My Road

19.12.2024
8 min read
Armenian by Choice
The Golden Vine House: A Crossroads of Past and Present, Armenian and Basque
The Golden Vine House: A Crossroads of Past and Present, Armenian and Basque
 

The People behind the Golden Vine House

 
Late last summer, Repat Armenia received a very warm email, a snippet of which I would like to share to start this wonderful and, at times, magical story: “We are a married couple, Daniel and Elena, and after many years of traveling and living in different corners of the world, we have chosen Armenia as the place where we want to settle and raise our children.”
 
To share the story of Daniel and Elena, I set off on a journey – more than just a trip! – to the village of Voskevaz in the Aragatsotn region. There, not just Daniel, but Jose Maria Daniel Perez Bellido and his wife Elena Perez Bellido had made their home.
 
Arriving at a charming old house made of pink tuff stone, with its grand archway and timeless feel, I was warmly welcomed by its new owners. What began as a simple invitation to visit their home soon became a journey into the rich and fascinating history of their family.
 
 
Daniel is Basque, Elena is Russian. They met online on Odnoklassniki, a once popular Russian social network. Back then, both were living in Israel. They got married in the Czech Republic, and later had another wedding in Israel. The wedding was almost like an Armenian one, with around two hundred guests. Their life together unfolded in various countries and cities: London, Berlin, Moscow, and Smolensk. However, the events of February 2022 led them from Smolensk to Armenia.
 
“During those days, we were getting calls from friends in various countries, all inviting us to come stay with them. We were already planning to move to a warmer place, and besides I’d always had an interesting connection with Armenia. There were many Armenians in my life since childhood. Wherever we lived, our Armenian friends were always there, and they were always inviting us to visit Armenia,” Daniel begins,” Daniel begins.
To my surprise, during our conversation, I learned that Daniel even knew about a strange but funny habit of children who lived in Armenia during the 1990s.
 
“I had a friend, Arsen, who was a boxer, part of the Armenian national team, and he used to compete in championships and win awards. But then he had to move to Moscow to earn a living. He was doing apartment renovations, and I’d often visit him on the job. One day, I caught him doing something strange: during breaks, he would turn the lights on and off. I couldn’t help but ask him why. Arsen told me that when he was a child, power outages were frequent, so kids would ‘stand guard’ by the light switch, waiting for the electricity to return,” Daniel recalls with a smile.
 
With such personal insights into Armenians, it became clear that a visit to Armenia was the next step.
 

Moving to Armenia

 
When Elena and Daniel arrived in Armenia, they with their three children first settled in Yerevan and started searching for a place to live through various online channels. After finding a suitable place and preparing for the move, they suddenly got a call from the apartment owners: “We have a house in Oshakan that we were planning to live in, but changed our minds and now we’re returning to Yerevan. Instead, you can stay in the house in Oshakan. Come see it, and we’ll show you the local sights.”
 
They went, saw and stayed in Oshakan for four months.

“Moving into this house felt like a relief after all the moves. Everything was wonderful, and we had good contact with everyone around us. We even had time to visit the Oshakan Culture House, where they had dance, pottery and painting classes,” Daniel adds.
 
“Eric, our youngest son, came home one day and said, ‘Mom, give me a khndzor (apple).’ I asked, ‘What?’ He repeated, ‘Give me a khndzor!’ That’s how the integration went,” adds Elena.
 
While living in Oshakan, Elena and Daniel looked at several plots of land, but something never quite felt right. They had considered the idea of owning a private house but weren’t in any rush. They had even made an unwritten agreement between themselves: if one of them started thinking about buying a house, the other would talk them out of it.
 

Buying the House in Voskevaz

 
“We had always dreamed of a home in nature, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy. This time, though, both of us wanted it, so no one stopped the other. After four months in Oshakan, we returned to Yerevan, but not long after, we ended up back in the village. I had some health issues, and during treatment, I couldn’t interact much with people. We rented a house in Voskevaz, and I continued my treatment while the kids were happy living in the village. Before the move, Daniel suggested we look at a house for purchase. That was when we first saw this old house, and something clicked right away.
 
For various reasons, the purchase didn’t happen at that time, though we later realized that it was the best option. Later, the listing was removed, and after a long journey, we bought it. The house had been waiting for us,” Elena shares with a smile.
 

The Story of the House

 
The street where Daniel and Elena’s new home stands had been uninhabited until the 1950s. It was once a stone pit. Later, plots of land were distributed for construction, and around forty houses, including the Culture House (built by Alexander Tamanyan’s son, Gevorg Tamanyan), were made from stone sourced from this very street.

