Prime Minister Pashinyan Visits Museum of the Bible in Washington, Donates Replica of Grigor Narekatsi’s Medieval Illuminated Manuscript

WASHINGTON, DC — During his working visit to the United States, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

Accompanied by the museum’s Chief Operations Officer, Aaron Ross, the Prime Minister toured the exhibits and became acquainted with the artifacts on display. Among the exhibits were pieces showcasing Armenian Christian heritage, including an ancient Armenian Bible.

Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed his admiration for the museum’s collection and presented a replica of a medieval illuminated manuscript by Grigor Narekatsi as a gift to the museum.

The manuscript is a copy of one of the oldest known examples of Grigor Narekatsi’s globally renowned “Book of Lamentations”—a revered work of Armenian liturgical literature. The original was written in 1173 in Cilicia by the celebrated scribe and artist Grigor Skevratsi, commissioned by the prominent Armenian theologian Nerses of Lambron.

The original manuscript is preserved at the Matenadaran Institute in Yerevan and is considered one of the masterpieces of Armenian literary and miniature art.