The Gospel Book of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna

Although only a small part of the Gospel Book of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna has survived, Codex 697 is undoubtedly the most valuable piece in the manuscript collection of the Vienna Mekhitarist Congregation. It is a wonderfully illuminated and rare manuscript from the early days of Armenian book art, which is still strongly influenced by its ancient roots. Of the once large Gospel manuscript, only the magnificent prefatory part, consisting of 16 artistically illuminated pages, has survived to this day, preparing the reader for the sacred texts. It begins with the letter from Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260/265–339), in which he explains his famous canon tables to a certain Karpianos, which were intended to bring order to the various narratives of the life of Christ. This Gospel harmony, also known as the Eusebian Canons, follows immediately and introduces a series of six full-page miniatures. This makes the manuscript an enormously valuable testimony to early Gospel illumination and its traditions in the area of Western Asia.