Matenadaran

Matenadaran
Matenadaran
	arm. Ատենադարան
Founding date	1920
opening date
Location	;
Address	Armenia , Yerevan , 53 Mesrop Mashtots Avenue
Visitors per year	;
Site	www.matenadaran.am

Matenadaran ( Armenian Մաենադարան ) Or the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after Matenadaran Mesrop Mashtots is a research center located in Yerevan under the government of the Republic of Armenia , one of the largest manuscript repositories in the world and the largest repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts. At the institute there is a museum open to visitors.

Content

History

The word "Matenadaran" in Armenian means a repository of manuscripts. The Matenadaran Institute was created on the basis of the collection of the Echmiadzin Monastery nationalized in 1920. The beginning of the creation of this collection dates back to the 5th century and is associated with Mesrop Mashtots (c. 361-440), the creator of the Armenian alphabet. Already in the 5th century, Lazar Parpetsi reports that there is a book depository at the Echmiadzin Monastery ^[1] . In 1892 the collection consisted of 3158 manuscripts, in 1897 - 3338, in 1906 - 3788, in 1913 - 4060.

The Echmiadzin Matenadaran was declared state property on December 17, 1929. In 1939, the collection was transferred from Echmiadzin to Yerevan . The modern building of the Matenadaran was built in 1959 according to the design of the architect Mark Grigoryan ^[2] . In 1984, the first volume of the general catalog of the Matenadaran collection was published.

Monuments to Movses Khorenatsi , Mkhitar Gosha and Frick in front of the museum building
Monuments to Toros Roslin , Grigor Tatevaci and Ananias Shirakatsi in front of the museum building
Monument to Mesrop Mashtots

Funds

Corridor of the scientific building

As of 2015, the Matenadaran funds contain more than 17 thousand ancient manuscripts and more than 100 thousand ancient archival documents. Along with Armenian manuscripts (11,230 full-fledged and 2,200 fragmentary ^[3] ), there are over 3,000 manuscripts ^[4] in Russian , Hebrew , Latin , Arabic , Syriac , Greek , Georgian , Indian , Japanese , Persian , Azerbaijani ^[comment. ^1] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] and other languages. The museum holds 2,281 old-printed (before 1800) books ^[3] . Currently, the collection continues to grow - a significant contribution to its expansion is made by representatives of the Armenian diaspora in Europe , the USA , etc.

The Matenadaran collection is a valuable scientific and historical base for studying the history and culture of Armenia, as well as the neighboring peoples of the Caucasus , the Near and Middle East . The Institute contains manuscripts from the 5th — 18th centuries, as well as a unique collection of early printed and old printed Armenian books of the 16th — 18th centuries, works of ancient and medieval Armenian historians, writers, philosophers, mathematicians, geographers, doctors, and translations of ancient Greek, Syrian, Arab, and Armenian works into Armenian. Latin scholars, including a number of essays not preserved in the original language. The museum of the Institute exhibits numerous samples of Old Armenian writing and book miniatures. Many manuscripts are of great artistic value, including “Lazarev's Gospel” (887), “Echmiadzin Gospel” (989), “Gospel of Mughni” (XI century), “ The Book of Mournful Hymns ” by Grigor Narekats with miniatures of Grigor Mitsche (1173), etc. ^[2] .

The Matenadaran conducts research work on the study and publication of monuments of the Armenian alphabet, the study of problems of textology, source study, paleography, medieval book painting, historiography, scientific translation of monuments into Russian and other languages. Since 1940, the collection “Banber Matenadarani” (“Herald of Matenadaran”) has been published in Armenian with a summary in Russian and French.

List of Directors of the Matenadaran

from 1940 to 1952 - G. A. Abov
from 1954 to 1982 - L. S. Khachikyan
1982 to 2007 - CC Arevshatyan
from 2007 to 2016 - G. G. Tamrazyan
from 2018 - Vahan Ter-Ghevondian

Gallery

Armenian manuscripts

Echmiadzin Gospel, VI – VII century

Gospel, 989 year

Annunciation. XIII century gospel

Mushsky homilaria, 1200-1202

Avarayr battle

Foreign language manuscripts

Ptolemy's geography
(facsimile copy)

Italian notes, 15th century

Matenadaran in Numismatics

Coin "Matenadaran"

In 1990, the USSR issued a commemorative coin of 5 rubles.

Notes

Comments

↑ Works by Nasimi , including “Divan-and Seid Imadaddin Nasimi”, by Divan Jahanshah , manuscript “ Derbend-name ”.

