The Armenian alphabet in Strasbourg, an act of diplomacy and identity
Pašinyan's government will place a sculpture dedicated to the writing created by the monk Mesrop Mashtots to translate the Bible in an area adjacent to the European Parliament headquarters. A symbol of national pride, resilience and the deep bond between faith and culture in the first Christian nation in history. It is also a political message about the current leadership in Yerevan's view of Europe.
Milan (AsiaNews) - In the name of the monk Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, Yerevan has chosen to inscribe its millennial history in the heart of Europe.
Nikol Pašinyan's Armenian government has decided to purchase, through a state reserve fund, a monumental sculpture dedicated to the Armenian alphabet to be placed in Strasbourg, in an area adjacent to the European Parliament. It is a highly symbolic gesture, intertwining diplomacy, historical memory, national identity and European aspirations.
The agreement, announced at the end of January, aims to affirm a closeness of values and a willingness to engage in dialogue that goes beyond geopolitical alliances. The name of the artist commissioned to create the work is not yet known, nor have any drawings or sketches been released.
However, the operational methods chosen by the Yerevan government, with the direct purchase of the work and the start of construction, indicate the urgency and importance attributed to a project that aims to make the history, culture and resilience of the Armenian people even more tangible to European citizens.
Armenia occupies a unique place in the history of Christianity and culture, not only in Western Asia. In 301 AD, the Armenian kingdom, under King Tiridates III, adopted Christianity as its state religion, the first nation in the world to do so.
This choice was not only religious, but also represented an act of cultural and identity affirmation, at a time when the Armenian territory was constantly contested between great empires such as Rome and Persia. However, the new faith required adequate tools to take root deeply in the daily and spiritual life of the people. It was in this context that the need arose to translate the Bible into Armenian, making the Holy Scriptures accessible to all.
The translation of the Bible required a script capable of accurately expressing the Armenian language, which until then did not have its own alphabet.
Thus, in the 5th century, the monk Mesrop Mashtots (a theologian and polyglot who knew Greek, Syriac and Persian) invented the Armenian alphabet, an original and complete writing system that allowed the spoken language to be transcribed faithfully.
This creation was not only a technical achievement, but also a real tool for cultural emancipation: thanks to the alphabet, the Armenian people could read, understand and disseminate sacred texts in their own language, consolidating their national and religious identity.
Not only that, but writing also led to the emergence of a flourishing Armenian literature, preserving traditions, legends and knowledge through the centuries. Today, the Armenian alphabet is a symbol of national pride, a testament to resilience and a deep bond between faith and culture that has lasted for more than 1,700 years.
In the centuries that followed, when Armenia lost its independence and experienced invasions, deportations and diaspora, the alphabet became a tool for survival. After the genocide of 1915, language and writing became one of the main vehicles of collective memory.
In refugee camps, diaspora communities, monasteries and schools (sometimes clandestine and improvised in private homes), the letters of the Armenian alphabet continued to tell a story that some wanted to erase. Today, a monument to the alphabet is also a memorial to cultural resistance after the attempted physical annihilation of a people.
The European Union is still home to some of the most important Armenian communities in the diaspora, historically rooted in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Greece. In France, in particular, the memory of the genocide has entered the public and institutional debate, and the Armenian presence has contributed significantly to the cultural life of the country (suffice it to mention artists such as Charles Aznavour).
Many European countries (including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Italy) formally recognise the genocide and organise public events on Remembrance Day, which is celebrated every 24th of April.
The European Parliament recognised the Armenian genocide as early as 1987 and reiterated this position in subsequent resolutions, including that of 2015, inviting other EU institutions to do the same (although the European Union as a whole has never adopted a formal and binding recognition, maintaining a more cautious approach for diplomatic reasons).
The monument in Strasbourg will also speak in particular to the diaspora communities, recognising their role as a bridge between Yerevan and Europe. And in this bridge, Italy has occupied a central position for centuries.
Venice, and in particular the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, represents the historical heart of the Armenian cultural presence in Western Europe. Since 1717, when the Venetian Republic granted the island to the Armenian Catholic monk Mechitar of Sebaste and the Mechitarist Fathers (who take their name from their founder), San Lazzaro has become a centre for the study, preservation and dissemination of the Armenian language and culture.
Here, the legacy of Mesrop Mashtots has remained alive: manuscripts, incunabula, grammars, dictionaries and translations bear witness to an impressive continuity between the 5th century and modern times. From Venice, Armenian culture has engaged in dialogue with humanism, the Enlightenment and European thought, attracting scholars and intellectuals, including figures such as Lord Byron.
This cultural rootedness also explains why Armenia today looks to Europe not only for political reasons, but also for religious and civil ones. As the first Christian nation in history, Armenia perceives Europe as a space of shared values.
Although not formally a candidate for membership of the European Union, Yerevan has for years expressed a desire for closer ties, especially in a regional context marked by instability, conflict and religious tensions that do not spare Armenia itself, as evidenced by the bitter clash between Prime Minister Nikol Pašinyan and the Apostolic Church.
In this sense, the Armenian alphabet next to the European Parliament will be a powerful symbol. And the letters carved in stone will tell the story of a people who have transformed writing into a home, memory into resistance and culture into a formidable form of dialogue.
In the photo: the monument to the monk Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, in front of the Book Museum in Yerevan
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08/06/2021 10:26
09/08/2021 08:00
