Tucked away among the calm waters of the Venetian lagoon, the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a haven of peace and culture, far from the most crowded tourist routes. Small in size but rich in history, the island holds a fascinating past and a treasure of inestimable value to Armenian culture: the monastery of the Mechitarist monks. This is where the story of Vartanush begins.

Founded in 1715 by Mechitar, an Armenian monk fleeing Ottoman persecution, the monastery has become a center of spirituality and cultural preservation, where books, manuscripts, and centuries-old traditions blend in a harmonious tapestry. One of the most fascinating examples of this tradition is

Vartanush, a rose jam whose origins lie in an ancient Armenian recipe passed down by the monks over the centuries.

The island of San Lazzaro, which once housed a leper colony, was granted to Mechitar by the Republic of Venice in 1715 to allow him to establish a monastic community. Since then, it has become a symbol of cultural and religious resilience, thanks to the Mechitarist monks who, following the Rule of Saint Benedict, transformed the island into a place of study, prayer, and preservation of Armenian heritage.

In addition to its spiritual vocation, the island is known for its lush garden, located in the northern part. This garden, tended with great dedication, is home to various varieties of roses, such as the dog rose and the Damask rose.

In this garden, roses are not merely decorative flowers

but a fundamental part of a tradition that continues to flourish. Every May, at the first light of dawn, the monks carefully gather the petals of the dog rose and the Damask rose, selecting the finest flowers and processing them by hand with the utmost care. The resulting jam is a symbol of patience and dedication: the petals are mixed with sugar and lemon juice, left to macerate, and then cooked until they achieve a velvety texture and an aroma that evokes the scent of a garden in full bloom. The result is a jam with an intense red color, whose delicate flavor captures all the charm of freshly picked roses.

Included in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, it represents one of those traditional food products at risk of disappearing,

which the initiative aims to preserve and promote. In this way, what originates in a small corner of the Venetian lagoon becomes a universal symbol of biodiversity and respect for tradition.

For centuries, this jam was a specialty reserved for consumption within the monastery; it was traditionally offered to visitors to the island as a sign of hospitality and as a symbol of the monastery’s spiritual and material riches.

Today, tourists visiting San Lazzaro can also purchase it—not merely as a souvenir, but as an authentic testament to Armenian culture.
Offering this product to the outside world allows the monks to share their history and traditions, enabling visitors to take a piece of this millennia-old culture home with them.

San Lazzaro degli Armeni stands as a precious bastion of Armenian culture in the heart of the Venetian lagoon, where the production of the Vartanush, with its meticulous attention to detail and respect for centuries-old traditions, demonstrates how the Mechitarist monks have managed to keep their identity alive, even far from their homeland.

Vartanush is therefore not just a rose jam, but a distillation of history, dedication, and love for a tradition that continues to flourish, just like the roses in the gardens of San Lazzaro.