Wilco Wealth Management has acquired 13 printed books and 5 rare manuscripts dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, from the collection of the Samuelian Oriental Bookstore in Paris, and donated the full set to the Keron Development Foundation.
The collection includes liturgical texts, medical manuscripts, and works documenting Armenian history and diaspora communities.
The items were acquired at a 2025 Paris auction of the Samuelian Oriental Bookstore’s collection. Founded in 1930 by journalist and orientalist Hrant Samuelian in the Latin Quarter, the bookstore served as a cultural center for the Armenian community in Paris for 95 years before closing in 2016. It was managed by Samuelian until his death in 1977, and later by his children, Armen Samuelian and Alice Aslanyan. In 2025, the Samuelian heirs decided to auction the collection in its entirety.
Wilco donated the acquired items to the Keron Development Foundation, recognizing it as a trusted institution actively engaged in the preservation and promotion of Armenian cultural heritage.
“These rare books and manuscripts are carriers of historical memory and tradition. Their acquisition and return to the Armenian cultural environment are a contribution to preserving this heritage and passing it on to future generations. We believe that the long-term development of a country depends not only on economic growth and investment, but also on the preservation of cultural and intellectual heritage,” said Irina Belysheva, CEO of Wilco.
The acquired rare books include:
- “Hay-Venet or Relations between Armenians and Venetians” by Ghevond Alishan (1896, Venice)
- “History of the Armenian Migration to Livorno” by Mesrop Vardapet Ughurlian (1891, Vienna)
- Mkhitar Gosh’s “Datastanagirq” (1880, Etchmiadzin)
- The Bible (1733, Venice)
- The Bible (1733, Venice)
- Grigor Narekatsi “Narek. “Book of Prayers” (1782, 1829)
- “Tonatsuyts” (1782, Venice)
- The Gospel (1805, Constantinople)
- “Journey to Poland” by Minas Bzhshkyan (1830, Venice)
- Works on Armenian communities in Transylvania by Grigor Govrikyan (1893–1904, Vienna)
- Mashtots manuscripts (18th–19th centuries)
- A compilation manuscript (1672–1676)
- Medical manuscripts (17th–18th centuries)
- “Book of Remedies Useful for All Ailments”(1798)
Each donated item holds particular significance regardless of its content, origin, or period. Two of the manuscripts are liturgical books used in church ceremonies. As such, Mashtots manuscripts reflect both the content of rituals and their evolution over time, influenced in part by interactions with other churches. They are therefore valuable sources for studying liturgical life as well as interchurch and interchurch relations.Of particular importance are the medical manuscripts (heckimarans), which are sources of traditional medicine. These manuscripts are typically unique, as each physician compiled their own manual. They hold an important place in the study of medieval medicine and are invaluable for understanding folk culture and everyday life – an increasingly relevant area of research in the humanities.
“We were deeply concerned about the fate of the invaluable heritage of the Samuelian bookstore, and we are truly grateful that Wilco was able to acquire some of these exceptional works and donate them to us. We approach the preservation of these unique manuscripts with great responsibility and are proud to serve as custodians of this important cultural heritage,” said Vanane Ararktsyan, Executive Director of the Keron Development Foundation.
