JERUSALEM — The Archive (Mayr Divan) of Decrees and Documents of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has started works on the establishment and furnishing of its Restoration Department.
The department is continuously provided with necessary equipment (presses and other tools) and materials. The works, initiated and supervised by Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, are managed by Director of the Archive Arshak Banuchian.
The stage of processing, disinfection, and repair of archival materials has kicked off, the Matenadaran (officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts) said in a Facebook post.
A working group sent on a mission to Jerusalem, including Matenadaran’s Senior Restorers Susanna Kirakosyan and Emma Sarkisova, as well as Gayane Eliazyan, Head of Matenadaran’s Restoration Department, has started the restoration and conservation of archival materials. About 760 sheets of valuable documents have been restored, including the edicts and letters of Patriarchs Grigor the Chainbearer (Grigor Shghtayakir, 1715–1749) and Theodoros Vanetsi (1800–1818).
The repair of the extremely valuable parchment ferman (edict) of Salah ad-Din (1174–1193) is almost finished. Gayane Eliazyan has prepared a professional summary of the manuscripts’ monitoring and restoration. On May 18, during the restoration process, the patriarch visited the department. Archbishop Manougian highly appreciated the work of the specialists from Matenadaran and expressed hope that the cooperation between the Patriarchate and Matenadaran would continue.
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The people are holding the documents with their bare hands. I’ve never seen professional conservators do that. Doesn’t give me faith in the restoration tbh. Then again they’re from the Matenadaran and their handling of documents isn’t up to international standards either. I wish this story made me feel better but it doesn’t.