Dr. Benedetta Contin, Armenologist and Research Fellow at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, delivered a lecture at the Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (NAS RA) about the rich collection of Armenian books preserved at the University Library of Padua in Italy.

Dr. Contin serves as the international principal investigator of the research project titled “Armenian Printing of the 18th–20th Centuries in the Transcaucasus at the Intercultural Crossroads of East and West”, implemented by the Institute of History of NAS RA and funded by the Committee of Higher Education and Science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia (MoESCS). The Armenian co-director of the project is Dr. Hamo Sukiasyan, Senior Researcher at the same institute.

Dr. Contin has conducted extensive research on the Armenian books housed at the University Library of Padua and has published a comprehensive bibliographic catalogue of the collection in a separate 300-page volume. In her lecture, she presented the history of the formation of this collection and showcased several Armenian books printed in the 17th–19th centuries, highlighting their typographical features, fonts, engravings, and the variety of decorative ornaments.

The study conducted by Dr. Contin is a significant contribution to the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage and to enhancing its recognition within the international scholarly community. Her work not only reveals the historical trajectory of Armenian printing in Italy but also bears witness to the deep-rooted cultural connections between the Armenian and European worlds.

At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Benedetta Contin presented copies of her book to the Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. 

Information and Public Relations Department of NAS RA
06.11.2025