The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association, in honor of its 90th anniversary, donated 27 valuable manuscripts from the 14th and 20th centuries (Ritual Books, Collections, Yasmavurk/Saints’ Behavior, Psalms, Gospel, etc.) to the Matenadaran on May 17, 2018, at the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran’s Hall.
Historian Yervand Pampukian has compiled the manuscripts, made the listings of books, and has provided the necessary information.
Matenadaran’s Director Vahan Der Ghevondian delivered the opening speech emphasizing the importance of handing such valuable manuscripts to the preservation of the Matenadaran, noting that the Matenadaran had not ever received donations of such valuable manuscripts during the last 15 years. Vahan Der Ghevondian noticed that the repatriation of these values was a significant event, and expressed gratitude to the Central Executive Board of Hamazkayin for this precious gift. Central Executive Board Member, Viken Tufenkjian made a speech on behalf of the Board saying that those six-hundred-year old 27 valuable manuscripts from different sources of Armenian thought and faith, kept under the care of Hamazkayin , form one of the most important collections of our national heritage.
Touching upon the essence of Hamazkayin, he confirms that the Association is not a sponsoring or restoring to life structure, but has a mission to preserve the national values and culture and to convey them to new generations. "At the same time, the Hamazkayin Association strives to provide innovative ways for exposing the spirit of the same national values, and to open new creative platforms. It believes that these paths will provide the survival of our national age-old treasures," he said.
Viken Tufenkjian spoke about the Matenadaran as an important place for keeping and exhibiting the manuscripts. "Matenadaran is one of the best manifestations of our intellectual potential. Moreover, it is the place where the Armenian national treasury is preserved and researched to find the wisdom and philosophy of our nation inherited from our collective past."
At the end of his speech, Vicken Tufenkian underlined the rapid growth of technology and communication in today's life, and refered to the unbroken dedication of those twenty-seven manuscripts’ creators, their belief in their work, by which they ensured the survival of the constituent elements of Armenian identity from generation to generation and from centuries to centuries.
"In our materialistic world, where the outward appearance has become a guarantee for success, the inspiration and faith that stimulated the authors of these manuscripts become even more noticeable and prominent, if we want to bridge our past to our present, to make our history a daily companion for us, to be guided by them and to ensure the eternity of our national identity and our enduring future," he concluded.
Chief Depositary of Matenadaran, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Kevork Der Vartanian, gave general and complete information to the participants about the collection of manuscripts.
Director of the Matenadaran, Vahan Der Ghevondyan, presented a Thank-You Note with a luxurious silver plated copy of Grigor Naregatsi's "Matyan Voghbergutyan" written in Cilicia in 1173 to the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association