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Armenian and Croatian contacts described by Dr Vinicije B. Lupis
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10244/1/Armenian-and-Croatian-contacts-described-by-Dr-Vinicije-B-Lupis.html
By Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic
Published on 04/4/2012
 
A special bond between the city of Dubrovnik and Armenia is the cult of the City's patron saint St. Blaise from Armenian Sebaste. Croatian Jesuit Josip Marinović, 18th century, wrote the first history of Armenians in the West. The Croatian-Armenian Friendship Society was founded in 2003 in Zagreb. In March 2012 a small gathering of members of the Society has been orgnized in Zagreb, aiming among others to promote a Small Croatian-Armenian / Armenian-Croatian Dictionary.

Croatian Jesuit Josip Marinović, 18th century, wrote the first history of Armenians in the West


Armenian bishop Nareg Alemezian  in Dubrovnik in 2010 bearing golden hand with reliquiae of St. Vlaho, patron saint of the City.
The patron was born in Armenia:  St. Blais or St. Blasius, Armenian martyr from 3rd/4th centuries.
Dr. Vinicije B. Lupis, Croatian historian, is behind him.

 
O armensko-hrvatskim kontaktima

Vinicije B. Lupis,

Institut društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar –
Područni centar Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik je kao važno trgovačko središte između Istoka i Zapada bio stjecištem različitih naroda i kultura. Među brojnim strancima u Dubrovniku su boravili i Armenci. Posebna poveznica Dubrovnika i Armenije jest i kult gradskoga za{titnika sv. Vlaha iz armenske Sebaste, uz starije gradske zaštitnike sv. Zenobija i sv. Zenobije, koji potječu iz Male Armenije, kao i kult Četrdeset sv. mučenika iz Sebaste. Od dubrovačkih Armenaca, većinom trgovaca, u povijesti je ostala zabilježena kao najpoznatija osobnost Giura Baglivija – Armena. Dubrovčanin, nadbiskup Rajmund Jelić, bio je vjerskim poglavarom početkom XVIII. stoljeća katoličkih Armenaca u Maloj Aziji i dopisivao se je s opatom Mehitarom – utemeljiteljem katoličkog armenskoga reda mehitarista.

Najvažnija poveznica Armenaca i Hrvata je isusovac Josip Marinović iz Perasta; on je napisao prvu povijest Armenaca na Zapadu, položivši tako temelj suvremenom istraživanju armenske povijesti u Europi.

Dubrovčani su tijekom XIX. i početka XX. stoljeća održavali kontakte s Armencima, pa tako 1902. nadbiskup Sebaste dolazi u Dubrovnik. Zanimanje Dubrovčana za rodni grad svojega zaštitnika je konstantno, i traje do naših dana, svjedočeći o neprekinutoj duhovnoj vezi koja spaja hrvatski i armenski narod.

Ovo je sažetak članka objavljenog na portalu hrcak.srce.hr

 
On Armenian and Croatian Contacts

Vinicije B. Lupis

Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar –
Regional Centre Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, as an important trade centre between the East and West, was the meeting place of different peoples and cultures. Among the many foreigners in Dubrovnik there were also the Armenians. A special bond between Dubrovnik and Armenia is also the cult of the city's patron saint St. Blaise from Armenian Sebaste, in addition to the older city patron saints of St. Zenobius and Zenobia, who are originally from Lesser Armenia, as is the cult of the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste. Of the Dubrovnik Armenians, who were mostly traders, the most renowned in history is Giuro Baglivi Armeno. The archbishop Rajmund Jelić from Dubrovnik was a religious leader of the Catholic Armenians in Asia Minor at the beginning of the 18th century and exchanged letters with the priest Mkhitar, the founder of the Armenian Catholic Mkhitarist 216 order.

The most important connection between the Armenians and Croats is the Jesuit Josip Marinović from Perast; he wrote the first history of Armenians in the West, thus laying the foundations of contemporary research of Armenian history in Europe.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries the citizens of Dubrovnik maintained their contacts with the Armenians resulting in the archbishop of Sebaste’s visit to Dubrovnik in 1902. The interest of Dubrovnik’s citizens in the place of birth of their patron saint has continued to the present day, which is proof of a permanent spiritual bond connecting the Croatian and Armenian peoples.

