Matenadaran

Repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts

• Area Yerevan
• Type Museum
• Time needed 1h 30m

The Matenadaran is the national repository of Armenian manuscripts, at the top of Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan, holding around 17,000 manuscripts and a further 300,000 archival documents. It is both a museum and a working research institute.

Getting there

At the head of Mashtots Avenue, a 20-minute walk up from Republic Square or a short taxi ride. The Yeritasardakan metro station is five minutes away.

What you see

The permanent display is a small selection from the collection, chosen well: illuminated gospels, the Lazarus Gospel of 887, the vast Homilies of Mush which was carried out of Western Armenia in two halves by two women, medical and astronomical treatises, and some of the smallest manuscripts ever made. The building itself, of 1959, is a basalt fortress with a statue of Mesrop Mashtots and his pupil at the door.

What to pair it with

The Cascade is ten minutes downhill, and the History Museum and Republic Square follow from there. It makes a natural start to a Yerevan walking day.

When to go

Closed Sundays and Mondays. Mornings are quietest. The guided tour is worth taking — much of the significance of what is on display is not obvious from the labels.

What is hard about it

Only a fraction of the collection is shown and the display is text-heavy; without the tour or an audio guide it can feel like cases of old books. Photography rules are strict. The building is unexpectedly small inside relative to its exterior.

Common questions

What is the Matenadaran?

Armenia's institute and museum of ancient manuscripts, holding around 17,000 codices.

How long do you need at the Matenadaran?

About 90 minutes with a guide, an hour without.

What is the oldest manuscript in the Matenadaran?

Fragments date to the fifth to seventh centuries; the oldest complete dated manuscript is the Lazarus Gospel of 887.

Nearby

• Yerevan CascadeGiant limestone stairway with modern sculpture and city views
• Republic SquareYerevan's central square with musical fountains
• Erebuni FortressUrartian citadel from 782 BC, the birthplace of Yerevan
• Armenian Genocide MemorialHilltop memorial and museum to the victims of 1915
• History Museum of ArmeniaNational collection from prehistory to the modern era
• National Gallery of ArmeniaThe country's largest art collection, on Republic Square

More of the same kind

• Sergei Parajanov MuseumCollages and films of the visionary director
• Byurakan ObservatorySoviet-era observatory founded by Viktor Ambartsumian

Part of these routes

• Yerevan in a dayThe Cascade, the manuscripts and the grand squares, mostly on foot.
• Yerevan in depthMuseums, old churches and city life beyond the main square.
• Classic ArmeniaThe essential first trip: capital, holy city, Ararat and the Azat gorge.
• Grand tourFive days from Yerevan down to Tatev and back north through Sevan.