Third International Congress of Armenian Studies opens at the Matenadaran

The Third International Congress of Armenian Studies has opened at the Matenadaran. It brings together Armenologists from leading universities and research centres in 16 countries.

The three-day congress is dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the birth of Mkhitar Sebastatsi, founder of the Mekhitarist Congregation, which played a key role in the development of Armenian scholarship and printing.

The opening was attended by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan, Matenadaran director Ara Khzmalyan and Italian Ambassador to Armenia Alessandro Ferranti.

The Mekhitarist Congregation was founded in the early 18th century; its centre on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice still holds a rich collection of Armenian manuscripts.