The Knights of Vartan is a national fraternal organization established in 1916 by Armenian community leaders during the Genocide. The Fresno Yeprad Lodge was founded in 1918. The name Vartan honors the memory of General Vartan Mamigonian, the brave martyr who died in 451 A.D. on the battlefield to defend Christianity in Armenia. The Daughters of Vartan is the Armenian Sisterhood associated with the Knights. Both of these organizations are bedrocks of the local Armenian community, serving to preserve and perpetuate the religious and cultural heritage of the Armenian people.