The Directorship of the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran announces with sorrow that the Matenadaran’s longtime colleague, Professor Robert Staehle, has passed away at the age of 97. Since 2000, he has restored a large number of bindings of manuscripts with selfless dedication. The professor highly appreciated our cultural heritage, and for 20 years, he had profoundly studied Armenian manuscripts and especially the art of bookbinding. During the interviews, he expressed his gratitude that he had been given this responsible job, which gave a new meaning to his life.
1999 was a turning point in terms of salvation of medieval Armenian manuscripts with silver bindings. When Prof. Staehle, visited the Matenadaran with Margaret and Josef Jaschke and got acquainted with the manuscripts having silver bindings of our collection, offered his professional assistance in saving them.
The cooperation started the following year, which lasted for two decades without interruption. The restoration of metal-clad manuscripts began with the participation of the entire staff of the Restoration Department. As a result of this cooperation, more than 250 metal-clad manuscripts have received new life to date. The young restorers of the Matenadaran continue this grateful work, who have gradually become proficient in this field.
Our very dear German colleagues have always been very willing to pass on their knowledge to young generation. Today we can already say that a new field of restoration work has been established at the Matenadaran.
We are confident that the Armenian-German ?? ?? cooperation will continue in the field of manuscript restoration and will record new achievements. Robert Staehle will be remembered as a skilled master of his work, who loved Armenia and culture and had exemplary diligence and modesty.