HSM №8

Gilded Gospel

Place of creation: Vaspurakan (Van region in today’s Turkey) 16^th (?) c.

Brought to Eastern Armenia in 1828. Considered to have power to prevent from misfortune, to invoke rain (when somebody reads it or makes a survey with the book around the village), to heal skin diseases. Stored in a specially built chapel. This gospel is visited by pilgrims. There is a special festival of this manuscript in September being celebrated by all inhabitants of the village. There is a communal sacrifice to be offered for the festival.