Mesropian Male School :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Mesropian Male School 1844 y․

Azerbaijan / Northern Artsakh / Gandzak / Gandzak / Kilisakyand

Historical Introduction
1844 y․

The oldest Armenian school in Gandzak, Mesropian Spiritual School for males could not afford regular functioning and closed three years after its foundation (1847) for lack of teachers and means of existence: “Yelizavetpol’s spiritual school, tracing back to 1844, has closed this year due to the absence of a teacher of the Russian language and the instability of the sources of income providing its staff with salary.”

National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3814, p. 96.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.

1862 y․

The available archive documents keep silence about the further activity of the institution in the subsequent one and a half decades: apparently, it remained closed for some time and resumed work in 1862. The 50th anniversary of the foundation of Mesropian School was celebrated in 1912. As stated by an archive document providing information on that event, it was estabished in the year 1862. According to another record, the date of its foundation oscillates between 1863 and 1864, but this source completely ignores the fact that it also functioned in the 1840s.

National Archives of Armenia, fund 461, list 1, file 33, p. 1.
Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472, in Armenian.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.

1899 y․

One of the most distinguished teachers of Mesropian School was Yervand Ghazarian, who was held in high esteem among his pupils. When he died in 1899, a funeral service was held in his memory in St. Hovhannes Church on 31 January.

“Mshak,” 1899, No. 21.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.

1916 y․

In 1916 the Board of Trustees of St. Hovhannes Church entered into agreement with Gandzak inhabitant Gevorg Babassian Hayrumiants, under which he committed himself to renting out house N 111 located in Bagratunyats Street to Mesropian Parish School. It was to be housed there for a year, from 1 September 1916 until 1 September 1917.

Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 473.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.

The curriculum of the institution, that was more extensive than that of ordinary two-year schools, also included Hygiene and Civic Rights.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.

Below follows a table representing some data on the activity of the school:

Dates	Teachers	Pupils	Schoolgirls	Notes	Source
1844				Foundation	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3814, p. 96; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1845	2	25			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3811, pp. 4-5; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1847				Closed	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3814, p. 96; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1862				Reopened	National Archives of Armenia, fund 461, list 1, file 33, p. 1; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1863	4	115			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3843, pp. 15-16; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1865		80			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3848, p. 50; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1866		135			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3848, p. 115; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1871	7	166			Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1873	6	134			Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1874				Functioning	National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 3, file 52, p. 28; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 41.
1875	6	234		Archimandrite Grigor Ter-Stepaniants, Priest Grigor Babakevkhiyants, Alexandre Hovhannissiants, Poghos Hamaspyuriants, Avetis Shahsuvariants, Hovsep Tarumiants	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 52, p. 45; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1876	7	112		Functioned as a secondary male school	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3850, p. 52; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1877	7	119			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3850, p. 130; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1878	8				National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3850, p. 178; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1883	6	96			National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3875, pp. 136-137; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1884				Functioned as a two-year male school	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; “Nor-Dar,” 1884, No. 4, p. 2; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1885				Closed	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1886				Reopened	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1888				Two-year	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1890	2	67			National Archives of Armenia, fund 35, list 1, file 13, p. 19; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1891		131		Three-year	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3887, p. 179; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1892		135		Two-year	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3889, p. 148; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1893		114		Two-year	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3891, p. 120; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1894				Functioning	National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 15, file 11, pp. 3-4; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1896				Closed	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3896, pp. 173-174; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1906				Reopened	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1907		307		Two-year unisex	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1908	10	320			Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 472; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1909	10	240		Two-year unisex	Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 473; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1911	11	123	98	Five-year with five classes. The 50th anniversary of its foundation cele brated Natalia Ter-Zakarian, Siranush Shahsu variants, Vardanush Adibekian, Shushanik Kalantarian, Alexandre Shahsuvarian, Grigor Zakariants, Stepan Tumaniants, Arshak Agha bekiants, Hovhannes Arzumaniants, Sedrak Zakariants, Karapet Ghelpughian	National Archives of Armenia, fund 57, list 2, file 1849, p. 16; fund 35, list 1, file 682, p. 57; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1912	12	202		Six-year	National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 15, file 571, p. 23. Also see Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 473; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.
1914	9	190			Khudoyan, S. The East Armenian Schools between 1830 and 1920. Yerevan, 1987, p. 473; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 42.