Matenadaran

What you can see in Matenadaran

The manuscripts presented in the Matenadaran give a general idea of all fields of Armenian medieval science, the development of writing and art over the centuries. They represent the Armenian culture, beginning with the invention of Mashtots Armenian letters (405) to the XVIII century. Old Armenian translations, works concerning all spheres of science and culture of the Middle Ages, as well as samples of Armenian miniatures of the Middle Ages are presented. Matenadaran named after Mesrop Mashtots is registered in UNESCO’s World Network of memory. It  is located in Yerevan and presents to you a collection of ancient manuscripts. Matenadaran is “one of the most important places of preservation of national memory and progress.” The Matenadaran Museum Complex consists of 15 demonstration halls, which display thousands of exhibits intended for permanent, variable and exclusive displays. From the 20,000 ancient manuscripts kept in Matenadaran, holistic manuscripts and fragments, documents, old books, samples of precious bindings, some miniatures and manuscripts are exhibited in foreign languages. Here you can find the smallest book – Church Calendar  from 1434 AC (weight 19g) and biggest one is Msho Charentir (1200-1202 AC), which weighs 27.5 kg. The oldest manuscript fragments from V-VI centuries, and the most ancient illustrations and miniatures are in Echmiadzin Gospel. The oldest complete manuscript is Lazarev gospel (887 AC). The manuscripts presented in the Matenadaran give a general idea of all fields of Armenian medieval science, the development of writing and art over the centuries. They represent the Armenian culture, beginning with the invention of Mashtots Armenian letters (405) to the XVIII century. Old Armenian translations, works concerning all spheres of science and culture of the Middle Ages, as well as samples of Armenian miniatures of the Middle Ages are presented.Matenadaran is a major center of Armenian written culture, which is not only a repository of ancient manuscripts, but also a center for research of manuscripts and documents.