This is the summary of the article published on the portal hrcak.srce.hr



Dr. Vinicije B. Lupis, Croatian historian living in Dubrovnik

 
Josip Marinovic (1741 - 1801), was a Jesuit born in Perast - Kotor (in Boka kotorska, annexed to Montenegro in 1945), professor of theology in Venice. His friendship with an Armenian banker Serpos resulted in his interest for the history of Armenians. His assiduous research resulted in the book "Compendio storico...della nazione armena", published in Venice in 1783. The book had a great success. Though it was signed by Serpos, its true author was Marinovic. It represents the first history of Armenians published in Europe. It is interesting that the book had been extended and republished by Ivan Dominik Stratico (1732-1799), bishop on the Croatian island of Hvar. This book incited European interest for Armenian people and their culture. In particular, upon the initiative of the Vatican, supported by Austria and Russia, in 1830 the Turkish sultan admitted very old Armenian Christian Church and allowed Armenian Archbishopric to be founded in Constantinople.

Source www.croatianhistory.net



Josip Marinović, 1741 - 1801, author of the first history of Armenian people published in Europe.
Photo from hrcak.srce.hr.

 
Josip Marinović

Dr. Vinicije B. Lupis

Najvažnija osoba povezana s hrvatsko-armenskim odnosima jest isusovac Josip Marinović, ro|en 1741. godine u nedalekom gradu Perastu. Školovao se u Ilirskom kolegiju u Loretu te u Rimu, a predavao je na gimnazijama u Livornu, Viterbu i Fermu. Nakon ukinuća isusovačkoga reda boravi u rodnom Perastu i potom odlazi k svom bratu trgovcu u Mletke. Od 1785. predaje u samostanu S. Stefano u Mlecima, a na glasu kao erudit i govornik privukao je pozornost bogatoga armenskog bankara markiza Giovannija Serposijana (de Serpos), koji je godinama pokušavao pomoći armenskim katolicima u njihovu teškom položaju 208 u Osmanskom Carstvu.

Markiz Serpos uzalud je nastojao u Rimu zaštititi armensku katoličku zajednicu, pa je zamolio Marinovića da napiše teološko-pravnu raspravu u njihovu obranu; nju je markiz Serposijan objavio o svojem trošku i pod svojim imenom te ju je posvetio rimskoj Kongregaciji za širenje vjere: djelo nosi naslov "Dissertazione polemico-critica sopra due dubbi di coscienza concernenti gli armeni cattolici.../Polemičko-kritička rasprava o dva slučaja savjesti armenskih katolika" (Mleci, 1783.). Jedan primjerak te rasprave, bogato uvezan u kožu sa zlatotiskom, ali bez grafike s armenskim natpisom, koja je otrgnuta, čuva se u Arhivu nadžupe sv. Nikole u Perastu; tu mu se čuva i portret, a u Arhivu župe sv. Eustahija u Dobroti cjelovita je rasprava s uvodnom grafikom. Sva ostala djela još mu se i danas čuvaju na Perastu.

Autor Marinović dokazuje u svojem djelu da armenski katolicimogu obavljati obrede u neujedinjenoj crkvi, za što su imali papinsko dopuštenje, nazočiti sv. misi po armenskom obredu, davati milostinju, slaviti neke blagdane po staromu armenskom kalendaru, a da pritom ne potpadnu pod crkveni sud. Za potvrdu iznesenoga Marinović je podastro mnogo dokaza iz crkvenoga prava, teologije i papinskih dokumenata. Ovo je djelo imalo vrlo pozitivan odjek, ali i negativan sud Sveučilišta u Sieni.

U ovu raspravu bio je uvu~en i hvarski biskup i dominikanac Ivan Dominik Stratico, koji piše spis uz obranu isusovca Benedetta Tetama 1786. pod nazivom "Risposta al signor Abbate Paolo Marcello del Mare". Tijekom toga teološkog sukoba Marinović je sastavio opširno trodijelno djelo s više od  1600 stranica, također 1786. objavljeno pod Serposovim imenom, pod nazivom "Compendino storico di memorie cronologiche concernenti la religione e la morale della nazione Armena.../ Povijesni pregled kronoloških uspomena o vjeri i moralu armenskog naroda".

