Matenadaran

Matenadaran means a "book-depository" in ancient Armenian. Indeed, Matenadaran is the pride of Armenian culture, the world's largest storage of ancient manuscripts. It was created on the basis of the collection of manuscripts belonging to Echmiadzin Monastery. The chronological sequence of the arrangement of the exhibits represents the national writing culture from the very beginning to the 19th century.

Details of Armenian architectural monuments, khachkars are exhibited in the arched halls of the courtyard. You can see a mosaic depicting the Avarayr Battle (1956-60) in the lobby, and a fresco entitled "History of Armenia" (1956-59; Van Khachatur is the author of both works) on the walls of the main staircase. Basalt is the main building material in the interior of the structure, but other stones, such as marble, were also used. Other frescoes of the same author, depicting the Urartu era and the creation of the alphabet, are also exhibited near the main staircase.