Press of Artsakh Diocese (1837 to 1902). Printing Office

Press of Artsakh Diocese (1837 to 1902). Printing Office 1837 — 1902 yy․

NKR / Shushi / Shushi

Historical Introduction
1830 y․

Press of Artsakh Diocese (also known as Press of Holy Echmiatzin/the Spiritual Inspectorate of Armenians/the Spiritual Department of Armenians/the Spiritual School of Armenians). 1837 to 1902. In the 1830s, the Government banned the preaching, teaching and printing activity of the Protestant preachers in Shushi. Taking advantage of it, the Primate of Artsakh Diocese, Metropolitan Baghdasar (1830 to 1853), bought their printing-office for the Armenian spiritual school and renamed it Press of the Armenian Spiritual Inspectorate: “...I purchased the Germans’ Armenian press, which was sold in September, together with all the necessary machinery, following the advice of the high-ranking authorities of the city... at one thousand two hundred and nineteen roubles, four hundred and eighty roubles of which was voluntarily raised by the local people. As for the remaining seven hundred and nineteen roubles, I borrowed it pledging myself to repay it by small amounts... Buying the press, we pursued the goal of leaving it here, in this city..., for if we missed this opportunity, it would be impossible to ever have another printing-office functioning here.”

Ղուկասեան Հ., Բողոքականութեան հաստատուիլը Կովկասու հայոց մէջ, «Մեղու Հայաստանի», 1885, N 55, 18 յուլիսի, հինգշաբթի, էջ 2:
Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 121-122:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

The first book printed in this press was The Prisoner of Chillon by G. Byron (translated into Armenian by M. Zohrapian), which was issued in 1837. Its title page reads: “The Primate of Karabakh Diocese, ...Metropolitan Baghdasar.”

This publication is not preserved: it is first mentioned by Leo (Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 124):
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

The printing-office functioned until 1840 and issued 11 books.

Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

1853 y․

Under his first will dated 13 April 1853, Metropolitan Baghdasar left the press under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Consistory of Artsakh Diocese: “I am leaving the printing-house bought with my own means to the Armenian Diocese Consistory of Karabakh. If it ceases existing, which I hope will not ever happen, it should be rented and half of its annual income ought to be passed to the monasteries of Gandzasar and St. Hakob, and the other half to sons of poor families, students and others.”

Վավերագրեր հայ եկեղեցու պատմության, Հայ առաքելական եկեղեցու Արցախի թեմը (1813-1933), գիրք Թ, Երևան, 2001, էջ 232:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

1858 y․

In 1858 the Primate, Bishop Gevorg Vehapetian, re-equipped the press with a new hand press and Armenian letters through Moscow-based benefactor Hovhannes Hovnanian’s financial support and named it Press of Holy Echmiatzin placing it under the jurisdiction of the Consistory (between 1858 and 1863, 3 books were published there).

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 302:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

1862 y․

In 1862 the press, which was rented by printer Minas Targhlijiants, started the publication of Catholicosal bulls and the statutes of the diocesan school at the suggestion of its trustees. However, on the order of the Vicar, Archbishop Vardan Odznetsy, the Consistory of Shushi “...hurried to inform the municipal police of Shushi that... the private press of Minas Targhlijian is publishing the documents of the spiritual authorities without their knowledge and permission so that they were asking them to close it... The police applied to the Board of Trustees for explanation, and the latter confirmed that no permit or censorship were necessary for the publication of those papers as they belonged to them, namely the trustees... The police gave them the right [to continue the publication] and the printing-house did not close...”

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 273:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 5.

1864 y․

Two years later, the press shifted back to the jurisdiction of the diocese school of Shushi: “...one of the trustees of the school, Hambardzum-Bek Sarukhanbekian, applied to Hovnanian with a request to allocate the press which the latter had presented [to the spiritual school of Artsakh] to the eparchial school. The benefactor turned to the Consistory and the Primate and declared that he had not presented the press to Echmiatzin, but to the spiritual school of Karabakh so that he demanded that it should be immediately placed at the disposal of its trustees. The Consistory complied with it, and in 1864 the Board of Trustees received it back from Targhlijian... and again gave it to him for management.” The printers who worked there later were Priest Khachatur Ghalabekian, Avetis Tarumian and Babajan Grigorian.

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 303, 374:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, pp. 5-6.

1873 y․

On 1 September 1873, the newly-appointed Inspector of the spiritual school, Archimandrite Khoren Stepane, started “...repairing the non-existent library, ...the half-existing press so that he would continue [the publication of] the ‘Haykakan Ashkhar’.” Not only did he revive the printing-house, but he also succeeded in publishing (in 1874) the April to August issues of the “Haykakan Ashkhar” magazine, the publication of which had ceased in 1871 (the first issue of this magazine was published in Tiflis in 1864). The establishment was housed in one of the ground-floor rooms of the diocesan school.

Շահունեանց Վահան, Նամակ Շուշուց, «Մշակ», 1873, N 41, էջ 2-3:
Հայ պարբերական մամուլը (1794-1980), էջ 33: Also see Ավագյան Ս., Նյութեր Ղարաբաղի նախասովետական շրջանի մամուլի պատմությունից, Երևան, 1969, էջ 20:
Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 375:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 6.

Most probably, the printing-office faced grave financial hardships for its activity was soon stopped and resumed only in 1885 thanks to the means provided by the eparchial school and the local people. According to a viewpoint, it reopened not to yield up its place to the press of Mahtesy Mirzajan Hakobiants, who was an adherent of Protestantism: “...the rumour spread that this press yielded great income to its proprietor so that it was thought necessary to harm that Protestant by having a strong opponent against it. The trustees called for voluntary fund-raising: the donations were made willingly for the purpose of causing harm to the Protestant, although he was of Armenian origin, and at the same time, doing good for the diocesan school... The amount collected totaled 2,505 roubles, the trustees adding 1,847 roubles to it from the school budget and embarking on the reopening of the press in the same year (1885).”

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 429:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 6.

In 1885 the press acquired a small machine with Armenian and Russian letters. The trustees “...attempted to run it themselves, but they suffered losses and had to turn ...to have it rented.”

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 430:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 6.

1893 y․

After 1893 the condition of the printing-house gradually deteriorated so that it finally closed after 1902: “...the agreeable establishment which played a modest, but praiseworthy role in Shushi...”

Լէօ, Պատմութիւն Ղարաբաղի Հայոց թեմական հոգեւոր դպրոցի. 1838-1913, Թիֆլիզ, 1914, էջ 431:
Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 6.

1864 — 1902 yy․

During the period between 1864 and 1902, 37 books were published in this press.

Abrahamian Emma, Printing-Houses Throughout the Armenian Homeland, in: "Vardzk", 2012, N 6, p. 6.

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Press of Holy Echmiatzin
The Spiritual Inspectorate of Armenians
The Spiritual Department of Armenians
The Spiritual School of Armenians