MEKHITARISTS’ STOLEN TREASURES FOUND
By Nana Petrosian

AZG Armenian Daily
19/04/2006

More than 55 works of art, including 54 books and a medieval world
map, belonging to the Mekhitarist Congregation were found after a
two-year-long series of stealing.

Lebanese-born 31-year-old man came to the Mekhitarist Congregation
in Venice to study theology and philosophy. Later on he was included
in the Congregation’s choir and served at the newly built library
compound. For two year he has been selling the Congregation’s books to
an antique shop in Vienna sending his profit of 40.000 euros to his
family in Lebanon. The false seminarian’s thefts remained unnoticed
until the November of 2005 when Haji Ahmad’s world map dated 1559
disappeared. Noticing the loss, Mekhitarist representatives informed
the police. By then, the Lebanese had sold the map for 15.000 euros;
the buyer spent additional 10.000 for the map’s restoration. All 55
items of art are now returned to the Congregation, and the suspect
is detained and has confessed to stealing.