they cared for orphans and served in schools and hospitals.