Island of St. Lazarus of the Armenians, Venice

St. Lazarus of the Armenians is a small island in the Venice lagoon. During the Middle Ages it was a leper hospital, where the infected people were confined (Lazzaretto is the Italian name of leper hospital).

Several Armenian monks took here shelter from the Ottoman invasion of their country. 

Since the early 18th century, it’s home of an Armenian Catholic monastery, probably the most important site of the Armenian diaspora. Since then, it has been the main center of this culture, with its own printing house, library, with a large collection of old Armenian books and manuscripts.

The island can be visited every day at 3.25 pm.