YEREVAN — On the eve of Armenia’s Independence Day, a special ceremony was held at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall to present Sargis Shnorhali’s “Commentary on the Seven Catholic Epistles,” a theological and manuscriptological work of exceptional value, as a donation to the Matenadaran.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Artur Atabekyan, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan, Director of the Matenadaran Ara Khzmalyan, representatives of executive bodies, the academic community, and ambassadors accredited in Armenia.
On July 31 of this year, the Government of Armenia adopted a decision to allocate around 93 million AMD to the Matenadaran to acquire this medieval manuscript by the renowned scholar Sargis Shnorhali (13th–14th centuries). Following months of negotiations led by the Matenadaran’s administration, the manuscript was successfully withdrawn from auction and purchased at a reduced price. The acquisition marks an exceptional milestone for the Matenadaran. Until now, only one leaf of the manuscript had previously been discovered and preserved at Matenadaran, making the acquisition of the complete manuscript both scientifically important and symbolically significant in terms of reuniting dispersed Armenian heritage from around the world. of the manuscript had been kept there, during the ceremony, it was reunited with the complete codex.
The work holds exceptional value, as it is considered the first independent Armenian commentary on the Catholic Epistles of the New Testament.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that it was a great honor for him to attend the ceremony and to witness such an important manuscript becoming part of the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran collection. He emphasized:
“This is the second such government decision in recent years, made on the Matenadaran’s recommendation and assurance that the manuscript is of exceptional significance. Understandably, when such a matter is raised, there is no hesitation. We are guided by the conviction that the Republic of Armenia must be the home of our most important cultural treasures and manuscripts. Our state is our identity, and our identity is our state.”
