The manuscripts and antique books that Aleppo-Armenian Sosseh Baronian contributed to the RA Ministry of Diaspora were transferred to Armenia’s general manuscript archives during a solemn ceremony held at the small hall of the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) in Yerevan on January 23.

The event began with welcoming remarks by RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and Director of the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) Hrachya Tamrazyan.

Greeting the guests, the Minister of Diaspora particularly mentioned: “What’s symbolic is that we are in the room of unique archives of numerous Armenian manuscripts of the Matenadaran with an honorable mission.

Facing death during the bloody days of the Armenian Genocide, the first things that devoted Aleppo-Armenian Sosseh Baronian’s grandparents, Movses and Zartig Aslanian-Baronian saved from the Turks’ vicious “claws” and transferred from Kharberd to Aleppo were these books, including bibles, dictionaries, books of prayers and an 18^th century manuscript, and they all had the same fate as the Armenians having experienced genocide had. Sosseh’s parents, Antranig and Margarit Ghandilian-Baronian cared for and preserved those books, and now Sosseh is the one accomplishing their sacred mission. In these troubling times for Syria, Sosseh Baronian decided to contribute one manuscript and 14 antique books from the Baronians’ family inheritance to the government of her homeland, in this case, the RA Ministry of Diaspora with the support of the Emergency Unit for Syrian-Armenians and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Aleppo. With a high sense of responsibility, the Ministry of Diaspora is transferring those invaluable gifts to the Matenadaran to be deposited there.”

Director of the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) Hrachya Tamrazyan expressed gratitude for the invaluable contribution, mentioning that the entire collection at the Matenadaran can be considered a collection that has survived and that the Matenadaran now has over 500 manuscripts thanks to the contributions that have been made over the past two years. “We have to make more efforts to have our manuscripts returned to Armenia. We express our deep gratitude to Sosseh Baronian and Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan for always supporting our development programs,” Tamrazyan added.

The ceremony included the showing of video messages from contributor Sosseh Baronian and press speaker of the Aleppo Diocese, general speaker of the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Communities of Syria Jirair Reyisian.

Hrachya Tamrazyan granted the St. Mesrop Mashtots Commemorative Medal of the Matenadaran to Sosseh Baronian.