“In fact, our house was built from the very rock that forms its foundation. Construction began around 1958. The house cellars still store karasy (wine barrels) from Erzurum. They were placed there before the construction began and produced wine there until 1996. The former owner claimed that the wine made in those karasy had an exquisite taste. He made it from his own grapes and supplied almost all of it to the USSR. Even now, the house still carries a noticeable scent of wine,” Elena explains, sharing the house’s history.
 

Daniel and Elena have big plans: they are restoring the house while preserving its historical value and intend to transform it into a hub of cultural crossroads.

This classic Armenian house is typical of those in Ashtarak, Oshakan and Voskevaz built since the mid-18th century. The entrance is a large arch, with  two cellars on both sides, the ground floor is non-living, and the second floor typically has three rooms with separate entrances. This design can be found in many homes in Ashtarak, Oshakan and Voskevaz.

“Such houses are becoming rarer each year. And these walls carry a huge piece of architecture, culture and history. Once you realize this, you understand just how valuable it is. Our goal is to preserve the façade of the house, maintain its interior structure, and adapt it for modern living. It’s crucial for us not just to restore the house and create a roof over our heads, but to preserve its cultural and architectural significance. We want to show that such houses can be restored, adapted, and made comfortable for a modern living - bridging the past and the present. This is our main goal. We even have a motto: Old roots, new fruits. We’ve kept the old grapevine that wraps around the wall of our house and take care of it as a symbol of what we’re doing. We want to restore the winery, use the karasy. Everyone who has visited has told us how valuable they are. Yes, they need restoration, and we plan to tackle that seriously,” Elena reveals.

After selling his father’s house, the previous owner, Malinco, visited Daniel and Elena. Holding Elena’s hand, he wept and told them how he had placed each stone and was happy that the new owners wouldn’t demolish the house. That evening, he fell ill, and a few days later, he passed away.
 

The Future of the Golden Vine House

 
Daniel and Elena named their project "The House of the Golden Vine" and launched a YouTube channel where they share the story of the house, abandoned homes in villages and the progress of their project. To support the project, they’ve started a crowdfunding campaign, which will soon be launched on social media.
 
“The videos on YouTube have gathered viewers who say the house reminds them of their grandmother’s home. They’ve been giving us advice: ‘Don’t change the windows to plastic ones. Will you keep the furniture?’ It’s like crowdfunding ideas. We’re planning to follow some of these suggestions,” Elena shares.
 
Looking ahead, they express hope that by next summer, they’ll be living in the house, and in a year, they’ll see it functioning and reaching its full potential, with the new wine harvest going into the karasy.

 “We want to create a sort of public space here: on the lower, non-living floor, we’ll make wine, host tastings, and organize wine-and-food events. We’d love to showcase Basque cuisine, which pairs well with wine and make Basque cider from local apples. Our guests will have the chance to experience different worlds - old and new, Armenian and Basque. We want the House of the Golden Vine to become a cultural crossroads,” Daniel reveals.
Elena shares that people often mistake her husband for an Armenian. As for the climate similarities between Armenia and the Basque country, only time will tell, as olive trees begin to grow in their yard.
 
 
“My ancestors were among the largest olive producers in the Basque Country. They have been involved in the full cycle of olive production since the 16th century: from growing the trees to marinating olives and making olive oil. We also grow European olive trees and are working on adapting them to the local climate. Right now, we have 19 young trees, and they seem to like it here in this house, waiting for their moment to shine in their pots," he continues.
 
Daniel and Elena say that, through their example, they want to show everyone the huge potential of village life. An Armenian village is a great option for buying a home and making business investments, they believe.
 

Armenia as a Place of Freedom

 
When they talk about Armenia, they admit it just kind of happened in their lives, but to them, the country means freedom. As their middle son, Alexander, put it: Armenia is a place where you don’t have to wear a seatbelt and can drink water straight from the tap.
 
 
"I get what the kids mean," Elena says. "This freedom is a little bit like anarchy, but in a good way. It’s when things just regulate themselves. Sure, there are some downsides, but in the village, you really feel how this self-regulation works. I feel safer and more comfortable with it."
 
"When it comes from the people, it’s way stronger, and no one has to control it from above. It’s like a social agreement between people. Of course, there are rules, but I love living somewhere where the community’s balance isn’t forced from the top," Elena adds.
 
To get a real sense of how well Daniel and Elena have blended into village life, you have to walk with them through the village’s hidden streets, hear the stories they’ve dug up from the past, join their warm chats with neighbors, drink some young homemade white wine served by their lovely daughter-in-law, and then, out of the blue, get an invite: "Nare, why don’t you buy one of these old houses and become our neighbor?"
 
By Nare Bejanyan

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