Notes

↑ The history of world literature . - M .: Science, 1984. - T. 2. - p. 290.
↑ ¹ ² Matenadaran // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 t.] / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
↑ ¹ ² Official website of the Matenadaran
↑ Official website of the Matenadaran
↑ Abrahamyan A. G. Handwritten treasures of the Matenadaran. - Yer. : Armgosizdat, 1959. - p. 41. - 106 p.
Original text (rus.)
The Matenadaran stores five lists of the Derbandnam manuscript, two in Arabic, two in Azerbaijani, and the fifth written in two languages, Azerbaijani and Lak, with one page containing the Azerbaijani and the other Lak text.
↑ Abgaryan G.V. A Brief Overview of the Matenadaran Manuscript Funds // Orientalist Funds of the Largest Libraries of the Soviet Union: Articles and Messages. - M .: Publishing house of Eastern literature, 1963. - p . 128 .
Original text (rus.)
In the Matenadaran there are over 10 thousand whole manuscripts and about 4 thousand fragments. In addition to Armenian manuscripts, there are also about 800 books and fragments in other languages: Azerbaijani, Arabic, Greek, Georgian, Hebrew, Indian, Latin, Persian, Syrian, Ethiopian, etc.
↑ Granstrem, E.E. Fragments of Slavic-Russian parchment manuscripts at the Matenadaran collection in Yerevan // Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature of the Institute of Russian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. - 1958. - T. XIV . - p . 619 .
Original text (rus.)
The Matenadaran contains not only the richest collection of monuments of Armenian literature (9,400 whole manuscripts, more than 3,600 fragments from manuscripts and about 200 thousand archival documents), but also a significant number of manuscripts in other languages (555 whole manuscripts and about 300 fragments): Arabic, Persian , Azeri, Georgian, Greek, Latin, etc.
↑ Hamidov I. “The Eternal Subject” by Nizami in our century // Literary Azerbaijan. - 1990. - p . 124 .
Original text (rus.)
The sofa of Mirza Jahanshah Khagigi , kept at the State Institute of Manuscript (Matenadaran) of the Armenian SSR, consists of gazelles, mesnei and rubai, written in Azerbaijani and Persian languages.

Literature

Abramyan A. G. Handwritten treasures of the Matenadaran. - Yerevan: Haypetrat, 1959. - 107 p.
G. Abgarian. Matenadaran / G. V. Abgaryan; Ed. ed. L.S. Khachikyan; Artist R. S. Bedrosyan ; Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts at the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR - Matenadaran. - Yerevan: State. Publishing House of Armenia , 1962. - 72, [40] with. - 5 000 copies (in the lane., supersubl.)
Matenadaran // Brief literary encyclopedia . V. 4. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1967.
Bakshi K.N. Eagle and the sword / K.N. Bakshi. - M .: Fine Arts , 1971. - 180 p. - 30 000 copies (in the lane., supersubl.)
I. Drampyan, E. Korkhmazyan. Artistic treasures of the Matenadaran / I. R. Dramlyan, E. M. Korkhmazyan. - M .: Art , 1976. - 176 p. - ( Cities and museums of the world ). - 50 000 copies (in the lane., supersubl.)
Matenadaran: Armenian manuscript book of the VI-XIV centuries / Compiled by V. O. Ghazaryan, S. S. Manukyan; Ed. I.V. Chernovich. - M .: Book , 1991. - 284 p. - (Treasures of book art in the collections of the USSR). - 25 000 copies - ISBN 5-212-00289-3 . (in the lane., supersubl.)
A. D. Papazyan. Persian, Arab and Turkish official documents of the Matenadaran XV-XIX centuries and their importance for the study of the socio-economic life of the countries of the Middle East . - Moscow, 1960.

Links

The official website of the Matenadaran
Video tour of the Matenadaran (checked March 22, 2010)

[5] Works by Nasimi , including “Divan-and Seid Imadaddin Nasimi”, by Divan Jahanshah , manuscript “ Derbend-name ”.

[ИВЛ-1] The history of world literature . - M .: Science, 1984. - T. 2. - p. 290.

[Матенадаран-2] ¹ ² Matenadaran // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 t.] / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.

[Офсайт-3] ¹ ² Official website of the Matenadaran

[4] Official website of the Matenadaran

[6] Abrahamyan A. G. Handwritten treasures of the Matenadaran. - Yer. : Armgosizdat, 1959. - p. 41. - 106 p.
Original text (rus.)
The Matenadaran stores five lists of the Derbandnam manuscript, two in Arabic, two in Azerbaijani, and the fifth written in two languages, Azerbaijani and Lak, with one page containing the Azerbaijani and the other Lak text.

[7] Abgaryan G.V. A Brief Overview of the Matenadaran Manuscript Funds // Orientalist Funds of the Largest Libraries of the Soviet Union: Articles and Messages. - M .: Publishing house of Eastern literature, 1963. - p . 128 .
Original text (rus.)
In the Matenadaran there are over 10 thousand whole manuscripts and about 4 thousand fragments. In addition to Armenian manuscripts, there are also about 800 books and fragments in other languages: Azerbaijani, Arabic, Greek, Georgian, Hebrew, Indian, Latin, Persian, Syrian, Ethiopian, etc.

[8] Granstrem, E.E. Fragments of Slavic-Russian parchment manuscripts at the Matenadaran collection in Yerevan // Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature of the Institute of Russian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. - 1958. - T. XIV . - p . 619 .
Original text (rus.)
The Matenadaran contains not only the richest collection of monuments of Armenian literature (9,400 whole manuscripts, more than 3,600 fragments from manuscripts and about 200 thousand archival documents), but also a significant number of manuscripts in other languages (555 whole manuscripts and about 300 fragments): Arabic, Persian , Azeri, Georgian, Greek, Latin, etc.

[9] Hamidov I. “The Eternal Subject” by Nizami in our century // Literary Azerbaijan. - 1990. - p . 124 .
Original text (rus.)
The sofa of Mirza Jahanshah Khagigi , kept at the State Institute of Manuscript (Matenadaran) of the Armenian SSR, consists of gazelles, mesnei and rubai, written in Azerbaijani and Persian languages.