Astvatsashunch - Bible

The Voskanyan Bible of 1666 is the first complete printed Bible in Armenian and is considered one of the finest examples of early Armenian printing. The base material for the Bible text is the manuscript copied in 1295 for King Hetum II of the Cilician Kingdom of Armenia. The manuscript is now preserved in the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran), Yerevan. Due to the professional and detailed approach to ensure the fine layout of columns and titles, the printing process lasted 2 years and 7 months (from March 11, 1666 to October 13, 1668). The Bible was issued in 3000- 5000 copies. The book consists of 1462 two-column pages with 159 illustrations by the Dutch artist Christoffel van Sichem (1581-1658).