In 1816, Lord Byron crossed the Venetian lagoon to a small island where Armenian monks had been running a monastery since 1717. There he studied Armenian. Behind the cloisters of San Lazzaro degli Armeni lies one of the most unusual chapters of Armenian history: a community of monks that kept a language, a library and a printing press alive far from home for more than three centuries.
In this video we follow Mekhitar Sebastatsi, the monk who founded his order in 1701, the exile that brought the community to the lagoon, the manuscripts that still sit in the library, and the printing workshop that shaped Armenian books for generations. We also look at why this small island still matters to Armenians today.
Chapters (approximate, adjust after editing):
00:00 Introduction
03:00 Venice and the lagoon
08:00 A former lazaretto becomes a monastery
13:00 Mekhitar Sebastatsi and the new order
19:00 Exile in the Morea
25:00 Venice grants the island
31:00 Lord Byron in 1816
38:00 The printing workshop
46:00 The library and the manuscripts
54:00 Diaspora press and new readers
62:00 Napoleon, Vienna and the 20th century
70:00 The island today
76:00 Conclusion
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1 Comment
Thank you this video was very interesting and informative full of fascinating history Armenia is one of the oldest civilizations, I personally appreciate being a Armenian myself, very insightful historical in value of this inland of Saint Lazaros in beautiful Venice that I visited my very first time visiting Venice in 1985, afterwords I made many trips back I had the fortune to have a private tour of the i entire monastery and seen the printing lab how books were printed and preserved, as well intrigued by Lord Byrne connection to the monastery, I was amazed fascinated, I appreciated very much to the kind monks had given my husband and I the opportunity for the visit. It’s a very special experience and place for book authors enthusiast as well many people love history and culture in particular intellectuals scripts. Thank you for sharing this documentary It was lovely to the end.