New exhibition of archive documents

A new exhibition of archive documents is open in Mashtots Matenadaran.

From more than half a million archive documents kept in Matenadaran, we have presented documents of the 14th–20th centuries of exceptional historical and cultural value and reflecting the history of the Armenian people and, in particular, that of the Holy Sees of the Armenian Apostolic Church. They include patriarchal edicts and blessings written on parchment or polished wax paper.
The exhibition also presents documents regulating political, religious and ethnic issues between the government and various social groups of the time, photographs and messages showing the Armenians’ high level of education, documents related to the leading figures of Armenian culture, as well as exceptional documents in foreign languages, which are remarkable testimonies of multilateral relations of Armenia with other countries. These include charters of the Russian emperors Pavel I, Alexander II, and Nicolay II (by which they give Armenians economic, commercial and other privileges), as well as the decree of Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte to award Pierre Chambot with the Legion of Honour. The exhibited documents in Arabic script (Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman) of the 14th and later centuries are related to the hereditary, ownership, and tax rights of the Armenians.