"Araksi Lilosian has passed away in Bari" by Carlo Coppola
Bari, 28 November 2025 – “With profound sorrow, the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Armenia in Bari announces that yesterday Araksi Lilosian passed away, a figure of exceptional significance for the Armenian community of the Apulian capital and a cousin of my father,” declared Dario Rupen Timurian, Honorary Consul of Armenia in Puglia.
Born in Bari 93 years ago in the historic village of Nor Arax, Araksi was the oldest member of the Armenian Community of Puglia and embodied its living historical memory. She was the daughter of Takvor Lilosian of Bardizag (Bahçecik) and Siranush Timurian of Isparta, both Armenians originating from the former Ottoman Empire. Widowed for several years, she lived with her children, Siranush Quaranta and Tito Quaranta, two of the most active members of Bari’s Armenian community.
A Life of Tenacity and Witness
“Aunt Araksi epitomised the steadfast and indomitable spirit of the first generation of Armenians who arrived in Bari after the 1915 genocide. She will now be reunited with her little sister Arshluys, who died in early childhood, and with her brothers Onnig and Vardan, who passed away more recently, finding again the family that shared with her both the hardships and the hopes of the Armenian diaspora,” continued Dario Timurian.
A Witness of Armenian History Through the Lens
Araksi Lilosian’s natural disposition to bear witness—through her presence, her memories, and her resilience—made her a key figure in numerous testimonial events, documentaries, and audiovisual productions dedicated to the history of Armenians in Bari and to the Armenian Genocide, as well as to the tradition of Armenian carpet weaving in Italy. She personally contributed to carpets woven using the Isparta or Gheordes knotting techniques, including those produced for the royal train of King Farouk of Egypt, commissioned from the Armenians of Nor Arax by FIAT.
Her image has appeared in important audiovisual works since the 1950s, among which:
- "600000 nodi per un tappeto. A San Giovanni in Fiore si fabbricano i famosi tappeti orientali" (Settimana INCO, Italia 1955) - disponibile su YouTube
- "Antarram" di Dino Viani (Cortometraggio documentario, Italia 2022) - disponibile su YouTube
- "Nor Arax", videoportrait a cura di Paolo Dell'Elce (Italia, 2022) - disponibile su YouTube
Through these recordings, Araksi contributed significantly to preserving and transmitting the memory of Nor Arax and of the entire Armenian community of Bari, allowing younger generations to understand the deep roots of this presence within the social and cultural fabric of the city.
An Indelible Legacy
Her longevity and her testimony formed a living bridge to the history of Nor Arax, officially founded in 1926 by the poet Hrand Nazariantz to welcome over one hundred Armenian refugees who had escaped the genocide.
In Nor Arax, located on Via Amendola in Bari, these Armenians revived the art of producing the celebrated Oriental carpets, purchased by Pope Pius XI, the Italian Royal Household, the Bank of Italy, and prominent cultural figures such as Benedetto Croce and Luigi Pirandello.
The Armenian community of Bari—recognised as one of the most significant in Italy for its attachment to tradition and its capacity for resilience, qualities that contributed to the establishment of the Honorary Consulate in 2024—loses with Araksi Lilosian not only its eldest member, but also a living symbol of that history of suffering, rebirth, and integration that has bound the Armenian people to the city of Bari in a profound and enduring way.
Condolences
We extend our deepest condolences to her children, Siranush—journalist and collaborator of the Honorary Consulate of Bari—and Tito, as well as to her entire family and the whole Armenian community in this moment of deep mourning.
The funeral will take place today, Thursday 28 November 2025, at the Parish Church of San Pasquale in Bari at 5:00 p.m.
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