Matenadaran-Wisdom, Experience, Humanism That Endured Centuries
World's largest collection of Armenian manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.
The Matenodaran (state repository of manuscripts) Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts is named after St. Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, whose statue stands in front of the building.1 It is located in Yerevan, Armenia.
The collection includes manuscripts from almost every sphere of Armenian ancient and medieval science and culture - history, geography, philosophy, grammar, law, medicine, mathematics, literature, miniature and others, as well as manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Syrian, and Latin. 2
Preservation work achieved by the Matenadaran brings world attention to this precious Armenian manuscript depository. 3
Because Armenia was a battleground between major powers, the Matenadaran was pillaged several times, the last of which took place in 1804, during the Russo-Persian War. Prior to World War I, in 1914, the collection had reached 4,660 manuscripts. and was sent to Moscow for safekeeping.4 During the Soviet period the entire collection of manuscripts was transferred to the State Public Library in Yerevan (later the National Library of Armenia) by the decision of the Soviet Armenian government. In 1959, the Council of Ministers officially established the Matenadaran as an "institute of scientific research with special departments of scientific preservation, study, translation and publication of manuscripts" in a new building. The building of gray basalt was designed by Mark Grigorian with a facade that has ancient roots— the ancient Egyptian Temple of Edfu, and the Holy Apostles church. In 2011 a new building was added.
It is hard to describe the rich heritage of the Matenadaran in words, but fortunately there is a 5 minute video that provides an overview of its beauty and importance.
Abgarian, G.(1960) "Unfamiliar Libraries VI: The Matenadaran at Erevan." The Book Collector 9 no.2 (summer):146-150.
Coulie, Bernard. “Collections and Catalogues of Armenian Manuscripts.” In Armenian Philology in the Modern Era, 23/1:23–64, 2014.
MATENADARAN - WISDOM, EXPERIENCE, HUMANISM-nominate for the Aurora Humanitarian initiative.
Hirsch, David (2010). "Matenadaran". In Suarez, Michael F.; Woudhuysen, H. R. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Book. Oxford University Press.
Thanks for the introduction to an important library. That video is breathtaking!
Was not aware of any of that. In 1988 I tried to get an agent into a part of Armenia that required transit through Azerbaijan, but failed. The Russians arbitrarily cut up both countries into little pieces scattered over the map in order to provide yet another conquered -stan or two more land and wealth. I'm glad they've got the library. Armenians have been badly treated over the years, although they did some of their own.