Stepanos Orbelian (c.

Circa

Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...

 1250 – 1305) was a thirteenth century Armenian historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

 and the Metropolitan

Metropolitan bishop

In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...

 of the province of Syunik

Syunik

Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It borders the Vayots Dzor marz to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave to the west, Karabakh to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital is Kapan. Other important cities and towns include Goris, Sisian, Meghri, Agarak, and Dastakert...

. He is known for writing his well-researched Patmut'yun Nahangin Sisakan, or History of the Province of Syunik.

Biography

Orbelian was a member of the Orbelian

Orbelian Dynasty

The Orbelian lords of Syunik were a noble family, documented in inscriptions throughout Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik....

 family of princes and feudal lords that ruled Syunik. He received his education at a religious seminary and in 1285, his father, Tarsayich Orbelian, sent him to Cilician Armenia to be ordained as a metropolitan. He remained there for three months as a guest of King Levon III and finally returned to Syunik in 1287.

Orbelian died in 1305 and was buried in the family mausoleum in the monastery complex at Noravank

Noravank

Noravank is a 13th century Armenian Apostolic Church monastery, located 122 km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river, nearby the city of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery. The monastery is best...

.

History of the Province of Syunik

Of the three works Orbelian completed in his lifetime, his most prominent is that on the history of Syunik and the Orbelian family. Prior to writing it, he conducted an extensive amount of research, utilizing a wide variety of sources derived from speeches, letters, colophon

Colophon (publishing)

In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...

s, previous chronicles by Armenian historians as well as works by Georgian

Georgian people

The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....

 authors. Like other Armenian historians and chroniclers, Orbelian's work briefly narrates the beginning of the world starting with Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...

 but soon moves on to tell Syunik's and Armenia's history, spanning from the time of king Tiridates I to the end of the thirteenth century. Orbelian's work is especially valuable as it contains many previously unknown details about the province and Armenian history. Orbelian's other works also called on Armenians to repopulate historic Armenia, then under foreign control, as he "sought 'to apply psychological pressure on the conscience of nobles to return and reestablish an Armenian state.'"

In 1864 and 1866, Orbelian's work was translated into French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 by the French orientalist Marie-Félicité Brosset

Marie-Félicité Brosset

Marie-Félicité Brosset was a French orientalist who specialized in Georgian and Armenian studies.He was born in Paris into the family of a poor merchant who died the same year that Brosset was born...

. Some excerpts of History were also translated into Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 and Georgian

Georgian language

Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...

.

Works

• (1299) History of the Province of Syunik (Patmut'yun Nahangin Sisakan).
• (1300) Lament on Behalf of the Cathedral (Voghb i dimats surb Katoghikeyin)
• (1302) Argument Against Dyophysitism (Hakacharutiun unndem yerkabnakats)