From Armenia in brief: Coming in 2011: 500 years of Armenian printing

by M. T.

Published: Saturday June 27, 2009

An Armenian Bible held at the Matenadaran in Yerevan, with the date 1566. Photolure

Yerevan - A state committee to coordinate the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing in 2011 has been set up. Chairing the committee is Armenia's President Serge Sargsian.

The committee met at the Khnko Aper Library this past week to discuss the repair of libraries across the country. Armenia's government has allocated 1.2 billion AMD (about $3.3 million) for the renovation and technical modernization of the National Library and the National Children's Library that are located in Yerevan. The total cost of repairs and renovation will amount to 2.5 billion AMD ($6.7 million).

Armenians first starting printing in 1511 in Venice, 50 years after the first edition of the Gutenberg Bible, where the first five Armenian books were printed by a priest known today only by his first name, Yakob.