The main collection from the Convent of Our Lady of Bzummār in Lebanon (BzBz) comprises 422 manuscripts, 396 of which have been digitized and fully cataloged; they are now accessible through HMML’s Reading Room. In the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, some of the Armenian artifacts from Constantinople were relocated and added to the Bzummār collection after the year 1924, including the Armenian Antonine manuscripts—cataloged and announced earlier. This most recently cataloged collection includes the manuscripts held at Bzummār prior to the 1924 additions to the collection.

The Bzummār repository includes an exceptionally rich collection of illuminated and illustrated manuscripts, with works dating as far back as the early 12th century. Among the earliest is a 12th-century copy of Mosēs Khorenatsʻi’s Ashkharhatsʻoytsʻ, or Geography (BzBz 00204); a 13th-century copy of Mkhitʻar Gōsh’s Datastanagirkʻ Hayotsʻ, or Armenian Code of Laws (BzBz 00180); and a 1289 copy of the important Commentary on the Psalms by Daniel of Ṣalaḥ, translated by Grigor Vkayasēr (BzBz 00120).

The collection features a wealth of texts from the 14th and 15th centuries, including several copies of the Աստուածաշունչ (Astuatsashunch, or God-Breathed Scriptures), Bibles, illuminated Gospels, Psalters, Lectionaries, Mashtotsʻ, Zhamagirkʻ, Sharaknotsʻ, Gandzaran, Tonatsʻuytsʻ, Kʻanonagirkʻ, etc. It also contains medical treatises and dozens of translations from Latin, Italian, and French into Armenian.

A significant portion of the collection is dedicated to theological works, including rare volumes of homilies and biblical commentaries by renowned Armenian vardapets: Nersēs Shnorhali, Sargis Shnorhali, Nersēs Lambronats‘i, Grigor Tatewats‘i, Grigor Xlatʻecʻi, Mattʻēos Jughayetsʻi, and more.

Selecting a single highlight from this rich collection, overflowing with the treasures of Armenian Christianity and the layered histories they embody, is nearly impossible. What follows is just a glimpse into the more than 400 remarkable manuscripts preserved here:

• BzBz 00068 is a richly decorated Sharaknotsʻ, featuring illuminations depicting the life of Christ, the lives of the martyrs, and the founders of the Armenian Church, most notably the sufferings of Grigor, the Illuminator.
• BzBz 00105, dating to the 15th century, is a Mashtotsʻ, one of dozens found in the collection, offering insight into how liturgical services were conducted in medieval Armenia.
• BzBz 00250 is a 1330 copy of the medical treatises of Mkhitʻar Heratsʻi.

The 1964 printed catalog by Mesrop Kʻēshishean—made possible through the visionary support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation—remains an indispensable resource. Without the Gulbenkian’s unwavering commitment, Armenian treasures would have remained inaccessible in scholarship. Each digital catalog entry at HMML is linked directly to this foundational volume, allowing scholars to deepen their research into the treasures of the Bzummār collection now fully viewable at the HMML reading room. The Gulbenkian Foundation’s enduring faith in Armenian heritage and its steadfast support for critical scholarly projects have been instrumental in ensuring that Armenian studies not only survive but continue to flourish. View now