Fragmentary Codex Vark' Haranc' - Lives of the Fathers

The so-called Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits who lived an ascetic life in the deserts of Egypt and Syria
The fragment of five leaves is an exceptional testimony of the Armenian tradition of Vark' Haranc', a collection of vitae of the Desert Fathers
The surviving text is accompanied by eight miniatures of exceptional vibrancy and astonishingly dynamic expression

Fragmentary Codex Vark' Haranc' - Lives of the Fathers

MS 1922/1680 Biblioteca di San Lazzaro degli Armeni (Venice, Italy)

Description

Fragmentary Codex Vark' Haranc' - Lives of the Fathers

The Codex Vark‘ Haranc’ is an exceptional testimony to early modern Armenian book illumination. Only five folios of the original manuscript, which was possibly created by a scribe named Yovhannēs, son of Čenupēk, in Amida (now Diyarbekir), have survived to this day. The fragments are rare and therefore incredibly valuable testimonies to the flourishing Armenian book production in the Ottoman Empire and form an important cultural and religious historical document. They manifest the Armenian tradition of the Vites of the Vark‘ Haranc’, the Desert Fathers. These early Christian saints were and are highly honoured for their ascetic way of life as hermits and had a decisive influence on the development of Christian monasticism in the East and West. The 8 preserved, gold-decorated miniatures captivate with their powerful colour palette, whereby the ultramarine backgrounds are particularly striking. They dominate the small surviving text fragments, which are written in post-medieval Notrgir script.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Codex Vark' Haranc' - Das Leben der Wüstenväter
Vite dei Padri
Varkh Harants
Il codice frammentario Vark' Haranc'
Vite dei Padri del Deserto
Type: Manuscript on paper
Size / Format: 10 pages / 28.5 × 20.0 cm
Origin: Turkey
Date: 16th century
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Other Styles / Unknown
Genre: Saints' Lives
Language: Armenian
Script: Notrgir
Illustrations: 3 full-page miniatures, 5 large miniatures and 2 decorated initials
Content: Fragments from the Vitae of Saints Onuphrius, Macarius of Egypt, Macarius of Rome, Theophilus and Pambo of Nitria, as well as Prince Nerses and one other, who live according to the vow of poverty
Artist / School: Yovhannēs (scribe?)

Available facsimile editions:

Facsimile Editions

#1 Vite dei Padri

Nova Charta – Venice, 2021

Publisher: Nova Charta – Venice, 2021

Limited Edition: 199 copies

Commentary: 1 volume by Alberto Peratoner, Anna Sirinian, Vahan Ohanian, Gaia Petrella, Hamazasp Kechichian, and Cristina Campo
Language: Italian

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Fragmentary Codex Vark' Haranc' - Lives of the Fathers