Nubar Library

The Nubar Library is a Paris-based cultural and scientific institution devoted to preserving, studying, and disseminating the history and cultural heritage of Armenians, particularly the heritage of Ottoman Armenians and the experience of the Armenian diaspora. Founded in 1928 on the initiative of Boghos Nubar Pacha, the institution operates within the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) network and combines the functions of a specialist library, archival repository, research center, exhibition partner, and academic publisher. The institution was established in an Art Deco building constructed in 1922 by Armenian developers and designed by architect Levon Nalfiyan. Its original name was the Bibliothèque nationale arménienne de Paris. Following the death of Boghos Nubar in 1930, it became known as the Nubar Library. From its foundation until 1951, the library was managed by Aram Andonian, who had served as secretary to the Armenian National Delegation in Paris. Andonian played a major role in expanding the collections, assembling books, manuscripts, periodicals, photographs, correspondence, and archival records relating to Armenian political, religious, literary, and social life. The library was conceived not simply as a reading room but as a center for Armenian and Oriental studies and as a meeting place for intellectuals concerned with Armenian affairs. Its historical mission has been especially significant because much Armenian documentary and literary heritage was destroyed, dispersed, or displaced during the Armenian genocide and the subsequent upheavals of the early twentieth century. The institution therefore serves both scholarly and commemorative purposes: it preserves primary sources while supporting research into Armenian history, literature, cultural life, migration, and genocide memory. During the Second World War, Nazi authorities seized materials from the library and transferred them to Berlin for study of Armenian cultural heritage and its relationship to Nazi racial theories. The wartime seizure forms part of the institution's broader history of vulnerability, displacement, and preservation. In the postwar period, successive directors strengthened the library's role as an international research resource. Its collections now include approximately 43,000 printed works, around 800,000 archival documents, roughly 1,400 periodical collections, about 10,000 original photographic prints, and several hundred nineteenth- and twentieth-century manuscripts, according to the cited reference material. The holdings cover Armenian, French, English, Turkish, and other languages. They include Ottoman Armenian newspapers and periodicals, materials from the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Andonian genocide archive, AGBU records, the archives of the Armenian National Delegation, Nansen passport documentation concerning Armenian refugees, and the Zareh Bey Nubar collection. The library also preserves writers' correspondence, scholars' papers, family archives, memoirs, photographs, genealogical materials, authors' manuscripts, private correspondence, and university theses and dissertations on Armenian subjects. Its contemporary collecting priorities include Armenian contemporary history, art history, Western Armenian literature, and the social and cultural history of the diaspora. The institution also publishes specialist periodicals. These have included the Revue d'histoire arménienne contemporaine, issued from 1995 to 2009; the Revue arménienne des questions contemporaines, published from 2004 to 2012; and Études arméniennes contemporaines, which began in 2013. Through these publications and its archival work, the library contributes to academic debate as well as to public understanding of Armenian history. In 2020, the Nubar Library received the Heritage of Regional Interest label from the Île-de-France Regional Council. The designation was formally marked in April 2021 and made the institution eligible f…

The Nubar Library was founded in Paris in 1928 through the initiative of Boghos Nubar Pacha, a prominent Armenian public figure and founder associated with the Armenian General Benevolent Union. It was established in an Art Deco building completed in 1922 by Armenian developers and designed by Levon Nalfiyan. The institution initially operated under the name Bibliothèque nationale arménienne de Paris and was renamed the Nubar Library after Boghos Nubar's death in 1930. The library's first director, Aram Andonian, led it from 1928 to 1951. During this foundational period, he assembled a broad body of Armenian and Orientalist material, including books, manuscripts, newspapers, archival records, photographs, postcards, and personal papers. The library was designed as both a repository and an intellectual meeting place. Its founders sought to preserve the cultural inheritance of Ottoman Armenians, much of which had been destroyed or dispersed during the Armenian genocide, while also supporting the continuing intellectual and social life of the Armenian diaspora. The institution suffered wartime losses and disruption during the Second World War. Nazi authorities seized materials and transported them to Berlin for ideological and racial studies of Armenian heritage. After the war, the library continued to develop as a research institution under a succession of directors: Armenag Salmaslian, Ardachès Kardachian, Raymond Kévorkian, and, from 2012, historian Boris Adjemian. Its collections have expanded through purchases, donations, and transfers of institutional and family archives. Current holdings include tens of thousands of printed works, extensive archival documentation, periodical collections, photographs, and manuscripts. Particularly important groups include materials from the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Armenian National Delegation, AGBU, the Nansen passport system for Armenian refugees, the Andonian genocide archive, and the Zareh Bey Nubar fonds. The library also accepts family documents, memoirs, genealogical records, authors' papers, correspondence, theses, and dissertations. The library's publishing program has supported modern Armenian historical scholarship. It issued the Revue d'histoire arménienne contemporaine from 1995 to 2009 and the Revue arménienne des questions contemporaines from 2004 to 2012. Since 2013, it has published Études arméniennes contemporaines. These publications reflect the institution's focus on contemporary Armenian history, genocide studies, cultural history, art history, and Western Armenian literature. In November 2020, the Île-de-France Regional Council recognized the Nubar Library as Heritage of Regional Interest. A plaque was inaugurated on April 24, 2021, and the designation created a basis for regional assistance with digitization. That same year, the library participated in a major exhibition at the Shoah Memorial on the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The project connected the library's archival expertise with public historical education and a wider network of French and Armenian institutions. Today, the Nubar Library remains an active AGBU-affiliated research and cultural institution in Paris, serving scholars, students, community members, and international researchers interested in Armenian and diaspora history.

