Part of Byron's connection with Venice and the most perfect place to capture in watercolour.
 
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, just west of the Lido, and it is best known as the monastic seat of the Mekhitarist Armenian Catholic order. It is one of the most important centers of Armenian culture outside Armenia.
 
The island began as a leprosarium, which is why it took the name “San Lazzaro,” after the saint associated with leprosy. In 1717 it was granted to the Mekhitarists, who turned it into a scholarly and cultural refuge for Armenian language, printing, and manuscripts.
 
Lord Byron visited the island in 1816 and studied Armenian there with the monks, which helped make the island famous beyond ecclesiastical and scholarly circles. Byron gets everywhere.
 
In addition to studying the monks also produce rose-petal jam from their garden roses.
interesting facts...
Byron seriously studied Armenian, so much so he helped prepare the English-Armenian dictionary as well as translating several texts. Byron admired Armenians as a resilient and culturally rich people, and his involvement helped introduce Armenian language and literature to a wider European audience.