Calouste Gulbenkian Library | |
---|---|
Armenian: Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան գրադարան | |
Location | Armenian Quarter, Old City of Jerusalem, East Jerusalem |
Type | Library |
Established | 1932 |
Collection | |
Size | 100,000 volumes |
Other information | |
Director | Father Norayr Kazazian |
The Calouste Gulbenkian Library, located within the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, opened in 1932, [1] and reopened in 2007, after an extensive renovation. The library is considered "one of the world's most comprehensive Armenian intellectual resource centers" with its 100,000 book collection. [2] [3]
The library was envisioned by Patriarch Yeghishe Tourian (1921–1929) and was realized with the support of Calouste Gulbenkian, who funded its construction in honor of his parents and in commemoration of the Patriarch’s fiftieth ordination anniversary. Although the cornerstone was laid in 1929, Patriarch Tourian did not live to see its completion. His successor, Patriarch Torkom I Koushagian, oversaw the opening on 23 October 1932 [1] . [4]
The renovation was funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon and the Saint Sarkis Charity Trust of London. [4]
The 2007 reopening ceremony was attended by members of the Gulbenkian family, key representatives of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Saint Sarkis Charity Trust. Their presence underscored the enduring connection between the family and the library. [4]
The reopening ceremony featured remarks by several distinguished speakers, including: [4]
Father Norayr Kazazian, the current director of the library, outlined plans to digitize the collection with ongoing support from the Gulbenkian Foundation. The ceremony concluded with a musical interlude by seminarians and remarks by Patriarch Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, who bestowed the Patriarchate’s Medal of Honor on Essayan, Tchamkerten, and Gulbenkian for their contributions. [4]
In March 2012, there was some debris in front of the library.
The restored library houses over 100,000 volumes in a state-of-the-art facility with compact shelving, air conditioning, and temperature control. The collection includes Armenian books, European and Middle Eastern literature, journals, newspapers, and studies in Armenology. Its archive of Armenian newspapers is the third largest in the world, following the collections in Vienna and the National Library of Armenia. [4]
The library aims to achieve the highest standards of preservation and digitization, ensuring its collections remain accessible to a global audience. [4]
The library has a Siamese library cat. [5]
The original collection was established through donations from successive Patriarchs, Calouste Gulbenkian himself, the St. James Brotherhood, the Armenian diaspora, and non-Armenian supporters. On its opening day, it contained 25,037 volumes (14,518 in Armenian and 11,519 in other languages). [6] Three decades later, in 1963, the number reached around 50,000. [7] Today, the library is one of the largest repositories of Armenian books globally, playing a crucial role in preserving Armenian heritage and scholarship. [4]
Patriarchate is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch. According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were established by the apostles as apostolic sees in the 1st century: Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. Constantinople was added in the 4th century and Jerusalem in the 5th century. Eventually, together, these five were recognised as the pentarchy by the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, was an Ottoman-born British Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development and is credited with being the first person to exploit Iraqi oil. Following the "Red Line Agreement", a fixed 5% of the shares of the Turkish Petroleum Company were to be consistently owned by him, for which he earned the nickname "Mr. Five Per Cent". Gulbenkian travelled extensively and lived in a number of cities including his birth city of Constantinople and later London, Paris, and finally Lisbon.
The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem or Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, officially patriarch of Jerusalem, is the head bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III. The patriarch is styled "Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Holy Land, Syria, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee, and Holy Zion." The patriarch is the head of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, and the religious leader of about 130,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land, most of them Palestinian Christians in Israel and Palestine.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union is a non-profit Armenian organization established in Cairo, Egypt, in 1906. With the onset of World War II, headquarters were moved to New York City, New York.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of the wealthiest charitable foundations in the world, the Gulbenkian Foundation was founded on 18 July 1956 according to the last will and testament of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, a Portugal-based oil magnate who bequeathed his assets to the country in the form of a foundation.
Manukyan, Manoukian, Manoukyan and Manukian and Western Armenian alternative transliterations Manougian, Manuguian , Manoogian and Manookian is an Armenian surname. It is derived from the Armenian given name Manuk, Manug, Manoug meaning a child and the addition of yan/ian for a surname.
Armenians were a significant minority in the Ottoman Empire. They belonged to either the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, or the Armenian Protestant Church, each church serving as the basis of a millet. They played a crucial role in Ottoman industry and commerce, and Armenian communities existed in almost every major city of the empire. The majority of the Armenian population made up a reaya, or peasant, class, in Eastern Anatolia. The Tanzimat reforms in the nineteenth century sought to manifest the doctrine of equality before the law. Despite their importance, Armenians were persecuted by the Ottoman authorities, especially from the latter half of the 19th century, culminating in the Armenian Genocide.
Khajag Barsamian is an Armenian Orthodox priest who has served as the pontifical legate of Western Europe and representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See since 2018. He was previously the Armenian Primate of America (Eastern) from 1990 to 2018.
Patriarch Torkom Manoogian was the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem serving the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He was the 96th in a succession of Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem, succeeding Patriarch Yeghishe Derderian (1960–1990).
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James, is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Apostolic Church is officially recognised under Israel's confessional system, for the self-regulation of status issues, such as marriage and divorce.
Patriarch Torkom Koushagian was Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem serving the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 1931 to 1939.
Yeghishe Tourian was Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1929. He took over the position after the patriarchate position remained vacant for 11 years (1910–1921).
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, known in Armenian as simply the Mother See, is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia and is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the church.
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann was an American philanthropist of Armenian descent born in the Ottoman Empire. She established the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund, which distributes fellowships to graduate students.
Patriarch Nourhan Manougian is the 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem serving the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is the 97th in the succession of Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem, succeeding Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, who served for 22 years (1990–2012). Manougian was elected as Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem on 24 January 2013.
The Gulbenkian Park also known as Gulbenkian Garden is located in Lisbon, Portugal. It was created in 1969 and is part of the cultural center where the headquarters of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Gulbenkian Museum and the José de Azeredo Perdigão Modern Art Centre are situated enriching the cultural importance of the garden.
The Armenian Quarter is one of the four sectors of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Located in the southwestern corner of the Old City, it can be accessed through the Zion Gate and Jaffa Gate. It occupies an area of 0.126 km², which is 14% of the Old City's total. In 2007, it had a population of 2,424. In both criteria, it is comparable to the Jewish Quarter. The Armenian Quarter is separated from the Christian Quarter by David Street and from the Jewish Quarter by Habad Street.
Avak Asadourian – Armenian: Ավագ Արքեպիսկոպոս Ասատուրյան is the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Iraq.
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)