Ժիրայր Դանիէլեան2025-08-122025-08-121994Դանիէլեան, Ժ., «Նոր յայտնաբերումներ Հայաստանի առաջին տպարանի եւ առաջին հրատարակութիւններու մասին», «Հայկազեան հայագիտական հանդէս», 1994, Պէյրութ, էջ 369-383https://haigrepository.haigazian.edu.lb/handle/123456789/725Though the Armenian nation was of the first who recognized the utility of the printing facilities and published its first book at Venice in 1512, just some sixty years after the discovery of the German Guttemberg, the first Armenian printing press in Armenia Proper was founded in 1771. It was this printing press founded by His Holiness Simeon of Yerevan, the Armenian Catholics at Echmaidzin. Soon after, in 1776, the printing press was followed with the founding of the first Armenian paper, in 1776, the printing press was followed with the founding of the first Armenian paper factory in the same place. According to the existing various sources, colophons and chronicles, the first books published at this newly founded printing-press were the Saghmossaran (the Psalter), the Grik Aghotitz Vor Kochi Zbossaran hogevor (the prayer-book called Spiritual Diversion), and the Tagharan (Hymn-book). The sundry information at hand put together reveal that the Saghmossaran was published in 1771 and soon after destroyed because of the bad printing and lack of the art of the new discovery. The next two were published next year. Of these three remain just four samples, those of the Girk Aghotitz. The article examines the various evidences, testimonies and allegations about the facts bearing on the publication of these books, and finds that there exist certain anomalies in the given and attestations of both late-medieval and modern sources and scholars. It is thus that the author of the article in his research comes across to fifth copy of the Grik Aghotitz, which instead of ending on page 184, as did the other four copies, ends on page 192, though it is true that some pages at the end are torn away from this copy. The torn-away pages contain those covered with 187-192, one finds sections of a colophon and a couplet of poem of prayer. It is this colophon which is of prime importance to solve and put aright the existing anomaly about the first published book in Armenia Proper. In reality, it clarifies the fact that the first few pages published at the newly founding printing press were just a few psalms, which later writers and authors called Saghmossaran (the Psaltry), These few pages were destroyed because they were not to the standard of art of printing. Moreover, there never existed a book or booklet called Tagharan. In word Tagharan means prayer-book in Armenian, and it was the name given to Grik Aghotitz. This latter was published just once, in 1772, and never had a second publication. Just the opposite, when the work of printing started and the first 64 pages were printed, they were found unsatisfactory and were destroyed. Soon after they were reset and were printed once more. The next book, the Tonatzouytz (the Almanac) was published three years later, in 1775; in the meantime, the founder of the first printing-press in Armenia Proper dedicated himself to the completion of the necessities, tools and forms, sets and varies needs of both the printing press and the paper factory, both of which served the Armenian nation till December 17, 1920, when a Soviet degree put an end to that service. It was only in 1961 that through the endeavor and hard work of Vazgen I, the Catholics of Echmiadzin, the printing press began its work once more.