Historic Flag of the Armenian Community of Córdoba Returns Home

On May 28 2026, an authentic Armenian revolutionary flag was gifted to one of Argentina’s Armenian Community Centers, Córdoba’s Club Antranik, on the occasion of the 108th anniversary of the independence of the First Republic of Armenia.

A photograph of this same flag appears in black and white in the Spanish-language book 100 Years of History — The Armenians of Córdoba published by Levon Kilic-Aslan. The photograph, taken in 1965, shows four men and a child proudly holding a flag. The source mentions that during the First World War, 116 volunteers traveled from Argentina to France between 1918 and 1919 to join the foreign legion of the French army. Eight of them were from the city of Córdoba.

On the flag, embroidered in Armenian, one can read "ԿԵՑՑԵ ՄԻԱՑԵԱԼ ԵՒ ԱՆԿԱԽ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ", - Long Live United and Free Armenia. This phrase was common in the Armenian revolutionary movement. For example, a poster from the early 20th century found in Argentina displays a variation of the same phrase "ԿԵՑՑԵ ՄԻԱՑԵԱԼ ԱՆԿԱԽ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ".

Kilic-Aslan's book, a compilation of the stories of Argentinian-Armenian families, does not mention whether this flag was used by the Armenian volunteers from Argentina that traveled to the Caucasus during the First World War to fight against the Ottoman Empire. The 1965 photograph does not allow us to determine whether the flag was contemporary to the moment of the photo or whether it predated it.

However, the materials and style indicate that this flag was sewn and embroidered sometime between 1918 and the 1930s. Given that the red-blue-orange tricolor of the Armenian flag was adopted in 1918, this would be the earliest possible date of its fabrication. The material, which appears to be fine silk, is heavily deteriorated by the passage of time. The hand stitching, and the fading of the obverse of the flag compared to the reverse, caused by sun deterioration, are similar in style and condition to other Armenian embroidered flags from the 1910s and 1920s that survive in Boston and Yerevan.

The gold fringe, darkened by the passage time, and the absence of a sleeve on the left side for a flagpole, indicate that the flag was most likely ceremonial rather than a battle flag. Having fringe on all four sides, it was probably designed to be hung on a wall rather than carried flying. For these reasons it can be concluded that this flag was displayed unfurled for years and later folded for storage.

Despite it being unclear whether this historic flag participated in the battles of the First World War, it has deep ties to the generation of volunteer heroes who returned to the homeland out of honor and patriotism. After more than six decades of absence, this flag returns to the Armenian community and will be permanently displayed at the Club Antranik.

Click here to read the original article published in Spanish on Diario Armenia.