Cataloging is now complete for the final objects in the collection of the Armenian Church, Diocese of Aleppo. These manuscripts, housed at the diocese, are from the Halēpi Surb Kʻaṛasun Mankunkʻ Yekeghetsʻwoy (the Armenian Holy Forty Martyr’s Church in Aleppo, Syria). The manuscripts have now been fully digitized, cataloged, and made accessible through HMML’s Reading Room.

Comprising 174 objects, this collection represents a rare survival of manuscripts from one of the most volatile centers of Armenian Christianity, preserved through over a century of upheaval, including the waves of violence and displacement in the region over the past 20 years. The manuscripts in this collection include illuminated Gospels, Psalters, Lectionaries, Yaysmawurkʻ, Mashtotsʻ, Zhamagirkʻ, Sharaknotsʻ, Kʻanonagirkʻ, commentaries, and homilies, among other works. Each digital catalog entry at HMML now links directly to the detailed print catalog prepared by Artavazd Surmēyan in 1935.

One highlight of the collection is an Armenian Gospel dating to 1338 (AODA 00033). An example of the Van Monastic School’s color, patterns, and artistry, the manuscript includes miniatures that illuminate episodes from the Gospels and the life of Christ. Originating from Arckē (modern-day Adilcevaz, Turkey), the manuscript was safeguarded and carried to Aleppo by survivors of the Armenian Genocide in 1919-1920, a testament to both its sacred significance and enduring historical legacy. View now