"Armenian Manuscripts in Italy: A Hidden Treasure Awaiting Recognition" an article by Carlo Coppola
The main collections are concentrated at the Vatican Apostolic Library, which preserves over 300 Armenian manuscripts dating from the 10th to 18th centuries, and with the Mekhitarist monks of San Lazzaro Island in Venice, custodians of a corpus of inestimable value. These codices range from liturgical works to historical chronicles, from philosophical to literary texts, offering a complete panorama of Armenian intellectual richness.
Among the most prestigious examples is the celebrated 10th-century Gospel of Trebizond, preserved in the Vatican and renowned for its refined miniatures, and the Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa kept in Venice, a crucial source for understanding the Crusades from an Armenian perspective. The systematic cataloging of these treasures was masterfully accomplished by the late Professor Gabriella Uluhogian in her fundamental "Catalog of Armenian Manuscripts in Italian Libraries," a work that remains an essential academic resource for documenting the extent and diversity of this heritage.
Particularly significant is the presence of illuminated codices, characterized by elaborate decorations that testify to the fertile encounter between Byzantine, Islamic, and local Armenian artistic traditions. Many of these manuscripts were produced in the great Armenian cultural centers such as Ani, Sis, or in the Kingdom of Cilicia, subsequently reaching Italy through Venetian commercial routes or thanks to the generosity of merchants and diplomats.
A special case is represented by four Armenian manuscripts preserved at the Archive of the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, contained in the Diplomatic Codex of Bari. These documents, relating to as many Armenian affairs, include a specimen from the year 900 that bears a signature in Armenian characters, constituting unique testimony to the Armenian presence in medieval southern Italy.
Despite the documented richness of these collections, which could fuel dozens of doctoral research projects in Paleography, Archival Studies, Diplomatics, and Medieval History, the international scientific landscape has shown a surprising gap in attention toward Italian holdings. This omission is particularly significant considering that such materials constitute an indispensable component for any complete collation of medieval Armenian sources.
The issue becomes even more relevant when considering the existence of a vast quantity of documents from the 17th to 20th centuries, not yet systematically cataloged and studied, which could provide valuable information about the continuity of Armenian presence in Italy through the modern and contemporary ages.
The Armenian Manuscripts Index, a growing digital project that aims to make Armenian manuscript heritage more accessible through contributions from public and private institutions, represents an important opportunity to fill this gap. The fact that this initiative has not yet systematically included Italian collections constitutes a missed opportunity that would merit reflection from the international scientific community.
The hope is that competent authorities, both Italian and Armenian, can establish new collaboration protocols to facilitate the digitization and valorization of these materials, finally doing justice to a heritage that has waited too long for the recognition it deserves.
The Armenian manuscript tradition in Italy represents a fundamental chapter for the complete understanding of Armenian culture in the Mediterranean context. Only through renewed scientific and institutional commitment will it be possible to restore to these treasures the role they deserve in European cultural history, completing a picture that remains still partial and fragmentary.
Carlo Coppola
