Ever heard of Mesrop Mashtots? Probably not. He was living between 360 and 440 CE in Armenia and invented the beautiful Armenian alphabet. You will get to know him when visiting Matenadaran (meaning ‘library’ in old Armenian language), the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Scriptures – a statue of him is standing in front of it. The wonderful building is just a portal; behind it, you will find a museum and its storage carved deep into the mountain to protect the content even in case of an attack with an atomic bomb.
The building was created in 1957 by the most important architect of Երևան, Mark Grigorjan. Within Matenadaran there are about 17,000 manuscripts in the Armenian language – including the important Echmiadzin Gospels from the 10th century CE. You can visit the exhibition halls and take a look at some beautiful examples of the collection. The cash desk and shop is on the right side of the building. You can find Matenadaran east of the cascade complex underneath victory park. It is possible to climb up but taxis can also stop directly in front of the building.
Matenadaran
Մատենադարան
53 Mashtots Avenue
Երևան, Հայաստան
Yerevan, Armenia
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