Armenians in Cyprus - The Armenian Legion

The Armenian Legion

After negotiations in September 1916, between Boghos Noubar Pasha and French political and military authorities, the Eastern Legion (Légion d'Orient/Արեւելեան Լէգէոն) was officially established in Cairo in November 1916. It was to be an auxiliary unit of the French Military, which would be composed of Armenian volunteers from the Middle East, Europe and North America, whose aim was to liberate Cilicia from the Ottoman Empire, for the purpose of creating an independent Armenian state in that region. Several Armenian organisations pledged contributions to form battalions of the Legion. After negotiations with the British, it was decided that the training of the volunteers (կամաւորներ=gamavorner) would take place at Monarga, in the Carpass peninsula of Cyprus.

The camp was built in December 1916 by Armenian refugees and in January 1917 the arrival of the volunteers started, which continued throughout 1917 and 1918. The selection and training were rather strict. The camp consisted of the headquarters, the barracks, various auxiliary installations (including a basin) and a small church. In total, there were 4.124 volunteers, who formed 3 battalions. The commander of the camp was Infantry Lieutenant Colonel Louis Romieu and the spiritual shepherd was Archbishop Taniel Hagopian, assisted by Archimandrite Krikor Bahlavouni, later known as “Topal Vartabed” (Թոփալ Վարդապետ=Lame Archimandrite). Both clergymen came to Cyprus from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, even though at the time the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus was under the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Training was completed by May 1918 and then the Legion was deployed in Palestine, marking the famous Battle of Arara on 19 September 1918. In December 1918 the Legion settled in the Cilicia region, where it remained until it was dissolved in August 1920, with its headquarters located in Adana. In February 1919 it was officially called Armenian Legion (Légion Arménienne/Հայկական Լէգէոն). After the dissolution of the Legion, a small number of Legionnaires returned to Cyprus. It is worth mentioning the fact that in the Armenian cemetery of Larnaca there is a group grave of 9 volunteers of the Armenian Legion, commissioned by the French consulate in the late 1940s. Today, very little remains in what used to be the camp of the Legion, currently located in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus.