Jamakirk Hayasdanyats (1837)
Name/Title
Jamakirk Hayasdanyats (1837)Secondary Title
Ժամագիրք Հայաստանեայց Սուրբ եկեղեցւոյ. Transliteration: Jamakirk Hayastanyants Surp Yeghetsvo. Translation: Book of Hours of Armenia’s Holy Church.Description
This is an original Jamagirk—a breviary or book of hours—printed in Classical Armenian and published in Constantinople in 1836 by the notable Armenian printer Boghos Arabian. Spanning pages 5 to 588, the text follows the liturgical traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, comprising prayers, hymns, and devotional materials. Though the title leaf, the first four pages, and the final gatherings are now missing, the main body remains intact and richly informative. Measuring approximately 7 by 5 inches (18 × 13 cm), the volume includes several noteworthy features, such as a table converting Armenian to Gregorian years for the period 1838–1890 (pages 568–569), and a partial chronology of the Catholicoi up to 1837 (pages 579–588). Its typography and paper stock are typical of mid-19th-century Armenian imprints from Constantinople. However, it is not recorded in the standard Catalogue of Armenian Books, where entry Nr. 900—while similar—differs in both format and length. The binding is contemporary: quarter leather with coarse linen over thin boards. While the spine cloth is frayed at both head and tail, and the corners are bumped, the boards still retain structural integrity despite rubbing and areas of material loss. Internally, the text block remains sound, with scattered toning, occasional marginal tears, and some modern markings. The publishers were the sons of Boghos Arabian (1742–1835), a pioneering figure in Armenian typography. Born in the village of Abushekh near Agn, he moved to Constantinople with his father and initially worked in retail before apprenticing in the printing trade under Hovhannes Astvadzadourian. Arabian went on to refine and expand Armenian typefaces, some of which laid the foundation for early Georgian and Turkish typography. In the 1770s, he established a major printing house in Constantinople, which became one of the most prolific of its time. His press produced numerous significant works and periodicals, including Azdarar Byuzandyan, Surhandak Byuzandyan, Noyan Aghavni, and later, Zuarchakhoq (1856). From 1820 onward, he published important religious texts such as Ban Hraver Siroy, Patmutyun Marinay Kusin, and Sharakan. Although Boghos Arabian passed away in 1835, his press continued operations well beyond his death, leaving a lasting impact on Armenian print culture in the Ottoman Empire. The Book of Hours was published just a year before his death.Category
Books