The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) is pleased to announce the donation to its Mardigian Library of an extraordinary book collection from siblings Zareh Kalfayan and Adrine Kalfayan Debusscher of Belgium.

“This is not the largest collection NAASR has ever received,” noted Director of Academic Affairs Marc A. Mamigonian, “but it is undoubtedly one of the most significant, and contains an exceptional number of exceedingly rare, early printed Armenian books.”

The donation of this collection was initiated through the efforts of NAASR Board Member Dr. Khatchig Mouradian in 2025. Following the arrival of the collection of more than 150 items at NAASR in January 2026, NAASR’s Mardigian Library Director Ani Babaian has overseen the cataloguing of the materials and has taken initial conservation steps for the items most in need of attention, including more than 50 titles dating from before 1850, some of which appear in no other library catalogue included in WorldCat. Principally in Armenian, the collection also includes a number of books in Armeno-Turkish and Arabic. Many of the books in the collection contain handwritten annotations in the margins, as well as inserted or attached pages.

A Remarkable Number of Early Armenian Printed Books

Given the historical and scholarly value of the materials, we wish to highlight several particularly noteworthy works included in the donation. The oldest item in the Kalfayan Collection is Գիրք Պատմութեանց (Girk‘ Patmut‘eants‘), or the Book of History, by Arakel of Tabriz (Arakel Dawrizhets‘i), published in Amsterdam in 1669 by Voskan Yerevants‘i. This important historical work, though fragile, is preserved in its original binding and represents the second copy held by NAASR’s Mardigian Library. (The first copy is part of the Ani and George Bournoutian Collection at NAASR.)

More than 35 titles date from the 18th century and were published in Venice and Constantinople. They include:

• Գիրք Մոլոթեանց (Girk‘ Molot‘eants‘, Venice, 1720), by Pedro of Aragon
• Մեկնութիւն Սրբոյ Աւետարանի Տեառն Մերոյ (Meknut‘iwn Srboy Awetarani Tearn Meroy, Venice, 1737), by Mkhit‘ar Sebastats‘i
• Գիրք Օրինակաց եւ Նմանութեանց (Girk‘ Ōrinakats ew Nmanut‘eants, Venice, 1750), by Joannes de Sancto-Geminiano
• Քերականութիւն Հայկազեան Լեզուի (K‘erakanut‘iwn Haykazean Lezui, Venice, 1750) by Mikayel Chamchyants
• Գործք Առաքելոց (Gortsk‘ Aŕak‘elots‘, Constantinople, 1771)
• Քերականութիւն Թօսքանեան Լեզուի (K‘erakanut‘iwn T‘ōsk‘anean Lezui, Venice 1792) by Gabriel Vardapet Awetikean
• Ադամգիրք (Adamgirk‘, Constantinople, 1799), by Arakel Siwnets‘i

Girk' Moluteants' (1720) and Meknut'iwn Srboy Awetarani Tearn Meroy Hisusi K'ristosi (1737), and K'erakanut'iwn T'osk'anean Lezui (1792), all printed in Venice by Antonio Bortoli.

“In addition to the scholarly works it contains, the collection reveals the artistry of its bindings, the evolution of Armenian printing styles over the centuries, and the aesthetic sensibilities reflected in the design of the books,” said Ani Babaian. “The physical condition of the volumes bears witness not only to the passage of time, but also to the ways in which these books were read and used, reflecting Armenian printing traditions from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries across major centers such as Amsterdam, Venice, and Constantinople.”

A Special Item: The Zohrab Bible of 1805

It is difficult to single out the importance of any one book, as they are all unique in terms of their appearance, content, and history. But one of the most notable items in the collection is the Zohrab Bible, Աստուածաշունչ Մատեան Հին եւ Նոր Կտակարանաց (Astuatsashunch‘ Matean Hin ew Nor Ktakaranats‘), prepared in Venice by Very Rev. Fr. Hovhannes Zohrabian and published in 1805. This edition was based on a 1305 Cilician manuscript preserved at the Mekhitarist Library in Venice and includes extensive textual apparatus. Long desired for the library’s collection, this edition represents one of the most significant printed Armenian Bibles, and it is especially gratifying that the copy is such excellent condition.

Above: The title page and the opening of the Book of Genesis in the Zohrab Bible, published in Venice in 1805.

The NAASR Mardigian Library extends its sincere gratitude to the Kalfayan family for their dedication in preserving this collection and for making these important materials available to scholars and future generations. This important acquisition further strengthens NAASR’s mission to study and share Armenian history, culture, and intellectual heritage.

About The NAASR Mardigian Library

The Edward and Helen Mardigian Library at NAASR consists of over 39,000 books, pamphlets, periodicals, and documents, primarily in Armenian and English, dating as far back as the 1600s. The collection encompasses a broad range of topics including history, literature, art, architecture, linguistics, poetry, as well as law, anthropology, cooking, and natural sciences. The library is named in honor of the late Edward and Helen Mardigian in recognition of their decades of generous support of NAASR and its initiatives and the continued support of the Mardigian family. The library is open to all researchers by appointment. Click here to search the library's catalogue.

At some point in the life of this copy of Gortsk‘ Aŕak‘elots‘, published by Stepanos Petrosean in Constantinople (1771), we infer the first page was lost and replaced by this beautifully executed handwritten page.