Tamil manuscripts from 18th Century found in Armenian monastery in Northern Italy

Palm manuscripts from the 18^th Century titled Gnanamuyarchi have been discovered in an Armenian monastery in Northern Itlay. Tamil Bharathan, a doctoral scholar of the Special Centre for Tamil Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), was allowed access to the manuscripts.

“I was only allowed to read the manuscripts after days of persuasion,” said Mr. Bharathan, who was invited to participate in a seminar on Greek Paleography at the headquarters of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice.

He sought the help of Margherita Trento, a professor who has studied the history of the literary and social techniques employed by Roman Catholics to localise Christianity in early modern Tamil Nadu. According to her, it could be a copy of the first translation of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercise in Tamil.