1. 2021Participation in Shoah Memorial exhibition

   The library partnered on an exhibition about the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

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2. 2020Heritage of Regional Interest designation

   The Île-de-France Regional Council recognized the library's heritage importance and enabled support for digitization.

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3. 2013Études arméniennes contemporaines begins publication

   The library began publishing its continuing journal of contemporary Armenian studies.

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4. 2012Boris Adjemian becomes director

   Historian Boris Adjemian assumed leadership of the library.

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5. 2004Launch of Revue arménienne des questions contemporaines

   The institution added a publication focused on contemporary Armenian issues.

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6. 1995Launch of Revue d'histoire arménienne contemporaine

   The library began publishing a periodical devoted to modern Armenian history.

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7. 1951End of Aram Andonian's directorship

   Aram Andonian's founding-era leadership concluded after more than two decades.

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8. 1930Institution renamed the Nubar Library

   Following Boghos Nubar's death, the library adopted the name Nubar Library.

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9. 1928Library founded in Paris

   Boghos Nubar Pacha established the institution as the Bibliothèque nationale arménienne de Paris.

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A specialist Armenian studies institution positioned at the intersection of cultural heritage preservation, archival research, diaspora history, public education, and academic publishing.

• Specialist library collectionsLibrary services1928

  The library provides access to Armenian, French, English, Turkish, and other-language publications focused on Armenian history, literature, culture, art, and diaspora life. Its printed holdings include nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Constantinople editions and substantial material printed in Venice.

• Historical and archival collectionsArchives1928

  The archive preserves institutional, political, religious, family, and personal records, including Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople materials, AGBU records, Armenian National Delegation papers, Nansen passport documentation, the Andonian genocide collection, writers' correspondence, photographs, and manuscripts.

• Études arméniennes contemporainesAcademic journal2013

  A continuing publication associated with the library's academic publishing program. It presents research relating to contemporary Armenian history and broader Armenian studies, extending the institution's role beyond collection custody into scholarly communication.

• Revue d'histoire arménienne contemporaineAcademic journal1995

  A periodical published by the library between 1995 and 2009, focused on modern Armenian history and the historical questions surrounding the Armenian experience in the late Ottoman and diaspora periods.

• Revue arménienne des questions contemporainesAcademic journal2004

  A library publication issued from 2004 to 2012 addressing contemporary Armenian questions and serving as part of the institution's research and publishing activity.

• 2021The Genocide of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire

  France

  The Nubar Library partnered with the Shoah Memorial, the town of Drancy, France Télévisions, Toute l'Histoire, Nouvelles d'Arménie Magazine, the Tebrotzassère school, the National Archives of Armenia, and the Musée arménien de France on a public exhibition about the Armenian genocide.

  Outcome. The partnership brought archival and historical resources on the Armenian genocide to a broad public audience in France.

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• 2020Pursuit of heritage designation and digitization supportStrategy

  The library holds extensive and historically sensitive collections that require preservation and broader access.

  What changed. The institution obtained Heritage of Regional Interest recognition from the Île-de-France Regional Council, creating access to regional funding for digitization.

  Aftermath. The designation was publicly marked in 2021 and strengthened the basis for digitizing the library's collections.

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• 2013Launch of Études arméniennes contemporainesOther

  The library has historically combined collection management with the publication of Armenian studies research.

  What changed. It began publishing Études arméniennes contemporaines after earlier library journals had ended.

  Aftermath. The journal continued the institution's role as an academic publisher in contemporary Armenian studies.

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• 2021Heritage designation plaque inaugurated in Paris

  A ceremony formally marked the library's regional heritage designation in the presence of representatives of AGBU France, France's Armenian ambassador, and Armenian community organizations.

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• 2021Nubar Library partners on exhibition about the Armenian genocide

  The library collaborated on a Shoah Memorial exhibition examining the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, alongside French, Armenian, educational, media, and cultural organizations.

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• 2020Nubar Library receives Heritage of Regional Interest designation

  The Île-de-France Regional Council awarded the library a heritage designation that supported future digitization of its collections.

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1. Nubar Library
2. Official Nubar Library website