Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
School in Moscow, Russia
The Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, (Armenian: Լազարևի արևելյան լեզուների ինստիտուտ, romanized: Lazarevi arevelyan lezuneri institut) established in 1815, was a school specializing in orientalism, with a particular focus on that of Armenia, and was the principal cultural center of the Armenian diaspora in Moscow, Russia. Many Russian scholars specializing in Transcaucasus related studies received their education at the institute. The former institute, located on Armyansky Lane, is listed as a memorial building and currently houses the Embassy of Armenia (Armenian: Ռուսաստանում Հայաստանի դեսպանություն, romanized: Rrusastanum Hayastani despanut’yun) to Russia.
The institute
The institute was established in 1815 by the wealthy Lazarev (Lazarian) family. In 1827, control passed to the Ministry of Public Education, the school was renamed the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, and was remodeled as a special gymnasium with language courses in Arabic, Armenian, Persian, and Turkish. By 1844 the school had 105 students, of which 73 were Armenians, 30 Russians, and 2 others. In 1848 the institute was upgraded to a lyceum, and in this new form trained Armenian school teachers and priests. As the Russian Empire expanded through the Caucasus and Central Asia, the institute became central to the training of Russian civil servants and interpreters. In 1872 it was formally divided into two sections, one of which continued as a gymnasium, while the other presented a three-year course in the Armenian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Georgian languages, history, and culture.
Between 1919 and 1920, the institute was renamed first the Armenian Institute, then the Southwest Asian Institute, then the Central Institute of Modern Oriental Languages, and finally the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages” as School in Moscow, Russia. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as School in Moscow, Russia. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 22, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2029787. VIAF identifies the subject as 131307015. The Library of Congress control number is n85113029. Authority coordinates are 55.760, 37.635. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1815, 1827, 1844 and 1848.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.