The Mechitarists Congregation is a religious and cultural congregation of monks of the Armenian Catholic Church in Venice and Vienna. The Congregation was founded by Mechitar of Sebaste in 1701 in Constantinople with the purpose of expanding spiritual, educational, scientific and cultural activities. In 1717 the Congregation settled down in St. Lazarus Island near Venice. Because of disagreements on the Congregation rules, a group of congregants departed and in 1811 settled down in Vienna. The Mechitarists Congregation in Vienna established educational institutions in Constantinople, Izmir, Trieste and other cities and launched wide-scale activities ranging from development of Armenian history to linguistics and translation.

Two branches of the Mechitarists Congregation collaborate with each other and have close ties with scientists from Armenia.