About ASSOCIATION CULTURELLE BOLSAHAY

In the second half of the twentieth century, numerous Armenians chose to immigrate to the North American continent. Montreal was one of the favourite destinations.To avoid a quick assimilation in a foreign country and to keep the Armenian culture alive, it was of utmost importance to come together and help each other. After a short period in a small establishment called The Armenian House, 165 Armenians from Istanbul gathered in November 1966 and founded the Society of the Armenians from Istanbul. The following February 1967 the SAl approval was declared by the authorities. A two-storey building located on 6091 Park Avenue in Montreal was bought and the SAl Code of Conduct was written under the guidance of the 10 founder members. The basic principle of the SAl being: « the SAl has no political and partisan vocation ».

January 26th 1969 marked the official inauguration of the SAl and for this memorable occasion, its members were pleased and proud to share this moment with their most valuable guests the representatives of Echmiadzin and Antilias dioceses.

Today’s SAl building located at 2855 Victor Dore in Montreal has been purchased and in 1996, the Society organized a memorable ceremony to celebrate the full payment of the debt. During the ceremony, the bank mortgage contract was burnt as a sign of relief and joy.

In 1971 the SAl bimonthly publication Keghart was launched, and the highly praised calendar was created in 1984 under the Youth Committee initiative.

Over the last 40 years, various Committees have been contributing to the blooming of SAl: the ladies of all ages of the Committee of the Auxiliary Ladies who contribute financially to the life of SAl due to their extensive hard and tiring work; the dynamic efforts of the MEG Committee who contributes to the influence of the Armenian culture; the hard work of the Shirag company by teaching

Armenian dance to our youth and the Choir that enlightens us during memorable evenings; the Mnakyan company with its theatrical performances; the Committee of the Friends of the Armenian Culture with its successful lyrical evenings; the Ararad soccer team with its participation in the regional competitions and last but not least, the Youth Committee that brought a breath of fresh air to the SAl and created strong ties ensuring the continuity of our community.