ԱՐՓԵՆԻԿ ՂԱԶԱՐՈՍԵԱՆ / ARPENIK GHAZAROSIAN
(arm)
Կեչառիսի գրչութեան կենտրոնը  
The centre of duplication in the monastery of Kecharis 

Bazmavep 2013 / 3 - 4, pp. 186-200

The centres of duplication of Armenian literary culture have an important role in the creation of the rich culture of the Armenian people. The entire medieval Armenian written heritage – including historiographical, theological, philosophical, scientific, and other works – was edited, duplicated, and brought into its final form in these centres. There were centres of duplication of Armenian written culture in hundreds of monasteries of Armenia in different periods of history. They were also to be found in different countries of the world. One of them was the famous monastery of Kecharis. Only three manuscripts produced in this centre are extant, and we have information from colophons about three other manuscripts produced there. The first piece of information involves the Commentary on the Gospels of John and Luke by Sargis Kound, written by Andre (1184). The first manuscript produced in Kecharis that is extant is from 1491. It is a Gospel in parchment written by Abbot Galoust and illustrated by the miniaturist Mkrtich. We also know that another Gospel of the same copyist was written there in the same year, but we do not have any futher information about it. At the end of the 15th century (1499) a “Mashtots Handbook” was prepared. The other two extant manuscripts from Kecharis where produced in the 16th century. These are the Gospels copied for Archbishop Mattheos (1561, 1564) illustrated by the famous miniaturist Philipos. The second one was made by Yesayi the copyist.