a rich culture in crimea having lived here since the eleventh century. it was here that they founded the first center of the armenian d.s.p. or on european soil. despite being resettled by catherine the great in the late eighteenth century and deported by stalin in one nine hundred forty four the armenian minority in crimea was never eradicated. today more than eleven thousand armenians live here. before. the armenian apostol the church is the oldest state church in the world. legend has it that the apostles brought christianity to the armenians seven hundred years ago .