Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Views Rare Armenian Carpets and Armenian Gospel at Warsaw’s Royal Castle and National Library

WARSAW — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has begun his official visit to Poland. His first stop was the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Accompanied by the museum’s director, Małgorzata Omilanowska, Prime Minister Pashinyan toured the exhibition halls, where collections of royal chambers, personal belongings of Polish kings, paintings, and other European works of art are on display.

One of the exhibition halls also featured a display of rare Armenian carpets from the “Teresa Sahakyan” Foundation, which will remain open to visitors for the next two months.

 

During his visit to Warsaw, Prime Minister Pashinyan also toured the National Library of Poland, located in the Palace of the Commonwealth. Accompanied by Director Tomasz Makowski, the Prime Minister was introduced to the library’s rich heritage.

On permanent display at the National Library is the Skewra Gospel, a 1197 parchment manuscript. Its illuminations are attributed to Grigor Skewratsi, and the manuscript was commissioned by Nerses of Lambron. According to the colophon, it was created in 1198/1199, during the reign of King Levon I of the Rubenid dynasty and Catholicos Gregory VI Apirat.

 

 

It was noted that in 1997, after confirming the Armenian identity of the Gospel and obtaining the necessary permissions, the manuscript was transferred to the Ordinary of the Armenian Rite faithful in Poland, Cardinal Józef Glemp. In 2006, responding to a request from representatives of the Polish-Armenian community, Archbishop and Primate Glemp signed an agreement with the Director of the National Library, under which the Gospel was entrusted to the library for safekeeping and is now exhibited there.

 

 

The National Library of Poland also displays other items representing Armenian historical heritage.