Matenadaran’s Repository of Armenian Old Printed Books
The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts’ old printed book collection holds 2,281 books. Many of those books, with their form, ornamentation, marginal ornamentation, and printed and manuscript colophons, are gems for research fellows specializing in bibliography and philology. The collection holds incredibly rare books from the bibliographical point of view such as the first printed Armenian book, “Urbatagirk” (Friday Book) printed in Venice in 1512 by Hakob Meghapart (Jacob the Sinner), who was the father of the first Armenian printing-house, and “Tagharan” (Song book), “Aghtark” (Prayers for the sick and Horoscope) and “Parzatumar” (Calendar-based Manual) printed in 1513 in the same printing-house in Venice. Later, in 1565, Abgar Dpir Tokhatetsi printed “Saghmosaran” (Psalter) in his own printing-house. The first Armenian Bible has been printed in 1666 in Amsterdam by Voskan Yerevantsi, etc.
In addition to the above, the Matenadaran’s department of Armenian old printed books holds ninety books which are only kept in the Matenadaran in Armenia, such as “Tomar Grigorean” (Gregorian Calendar, Rome, 1584), “Saghmosaran” (Psalter, Venice, 1587), “Pataragatetr” (Missal, Rome, 1642), and “Kerakanutyun” (Grammar, Amsterdam, 1666) by Voskan Yerevantsi.