U tom djelu autor donosi: zemljopisni prikaz Armenije, pregled političke i crkvene povijesti Armenaca, povijest njihovih katolikosa i koncila, pregled običaja i drugih društvenih i vjerskih pitanja. Marinović je preko markiza Serposa došao u dodir s mnogim, do tada na Zapadu nepoznatim, armenskim izvorima i ispravama. Marinovićeva osnovna teza u toj opsežnoj trotomskoj raspravi jest kako je Armenska crkva, unatoč pojedinačnim zabludama i pogre{kama, od starine sačuvala katolički karakter. Markiz Serpos u predgovoru tvrdi da je prijašnje i to djelo napisao učeni teolog, njegov prijatelj, koji nikako ne želi da se otkrije njegovo ime. Premda Marinovićev i Serposov trud nije odmah urodio plodom, on je bez sumnje utjecao na konačno crkveno i političko rješenje pitanja armenskih katolika, kad je nakon dugotrajnih diplomatskih pregovora Vatikan uz pomoć Austrije i Rusije uspio postići priznanje armenskih katolika i osnivanje njihove mitropolije u Carigradu 1830. godine, kako smo već ranije spomenuli.

Marinović potkraj života dobiva priznanje – pošto se odrekao biskupije u Kotoru, papa Pio VII. učinio ga je 1800. teologom pentencijaromu Vatikanu, ali je on uskoro 1801. preminuo u Il Gesu' u Rimu. Josip Marinović bio je posebna pojava u hrvatskom narodu, osoba koja je nastavila djelo dubrovačkih prethodnika na polju obrane prava armenskih katolika, zauzimajući se za što bolje razumijevanje kršćana Istoka i Zapada, ali i za jedinstvo kršćana. Marinović je bez sumnje osobnost ispred svojega vremena, ali je, kao i Giuro Baglivi, bio vezan uz isusovački red. I danas se u svetištu Gospe od Škrpjela čuva Marinovićev portret, koji ga prikazuje kao mršava muškarca istaknuta nosa, u naslonjaču sa stolićem na kojemu se nalaze knjige koje je napisao. Portret je naslikan u Rimu.

Izvadak iz članka objavljenog na portalu hrcak.srce.hr


 
Small Croatian-Armenian / Armenian-Croatian Dictionary

Croatian-Armenian Society has been founded in Zagreb in 2002 by Mrs. Naira Asatryan, Armenian pianist, and now living in Dubrovnik since she married there. In March 2012 a small gathering of members of the Croatian-Armenian Friendship Society has been orgnized in Zagreb, aiming among others to promote the Small Croatian-Armenian / Armenian-Croatian Dictionary, 28 pp. It has been published by the Society in 2012 in 200 copies, and edited by Mr. Ante Biluš, president of the Society. It is the first such dictionary. We hope that it will contribute to furhter enrichment of  mutual contacts between Croatians and Armenians. Translators from Croatian into Armenian were prof. Gajane Sagamonijan Majerić, prof. Ruben Dalibaltayan, prof. Varvara Gabrielyan and prof. Vahagn Abgaryan.


Mr. Ante Biluš, president of Croatian-Armenian Friendship Society in Zagreb

During the gathering Mr. Ante Biluš spoke about the history of Armenians. Professor Ruben Dalibaltayan gave presented us with a small concert, playing masterpieces of Croatian composer Blagoje Bersa and Armenian composers Arno Babdjanyan and Aram Khachaturyan.

A distinguished member of Croatian-Armenian Friendship Society is Naira Asatryan, pianist born in Armenia, and living in Dubrovnik.

Here we would like to mention another distinguished Croatian friend of Armenian origin - Dr. Artur Bagdasarov. He is an expert for Croatian language living in Moscow, and recipient of the INA Prize for International Promotion of Croatian Culture.



During the meeting of Croatian-Armenian Friendhsip Society in March 2012 in Zagreb


Small Croatian-Armenian / Armenian-Croatian Dictionary published in Zagreb in 2012.






Mr. Andrija Karafilipović opening the meeting of the Croatian-Armenian Friendship Society


Maestro Ruben Dalibaltayan announcing his program of Croatian and Armenian composers to be played. His two children were born in Croatia.
The gathering took place in the hall of the Napredak (Advancement), cultural society of Croatians in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the left you can see the flag of the society.

Barev! Bog!


Croatian and Armenian flags, held by Darko Žubrinić.
Croatian Coat of Arms is very old.

Postoje duboke veze Dubrovnika i Armenije

Formated for CROWN by prof.dr. Darko Žubrinić
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