The Armenian Manuscript copied in Rome in 1269 and its colophon (ms. Erevan, Matenadaran 142)

In medieval Rome the Armenians possessed a church and a hospice in the environs of St Peter, in Vatican, They were built for hosting compatriots who came to the Eternal City on pilgrimage. The information provided by the colophons of the manuscripts written by Armenians in that very place is of fundamental significance for reconstructing the history of this settlement, especially in view of the scarcity of other sources. There are ten manuscripts produced precisely between the years 1221 and 1310. Outstanding amongst these, for the wealth of information and originality of its contents, is the manuscript copied by scribe Margarē in 1269. Its long colophon is divided into two parts: the first contains precious information on the Armenian community in Rome and the provenance of its members, whose list here is the most complete of what we have, whereas in the second part Margarē provides a detailed and unusual confession of his sins, whose content and images seem to show the influence of the Latin penitential practice and teaching about the seven deadly vices