Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On October 6, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" Matenadaran of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, a conference entitled "Holy Etchmiadzin, the haven of books" was held.

The Brotherhood of the Mother See, professors of higher educational institutions of Armenia, scientists and public figures participated in the conference.

The event began with the Lord's Prayer, following which Rev. Fr. Ararat Poghosyan, Director of the "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" Matenadaran of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Director of the Publishing Department of Holy Etchmiadzin welcomed the attendees.

Afterwards, His Grace Bishop Mushegh Babayan conveyed the message and blessings of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II to the forum participants.

In the remarks of His Holiness, it was specifically stated: "By God's good will, ten years ago, a library was founded in the Mother See, with the hearty donation of the honorable Mr. and Mrs. Vatche and Tamar Manookian, worthy children of our Church.

We note with satisfaction that this important institution, named after Holy Etchmiadzin and the great benefactors of our nation, is today a pillar of the preservation of the Armenian printed heritage and promoting the development of education and scientific thought.

... Our Apostolic Church, where the Armenian school was originated, has always taken care of the preservation and enrichment of our literary heritage. In our monasteries and churches, manuscripts were copied, translations were made, not only scriptural, theological, but also scientific studies and works of art were born, believing that books, science and enlightenment are the guarantees of development and progress. In our history full of trials, the Armenian literary heritage has also been for our people the lifeblood of the Armenian Christian soul and an armor and support for the preservation of identity.

...The year 1771 was decisive in the life of our people in the arena of printing, when the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin publishing house was established with the efforts of the late Simeon I Catholicos of Yerevan. The first printing house established in the homeland undertook an important mission in the field of Armenian printing, which later expanded and developed printing and the creation of libraries in Armenia. In this regard, the construction of the "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" library and its ten-year activity is also typical, as the best evidence that our Church will continue to contribute to the preservation of our centuries-old literary heritage and the progress of the scientific and cultural life of our people”.

The participants of the congress were welcomed and congratulated on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" Matenadaran of the Mother See, by Mr. Yuri Suvaryan, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Armenian Studies and Social Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia; Karen Matevosyan, Ph.D., deputy director of the Messrop Mashtots University for Scientific Affairs;  Director of the RA National Library, Ph.D. Anna Chulyan; RA NAS Director of the Institute of Literature named after M. Abeghyan, Ph.D., Professor Vardan Devrikyan; Rafik Nazaryan, Vice President of the Library Association of Armenia and Head of the Scientific Center of the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan, PhD Kamo Vardanyan.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its foundation, the RA National Library awarded "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" Matenadaran with the "Hakob Meghapart" commemorative medal, and the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan returned the library 100 books belonging to the Mother See until 1922 and published in different years. The Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, in turn, donated the "Armenian Book in Turkey" book to the library of the Mother See.

Then, in the halls of "Vatche and Tamar Manookian" Matenadaran, the lectures of the congress "Holy Etchmiadzin, the haven of books" took place in parallel. Discussions and summaries related to the topic were also organized.