Araksi Lilosian, Historical Memory of the Armenian Community of Bari, Has Passed Away. She Was the Oldest Person in the Armenian Community of Apulia.
Bari, November 28, 2025 – With profound sorrow, the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Armenia in Bari announces that yesterday Mrs. Araksi Lilosian passed away, a figure of extraordinary significance for the Armenian community of the Apulian capital.
Born in Bari 93 years ago in the historic village of “Nor Arax”, Mrs. Arax was the oldest member of the Armenian community of Pulgia and its living historical memory. She was the daughter of Takvor Lilosyan from Bardizag (Bahcejik) and Siranush Timuryan from Isparta, both of Armenian descent. Widowed for several years, she was the mother of Siranush Quaranta and Tito Quaranta, two of the most active figures in the local Armenian community.
A Life of Tenacity and Witness
Araksi Lilosian embodied the tenacious and combative spirit that characterized the first generation of Armenians who arrived in Bari after the 1915 genocide. Now she will be reunited with her little sister Arshluys, who died at a young age, and her brothers Onnig and Vardan, who passed away more recently, finding again that family who had shared with her the sufferings and hopes of the Armenian diaspora.
Mrs. Araksi was also a protagonist of an important chapter in the history of Armenian craftsmanship in Italy: in the 1950s she worked as a carpet maker at the looms of the Bari village and then as a teacher at the carpet school in San Giovanni in Fiore, Calabria, directed by her uncle Sargis Mushegian, on behalf of Opera Sila. This school represented one of the workshops where, after World War II, the ancient art of Armenian carpet weaving that had made Nor Arax famous throughout the world was transferred, as well as a humanitarian work to lift the populations of the Calabrian mountain hinterland out of poverty. The Armenians who had received hospitality after 1922 worked tirelessly to benefit Italian Communities, teaching them their ancient cultural heritage.
Witness to Armenian History Through the Lens
Araksi Lilosian’s inclination to bear witness with her physical presence to the strength and resilience of her origins made her the protagonist of numerous testimonial meetings, documentaries and audiovisual films dedicated to the history of the Armenian presence in Bari, to the Armenian Genocide, and to the production of Armenian carpets in Italy, particularly according to the Isparta or Gheordes knotting technique, with which she personally contributed to creating the carpets for King Farouk of Egypt’s royal train, commissioned by FIAT to the Armenians of Nor Arax.
Since the 1950s, her figure has appeared in important audiovisual productions, of which we recall only a few:
“600000 nodi per un tappeto. A San Giovanni in Fiore si fabbricano i famosi tappeti orientali” (Settimana INCO, Italy 1955) – available on YouTube
“Antarram” by Dino Viani (Documentary short film, Italy 2022) – available on YouTube
“Nor Arax”, video portrait by Paolo Dell’Elce (Italy, 2022) – available on YouTube
Through these audiovisual testimonies, Araksi helped preserve and pass down the memory of the Nor Arax village and the entire Armenian community of Bari, allowing new generations to understand the deep roots of this presence in the city’s fabric.
An Indelible Legacy
Her longevity and testimony represented a living bridge to the history of the Nor Arax village, officially founded in 1926 by the poet Hrand Nazariantz to welcome over one hundred Armenian refugees who had escaped the genocide.
In the Nor Arax village, located on Via Amendola in Bari, those Armenians revived the art of making the famous oriental carpets, whose artifacts were purchased by Pope Pius XI, the Italian Royal House, the Bank of Italy, and illustrious figures of Italian culture such as Benedetto Croce and Luigi Pirandello.
The Armenian community of Bari, recognized as one of the most important in Italy for its attachment to traditions and capacity for resilience – so much so that it obtained the establishment of the Honorary Consulate in 2024 – loses with Araksi Lilosian not only its eldest member, but a living symbol of that history of suffering, rebirth and integration that has indissolubly linked the Armenian people to the city of Bari.
Condolences
Our deepest condolences to her children Siranush and Tito, to the entire family and to the entire Armenian community in this moment of immense sorrow.
The funeral will take place today, Thursday, November 28, 2025, at the Parish of San Pasquale in Bari at 5:00 PM
May the Lord illuminate her soul.
May her memory be eternal.
Astvats Hokin Lusavore
