Matenadaran Delegation Visits US East Coast Institutions

He declared that the primary goal of the Matenadaran was the preservation, processing, research, publication and popularization of the Armenian written heritage. In fact, it is the only professional restoration center in Armenia, he said, and thanks to joint funding from the Matenadaran and Ararat Bank, a new biochemical research group for manuscripts with modern laboratories has been established and will open in October during an international seminar at the Matenadaran called “Faces of Memory.”

Meanwhile, the Matenadaran’s researchers have already developed new methods to prepare and produce Armenian restoration paper from mulberry trees, traveling to Berlin and Tokyo as part of this project. Khzmalyan said that obtaining this paper previously was very expensive and presented many logistical issues, as the main producer was in Japan. Consequently, he said, this advancement not only will save money and secure Armenia’s independence from the international market, but give Armenian young specialists important experience in this work. He added that this project was supported by the Armenian Tree Project, whose representative was in the audience.

The digitization of written heritage is also underway. Khzmalyan noted that with a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Matenadaran is developing an Armenian manuscript catalogue access platform, which will feature various search tools, while with the support of another leading Armenian bank, it has acquired new digitization equipment. Around 8,000 manuscripts have already been digitized, and archival documents and early printed books are also being digitized.

With its various thematic exhibitions, Khzmalyan said that the Matenadaran ranks first in Armenia in terms of tourist visits, while organizing exhibitions in prestigious world museums like the Doge’s Palace in Venice or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are a priority. Discussions are underway to hold new exhibitions in several US museums. The Matenadaran also publishes scholarly works and foreign language albums, while implementing around a dozen educational programs for children and teenagers.

As the leading organization in the preservation, restoration and study of written heritage in the region, the Matenadaran is committed to extending its scope of responsibility, Khzmalyan said. It seeks to preserve and restore Armenian manuscripts on a global level, sending specialists to various centers to work on site and training specialists from other countries at its own facilities. He gave the example of hosting specialists from Syria and Lebanon in cooperation with UNESCO in 2018 and 2021 in workshops on conservation and restoration, while in 2022 the Matenadaran sent experts to the Center for the Digitization of Oriental Manuscripts in Erbil, Iraq. It also has played an important role in preserving the Armenian manuscript collection of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem. In the US, Matenadaran specialists recently helped restore 21 manuscripts at the Armenian Museum in Watertown.

In early October, the Matenadaran will host a workshop called Faces of Memory, on the latest technologies for preservation and restoration of manuscripts and printed works.

New Administration, Programs and Finances

Khzmalyan remarked that “the Matenadaran’s activities are multilayered and comprehensive, requiring new management, approaches and adaption in line with modern standards and perceptions. Our motto is the older the values, the more modern the management of the institution should be. I am pleased to note that the government of Armenia is a strong supporter of these expansive efforts.”

Through recent structural changes, the Matenadaran has been reorganized into eight academic departments and four research groups. With new pr marketing tools, the Matenadaran has increased its outreach to the private sector, and grant sources. Khzmalyan said that over the past year alone, some $1,300,000 of financing has been secured from both governmental and non-governmental sources to support various projects and modernization efforts.

In 2023, the Matenadaran’s researchers published around 100 articles in various academic periodicals, presented 163 papers in conferences and workshops, and had 18 books published, while two master’s degree programs, in textology and the restoration of written heritage, have been planned in cooperation with Yerevan State University. It already began Ph.D. programs in 2012 in a number of other fields.

The Matenadaran held the International Armenological Congress in Yerevan from July 19 to 22, with the participation of some 40 Armenologists from around the world, including several from the US. Khzmalyan said, “The main objective of the Congress was to establish a unified platform in Armenia, particularly in the Matenadaran, for discussing issues concerning Armenian studies. It endeavored to address problems, promote the development of the academic discipline and multilateral cooperation as well as assessing and formulating future strategies….The results of that Congress will serve as the foundation for the state strategy on the development of Armenian studies.” He also hoped it would foster more collaborative research between Armenian and international Armenologists, encourage young scholars to become involved in Armenology, and support the publication and distribution of foreign language periodicals in this field.

As one of the principal issues discussed was the need for coordinated global efforts to preserve the Armenian written heritage, the Matenadaran, with the support of Minister of Education, Science Culture and Sports of Republic of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan, convened a discussion with representatives from seven Armenian spiritual centers with manuscript collections for this purpose. A conference on medieval studies will be convened by the Matenadaran this November and a second international Armenological conference in 2025, Khzmalyan announced.

During the last year, many new items have been added to the Matenadaran’s collection, both through purchases and donations. Though Khzmalyan said that his current US trip was not specifically in pursuit of this goal, efforts here will begin in the future. He also noted that despite this, the last two manuscripts which were donated to the Matenadaran came from the US, specifically, from the Armenian Martyrs’ Congregational Church of Philadelphia.

Starting this year, Khzmalyan said that new gold, silver and bronze medals have been produced to give to important donors, while a new strategy to raise public awareness has been initiated. Some of the new acquisitions were showcased in a new exhibition entitled “One Year’s Eternity” while a prior exhibition, “Cherished Place: Homecoming of Manuscripts” displayed items major donors gave to the Matenadaran over the years.

Khzmalyan concluded, “Each manuscript that enters the Matenadaran stands as a testament to the persistence of our collective memory. Over the years, the donation of manuscripts has acquired a sacred significance. Each new issue illuminates the history of our collection, extends our knowledge and completes the history of the manuscript. Every manuscript that enters the Matenadaran receives continuous and dedicated professional care.”

After Khzmalyan’s formal talk, a ten-minute video was shown about the aforementioned International Armenological Congress, and then several questions were answered from audience members, with Baloyan translating for Khzmalyan.

During the informal reception that followed, Khzmalyan told the Mirror-Spectator that aside from the international repositioning of the Matenadaran to get appropriate global recognition, the Matenadaran can play an important role in uniting Armenians around the world, and the recent assembling of the representatives of seven Armenian spiritual centers is one evidence of this. He said: “the Matenadaran is the structure which will generate public optimism. Moreover, in our times, with divisiveness and the decline in values – the atmosphere of mutual rejection, there will be a structure which will be the unity and the connection between Armenians, coalescing around the same idea, and the Matenadaran is that structure.”