«Երեք ազգերի քաղաքը» - Ստեփան ԱԲՐԱՀԱՄՅԱՆ, Ռուբեն ԱԹՈՅԱՆ

The article "City of Three Nations" by Stepan Abraamyan and Ruben Atoyan is devoted to the Armenian heritage of Kamianets-Podilskyi — one of the largest centers of the Armenian diaspora in the territory of historical Galicia and Podolia in the 14th–19th centuries — as well as to the results of the authors' journey through the Armenian monuments of the region.

Introduction and Methodology
The material is based on the personal observations of the authors — artist-cartographers from Lipetsk and Minsk — made during an expedition along a route compiled with reference to Jacek Chrząszczewski's book "Churches of the Polish Armenians" (2001). The focus is on the Kamianets fortress, Armenian Square, the old town hall, and the surviving traces of the Armenian quarter.

Historical Context
The authors trace the formation of the Armenian community of Kamianets from the 11th–12th centuries to its flourishing in the 15th–17th centuries, when:

the community numbered over 5,000 people and was the largest in Eastern Europe;
the Armenians enjoyed self-government, their own court, and their own elder (starosta);
the city's coat of arms included the symbolism of three peoples — Poles, Ruthenians, and Armenians, with the Armenian element represented by the Lamb of God;
Armenian craftsmen took part in building the city's fortifications, and the community played a significant role in trade and crafts.

Written Heritage
A separate section is devoted to the unique corpus of Armenian-Kipchak texts from the 16th–17th centuries — record books, chronicles, and law codes — of interest not only for Armenian studies but also for Turkology, since the Kipchak language survived primarily in Armenian script and is regarded as a predecessor of Kazakh.

Trials and Decline
The article depicts a tragic page in the community's history — the Ottoman conquest of 1672, the deportation of Armenians to the Balkans, Turkish rule until 1699, and subsequent episodes, including the activities of the Armenian commandant Jan de Witte and the destruction of the Surb Nikoghayos cathedral by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s.

Surviving Monuments
The authors provide detailed descriptions of the surviving structures: the Armenian Bastion, the "Вiрменський ринок" (Armenian Market) square, the former house of the Armenian bishop, the ruins of the Surb Nikoghayos cathedral, the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (now the Church of St. Nicholas) with its venerated icon of the "Armenian Mother of God," and the city well of 1638.

Conclusion
The article's key conclusion is that, despite destruction and the almost complete assimilation of what was once a community of thousands, the Armenian heritage of Kamianets-Podilskyi remains an integral part of the city's identity and cultural landscape, and its study and preservation continue thanks to the efforts of today's small but active Armenian diaspora in the city.