Une vie culturelle arménienne prolifique existait dans le village de Bardizag (aujourd'hui Bahçecik / Baghtchedjik). La preuve en réside dans les nombreux journaux arméniens publiés dans ce lieu habité par les Arméniens.
Notre article récemment publié concerne la presse périodique arménienne de Bardizag. Son auteur est l'un des associés et amis de Houshamadyan, Mihran Minassian. Dans son article, il fournit une brève introduction aux 21 journaux de Bardizag, sur lesquels il a collecté des informations en examinant plusieurs. et des sources souvent rares.
L'article est traduit respectivement en anglais et en turc par Tamar Marie Boyadjian et Sevan Deirmendjian.
The history of the settlement dates back to the 10th century or the Byzantine Empire; its original name was Basileia. The immigration of Armenian refugees took place in the 16th or 17th century. They renamed the settlement Bardizag (Eastern Armenian: Partizak – Պարտիզակ – ‘Little Garden’).
Population: 9,000-12,000
“To the south [of Izmit], the little town of Bağçecik (Armenian: Bardizag), with its 9,024 inhabitants, was the last station on the steamboat line that ran between Izmit and the capital Constantinople. Located six kilometers from the coast near Mt. Minas and surrounded by forests and fertile farmland, Bardizag was known above all for its production of silkworms, its vineyards, and its truck gardens. A large American mission, with a middle school and hospital, was active in the town on the eve of the First World War.”[1]
The American Robert College (Bithynia High School) of Bardizag
“The name Bardizag was given to a group of eight small villages in the province of Izmit (Nicomedia). Five of these villages were populated by Armenians, one by Greeks, and two by Muslims. At the turn of the century, Bardizag had a predominantly Armenian-speaking population of 10,500 (Der Hagopian 1960: 32), hence the Armenian name, meaning ‘little garden’. Bardizag borders the Sea of Marmara in northern Turkey, not far from Constantinople. The town was founded in the 17th century by Armenians fleeing from their original village Bardizag in Sebastia [Sivas] which at the time, had become a battlefield in the Turco-Persian war.
The favorable geographical location of the new Bardizag on the wooded hillside slopes with its salubrious sea air, charming stone houses, and picturesque flower gardens, made it an attractive summer resort for the wealthy Armenian intelligentsia from Constantinople and environs. Bardizag was known not only for its natural physical beauty, but also for its vibrant cultural life, with eight Armenian schools (including a college), several Armenian churches representing three Christian denominations (Apostolic, Catholic, and Protestant), at least three Armenian newspapers and periodicals, and a lively amateur theatre. Bardizag was also known for its fine medical and pharmaceutical services, and for its many good physicians and pharmacists. Despite its modest size, Bardizag was a hive of literary activity, where both oral and written Armenian were held in high esteem. In short, the stimulating environment of Bardizag was representative of the Armenian literary and cultural revival in 19th century Anatolia.”
Source: Sakayan, Dora: An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna Ordeal of 1922. Montreal: Arod Books, 1997, p. IX
