THE OLDEST FRAGMENTS
The oldest examples of the Armenian manuscripts date back to the 5th-6th centuries. Since then complete manuscripts were not preserved. They have reached the present times in the form of fragments. Each of them is a witness of a lost manuscript. A part of this fragments survived as fly-leaves stuck to the bindings of the manuscripts. The medieval book-finders often sewed some leaves of older and unuseful manuscripts between the cover and the first page of the manuscripts to protect the writing from permanent contact with the binding . Many specimens of the earlier copies of Armenian and foreign authors were preserved thanks to such fly-leaves. They are of great scientific value today. A great part of fragments reached us separate from the manuscripts. Very often they were found unexpectedly here and there, in caves, ruins or buried in the ground. There are separate pages torn from the manuscripts hundreds of years ago, that were carefully preserved and passed from generation to generation.
The oldest examples of the Armenian manuscripts date back to the 5th-6th centuries. Since then complete manuscripts were not preserved. They have reached the present times in the form of fragments. Each of them is a witness of a lost manuscript. A part of this fragments survived as fly-leaves stuck to the bindings of the manuscripts. The medieval book-finders often sewed some leaves of older and unuseful manuscripts between the cover and the first page of the manuscripts to protect the writing from permanent contact with the binding . Many specimens of the earlier copies of Armenian and foreign authors were preserved thanks to such fly-leaves. They are of great scientific value today. A great part of fragments reached us separate from the manuscripts. Very often they were found unexpectedly here and there, in caves, ruins or buried in the ground. There are separate pages torn from the manuscripts hundreds of years ago, that were carefully preserved and passed from generation to generation.
For example, we own 17 fragment sheets of a translation from a work of the 4th century Greek author Cyril of Jerusalem, copied more than one thousand years ago. They have been torn from a lost manuscript. One of these sheets has been preserved in our collection for a long time. Two sheets were brought from the museum of Ani during the World War 1st, two sheets were sewed to the binding of a manuscript brought from Varag in 1916. Other four sheets were stuck to a manuscript, copied in Vaspurakan in 1916. Two sheets are sewed to the sides of a manuscript copied in 1311 in Ayri Dzor. These sheets have been preserved for a long time in the village of Bendusai, Caesaria, then transferred to Beirut. From there they were brought to the Matenadaran in 1953. Other four sheets were found in a manuscript received from Moscow in 1959. They have been sewed to the sides of a manuscript, copied in Moks in 1452. So the sheets of the same manuscript have been scattered to quite different places.
THE OLDEST BINDING AND MINIATURE
The oldest binding and miniatures in the Matenadaran are of the 6th century. The manuscript is kept under number 2374. Having been preserved for a long time in Echmiadzin, it is named Echmiadzin Gospel. The Gospel was written in 989 in Noravank. The scribe's name was Hovhannes and the receiver's name was Stepanos. The sizes are 37x30,3. It has 233 sheets, written on parchment. There are two columns on each page, the writing is rounded majuscule. It has 7 miniatures. Four of them date back to the 6th century. The binding is ivory with magnificant ornamentations, done in the 6th century.
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| Frontal Binding | Rear Binding | Miniature 228r |
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| Miniature 228v | Miniature 229r | Miniature 229v |
THE OLDEST DATED COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT
The oldest dated complete manuscript is Lazarian Gospel, copied in 887. It is kept under number 6200. It has been preserved in the Moscow Lazarian Seminary for a long time. The scriber is Sahak Vanandetsi. The sizes are 37x27,5. It has 229 sheets written on parchment. There are 2 columns on each page, the writing is rounded majuscule. The binding is simple brown leather.
THE OLDEST PAPER MANUSCRIPT
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| Lazarian Gospel | The Oldest Paper |
THE OLDEST PAPER MANUSCRIPT
The oldest paper manuscript of the Matenadaran has been copied in 981 and is under number 2679. The scriber is Gsukas, the receiver is David, father of Ghukas. The sizes of the manuscript are 28x19. It has 359 sheets, written on parchment. There is one column on each page, the writing is minuscule. The binding is stamped leather with a board as an inset.
THE LARGEST MANUSCRIPT
THE LARGEST MANUSCRIPT
The largest manuscript weighs 27,5 kilos and is called The Homilies of Mush. It is under the number
7729. Written in 1200-1202 AD in the Avag Monastery in Yerzenka, the scriber is Vardan Karnetsi, the illustrator is Stepanos and the binder is Stepanos (1205). Later it was rebinded by Kirakos Aghbetsi (1828). The receiver is Patron Astvatsatur of Baberd. The size of the manuscript is 70,5x55, it has 603 sheets written on parchment, with 3 columns on each page. The writing is straight majuscule. It has three magnificent miniatures and one khoran. Now it is bindingless and is divided into two halves that are kept separately.
THE SMALLEST MANUSCRIPT
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| The Homilies of Mush |
THE SMALLEST MANUSCRIPT
The smallest Armenian manuscript weighs 19 grams. It is a Church Calendar and is under the number 7728. It was written in Kafa. The scriber is Avgsent and the receiver is Hakob. It is 3x4cm. Its 104 sheets are on parchment with one column on each page. The writing is minuscule and the binding is stamped leather with a board as an inset.
MANUSCRIPT NUMBER 1
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| The Smallest Manuscript | Manuscript Number 1 |
MANUSCRIPT NUMBER 1
In the Matenadaran's collection, the manuscript numbered 1 was written in 1632-1633 in Tokhat. The scriber is Sahak. The size of the manuscript is 20,5x15 with 123 sheets, written on paper, with one column on each page, the writing is minuscule and notrgir. The binding is stamped leather with a board as an inset. The manuscript contains the The Book of Adam by Arakel Sunetsi, poems, speeches, horoscopes, fortune-tellings, written by Arakel Sunetsi, Karapet Baghishetsi, Arakel Baghishetsi, Stepanos Goyneritsants.
