Ghevont Alishan
Ghevont Alishan | |
---|---|
Church | Catholic Church |
Personal details | |
Born | |
Died | November 9, 1901 Venice, Kingdom of Italy | (aged 81)
Nationality | Armenian |
Denomination | Armenian Catholic |
Residence | San Lazzaro degli Armeni |
Ghevont Alishan (Armenian: Ղեւոնդ Ալիշան; July 6, 1820 – November 9, 1901)[a] was an ordained Armenian Catholic priest, historian and a poet. He was a member of the Mekhitarist Congregation on Saint Lazarus Island in Venice beginning in 1838. He was the director of the Armenian College in Paris in 1859-1861. He was awarded by the Legion of Honour of the French Academy (1866), an honorary member of the Asian Society of Italy, Archeological Society of Moscow , Venice Academy and Archeological Society of Saint-Petersburg.
In 1885 he created the first modern Armenian flag. His first design was a horizontal tricolor, but with a set of colors different from those used on the Armenian flag of today. The top band would be red to symbolize the first Sunday of Easter (called "Red" Sunday), the green to represent the "Green" Sunday of Easter, and finally an arbitrary color, white, was chosen to complete the combination. While in France, Alishan also designed a second flag inspired by the national Flag of France. Its colors were red, green, and blue respectively, representing the band of colors that Noah saw after landing on Mount Ararat.
A bust of Alishan, created in 1903 by the sculptor Andreas Ter-Marukian , is displayed in the National Gallery of Armenia.[1]
Biography[edit]
Alishan was born on July 6, in Constantinople, in the family of a numismatist-archaeologist. After receiving his primary education at the local Chalikhian College (1830-1832), he continued his studies at the Mkhitaryan School in Venice (1832-1841). Later, he worked as a teacher at the Raphael College (1841-1850, then 1866-1872), inspector (from 1848), editor of "Bazmavep" (1849-1851), teacher at the Muratian College in Paris (1859-1861). Since 1872, the famous Armenian completely devoted himself to scientific activities. Alishan was a laureate of the Legion of Honor of the French Academy (1886), an honorary member and doctor of the Philosophical Academy of Jena, a member of Italian and Russian scientific societies. He died on November 9, 1901 and was buried on Saint Lazarus Island in Venice.
Gallery[edit]
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Father Ghevont Alishan in his last days.
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Bust by Andreas Ter-Marukian .
Publications[edit]
- Armenian popular Songs: translated into English by the R. Leo M. Alishan DD. of the Mechitaristic Society, Venice, S. Lazarus, 1852.
- Etude de la patrie: physiographie de l'Arménie: discours prononcé le 12 août 1861 à la distribution annuelle des prix au collège arménien Samuel Moorat, Venise, S. Lazar, 1861.
- «Յուշիկք հայրենեաց հայոց» (Memories of the Armenian Homeland) 1869.
- «Շնորհալի եւ պարագայ իւր» ('Shnorhali ew paragay iwr', Armenian History). 1873, Venice.
- «Շիրակ» (Shirak) 1881.
- Deux descriptions arméniennes des lieux Saints de Palestine, Gènes, 1883.
- «Սիսուան» (Sisouan) 1885.
- «Այրարատ» (Ayrarat) 1890.
- «Սիսական» (Sisakan) 1893.
- «Հայապատում» ('Hayapatum', Armenian History). 1901, Venice.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Museum label
- Armenology Research National Center: THE ARMENIAN BOOK 1512-1920
- Jennifer Manoukian, "Ghevont Alishan," Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe:
External links[edit]
- 1820 births
- 1901 deaths
- Writers from Istanbul
- Mekhitarists
- Priests of the Armenian Catholic Church
- Christian clergy from the Ottoman Empire
- Armenian male poets
- Male poets from the Ottoman Empire
- Armenian studies scholars
- Armenian educators
- 19th-century educators from the Ottoman Empire
- Armenian lexicographers
- Lexicographers from the Ottoman Empire
- Armenian geographers
- Geographers from the Ottoman Empire
- Flag designers
- Mount Ararat
- Knights of the Legion of Honour
- Members of the Société Asiatique
- Academic staff of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia
- San Lazzaro degli Armeni alumni
- Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
- Armenians in Istanbul
- Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Austria-Hungary
- Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Italy
- 19th-century Armenian poets
- 19th-century Armenian historians
- 19th-century lexicographers
- 19th-century male writers
- Eastern Catholic poets