By the early 18th century only a few crumbling ruins remained. In 1651 a Dominican order settled at the island after fleeing from Turkish-occupied Crete. In the second half of the 17th century the island was leased to various religious groups. Leprosy declined by the mid-1500s and the island was abandoned by 1601 when only the chaplain and some gardeners remained at the island to grow vegetables. In the same year, the hospital was renovated and its ownership transferred from the Benedictines to the patriarchal cathedral of San Pietro. The church of San Lazzaro was founded in 1348, which is attested by an inscription in Gothic script. Thus, a leper colony was established at the island, which was chosen for that purpose due to its relative distance from the principal islands forming the city of Venice. Paolini transferred the simple hospital of San Trovaso to the island. In the 12th century, leprosy had appeared in Venice as a result of trade with the East. It soon became an asylum for those infected with leprosy. Leone Paolini, a local nobleman, obtained the island as a gift from the Abbot Uberto di Sant'Ilario and built a church, initially dedicated to Pope Leo I. In 810, the Republic of Venice allocated the island to the abbot of the Benedictine Monastery of St. The recorded history of the island begins in the 9th century. History San Lazzaro in a map dating from the second half of the 16th century. Teresa Levonian Cole wrote in 2015 that 12 vardapets (educated monks) and five novices reside in San Lazzaro. A Los Angeles Times writer noted in 1998 that San Lazzaro is still a "monastic hub of activity," although at the time the monastery housed only 10 seminarians and 10 fathers. By 1960, some 20 resident monks were reported. By the early 1840s, the island housed 50 monks and students. Their number has been smaller thereafter. A century later, in 1816, when Byron visited the island, there were some 70 Mekhitarists in San Lazzaro. Twelve monks led by Mkhitar Sebastatsi arrived in Venice in 1715. The number of monks, students, and other residents at San Lazzaro has fluctuated throughout history. In Armenian, the island is called Surb Ghazar (Սուրբ Ղազար), meaning "Saint Lazarus". It is often referred to in English as Saint Lazarus Island. The island's official Italian name, San Lazzaro degli Armeni, literally translates to "Saint Lazarus of the Armenians". Some 40,000 people visit the island annually, with Italians making up the majority of visitors. The island is accessible by a vaporetto from the San Zaccaria station (Pier B1). The islet is rectangular-shaped and covers an area of 3 hectares (7.4 acres). San Lazzaro lies 2 km (1.2 mi) to the southeast of Venice proper and west of the Lido. San Lazzaro (circled in red) is located southeast of Venice and west of the Lido. Overview A satellite image of the Venetian Lagoon. It has since become a tourist destination. Over the centuries, dozens of artists, writers, political and religious leaders have visited the island. The monastery has a large collection of books, journals, artifacts, and the third largest collection of Armenian manuscripts (more than 3,000). The island is one of the best known historic sites of the Armenian diaspora. A significant episode in its history is Lord Byron's visit in 1816–17. It was recognized as an academy by Napoleon in 1810 when nearly all monasteries of Venice were abolished. San Lazzaro has been enlarged nearly four times from its original size through land reclamation. Numerous important publications, such as the first complete dictionary of the Armenian language (1749–69) and the first modern history of Armenia (1781–86), were made in the island by the monks which made it an early major center of Armenian printing. It has since been the headquarters of the Mekhitarists and, as such, one of the world's prominent centers of Armenian culture and Armenian studies. In 1717 San Lazzaro was ceded by the Republic of Venice to Mkhitar Sebastatsi, an Armenian Catholic monk, who established a monastery with his followers. Settled in the 9th century, it was a leper colony during the Middle Ages, but fell into disuse by the early 18th century. The islet lies 2 km (1.2 mi) to the southeast of Venice proper and west of the Lido and covers an area of 3 hectares (7.4 acres). It is one of the two primary centers of the congregation, along with the monastery in Vienna. "Saint Lazarus of the Armenians" sometimes called Saint Lazarus Island in English Armenian: Սուրբ Ղազար, romanized: Surb Ghazar) is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon which has been home to the monastery of the Mekhitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation, since 1717. San Lazzaro degli Armeni ( Italian:, lit.
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