by David Zenian
Some of the treasures of Paris are not listed in tourist books, but ask any scholar of contemporary Armenian history, and you will get the same answer:
“Go to 11 Square Alboni or 36 Rue de Trévise if you want to know who the Armenians are.”
The first of the two locations is the home of the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s Nubarian Library. The second is the Armenian Diaspora Research Center.
There is little or no duplication between the two institutions, and their work is unique in Europe.
Take the Nubarian Library.
Established by the AGBU in 1928, the library covers every important aspect of Armenian life, especially from the 17th century, with particular emphasis on the period when Armenians lived under Ottoman rule.
Meticulously preserved are at least 40,000 books, thousands of old newspapers and 10,000 historical photographs covering the period between 1890 and 1940.
The Nubarian Library also preserves 2,000 original Armenian musical scores, thousands of original documents, rare letters written between the 18th century and the early 1900’s to the Armenian Patriarchs of Constantinople by clergy and other personalities in Van and Mush, along with thousands of pages of correspondence relating to the Armenian Genocide.
Librarian Haroutiune Kevorkian, who holds a Doctorate degree in history and is affiliated with the National Library of France (the BibliothËque Nationale de France), is a meticulous guardian of the treasures.
“What we have here are some of the major pillars of the Armenian nation. We are nothing without our history, and what the AGBU’s Nubarian Library has done since 1928 is preserve this history,” Kevorkian said during a recent tour of the facility.
Located on the same floor as the AGBU Paris headquarters, the Nubarian Library is open to researchers, students, scholars, government officials, journalists and historians.
“This is not exactly a public library, and we are very careful with the material we have here because of its rare and precious nature,” Kevorkian says.
Visitors to the library are told to do their research in the reading room because none of the books or other material is allowed to leave the premises.
“We have put a vast amount of documents on micro-film to make sure that nothing is destroyed. What we have here is a major part of our national heritage, and we are determined to guard it with our lives,” says Kevorkian, the fourth Librarian to hold the post since 1928.
“You get attached to all this history around you, and your work soon becomes an inseparable part of yourself,” he said, in effect explaining why his predecessors served for 23, 18 and 18 years respectively.
With Kevorkian at the helm and financial support from the AGBU, the Nubarian Library has embarked on a number of vital projects including the publication of the prestigious Revue d’Histoire ArmÈnienne Contemporaine, a 300-400 page research volume containing in-depth studies by prominent historians and Armenologists.
“We are particularly interested in material related to the Armenian Genocide. One of our main sources is the Vatican and the Italian Foreign Ministry. Others are the German and Austrian governments along with the United States Library of Congress.
“Our photo collection is a source of history in itself. To save and protect 10,000 photographs documenting life under Ottoman rule, the period before and after the Genocide and the early years of the AGBU is a serious endeavor.
“We have the history and heritage of Western Armenians during the Ottoman years...everything which dates as far back as the 17th century,” he said.
Across town at 36 Rue de Trévise, other portions of Armenian heritage are being preserved at a facility which is not only the brainchild but also the fruit of one man’s personal initiative and years of diligence.
Jean-Claude Kebabdjian is the founder and director of the Centre de Recherches sur la Diaspora ArmÈnienne, which since opening its doors in 1983 has put together a vast collection of valuable materials pertaining to Armenian life.
“I first had the idea to start a collection of historical material in 1976 when I applied to the authorities to establish this research center.
“Joined initially by a small group of enthusiasts, we approached the French authorities, including the Ministry of Culture and the Paris Municipality for assistance. We had no problem getting the necessary license and today we are recognized, and to a great extent funded by the government,” Kebabdjian said.
What started as a personal collection of Armenian photos and old postcards in 1976 has since evolved into a full-fledged “gold mine of information on Armenian affairs.”
The Center’s documentary base today includes 3,000 French, English and Russian language books, 25,000 black-and-white and color slides on various Armenian-history related subjects, hundreds of film clips, special reports and video tapes, 12,000 photos on religious architecture, 2,500 documents from U.S. government archives on the Armenian Genocide, and hundreds of pages of valuable historical reports.
Kebabdjian and assistant Lida Sarian spend endless hours adding new material to an already impressive collection.
“Funding is always a problem,” says Kebabdjian. “The French government gives us about 600,000 French francs a year and we get about 200,000 francs in gifts from the Armenian community. This is barely enough to pay the rent, salaries and other expenses. We have a very tight budget,” he adds.
But despite the financial restraints, the Center is constantly involved in innovative projects.
In the 12 years since its official opening, the Center has produced a number of television documentaries and also supervised or participated in the publication of half a dozen works on history and current affairs like a much acclaimed collection of Armenian photographs, and two major studies on the Armenian city of Ani.
In addition, the Center regularly organizes trips, exhibitions, conferences on Armenian sociological and historical themes, and slide and film shows in collaboration with various French government and private think tanks.
The Nubarian Library and the Armenian Diaspora Research Center: two treasure islands in the heart of Paris, known by the connoisseurs of history and heritage waiting to be discovered by the public at large.
