Place:Baluni, Armenia

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House Baluni (Բալունի) and de Lavúa (դե Լավուա)(Де Лавуа) De Lavua ( De Lavua) Lords of the Principality of Taron and Baron's of House de Lavúa was a region and family of the Byzantine Empire and Greater Armenia from 400 AD to the present. Baluni or Paluni were a family of Gallo-Romains(Occitans) from Galatia and White Croats from the Ministerial lands in (Bolbitine) and Tsopk Sofine and Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia; that branch had lands in Vaspurakan. The princes of Paluni were a remnant of the territorial dominion of the people of Lope or Puli of the Hittite annals, situated between Astyan and Taron; in addition to the Prince of Balabitena, another remnant. In 439, when the Taron West pass of Gregory-Rides passed to the Mamikonians, Palunik, (which may have been a dependency of Greeks) became the property of the new lords. It was then that the branch emigrated to Vaspurakan where it would create a small domain which was named Paluniq or Baluniq.

After the re-division of Armenia, Western Armenia became part of Byzantium, and the dynasty lost its domains in Toron. Soon after Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia became independent from Byzantium, the dynasty began to supply the army and the kings of Cilicia.

During the beginning of the second Crusade, Catholic knight Raymond Lavua (Lavùa) from Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and his father (Adrian) surname Lavúa (De Lion) from the Spaniards and French people from Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102) and mother Amèli Baluni (French ancestors from Kingdom of France and County of Sicily French people and Croats and Italians went on a campaign in the hope of obtaining domains in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but approaching Cyprus he was captured by Cilician pirates Arabs along with all the crew. During the same period, a sea patrol of Cilicia scouted the area for pirates. Raymond and the crew of four knights were saved and he was transported to Cilicia to meet King Leo II. Soon Rameo became a knight in the service of the King. For his services to the king while participating in the battle of Alexandretta from the Antioch warrior received the title with the prefix "de" as the French barons granted the family coat of arms In the form of French lilies with the image of a Lion. He was married to the last representative of the Baluni family, Katarina, from which a son Alexander was born who bore the title of Paron Lavois and Nakharar of Taron.

Descendants of Alexander abide in Russia and Armenia The eldest of the family is Vanik Khachatryan ( De Lavua ), successor of the Armand De Lavua family.

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