Mikayel Chamchian (Միքայել Չամչյան Mik῾ayel Č῾amč῾yan; 1738–1823) was an Armenian Mekhitarist monk and historian who in 1784-1788 published a History of the Armenians in three volumes. The work marks the beginning of Romantic Armenian nationalism.

Chamchian provides a chronology for the Armenian patriarchs of Moses of Chorene's History of Armenia, dating Haik's battle with Belus to 11 August 2492 BC. Chamchian is also the source for the traditionally accepted date for the foundation of the Armenian Apostolic Church, AD 301. This article needs to be wikified. ... Statue of Haik in Yerevan Haik (Also spelled Hayk or Haig) is the legendary patriarch and establisher of the first Armenian nation. ... Belus in Latin or Belos in accurate Greek transliteration is one of: Persons Ba‘al: a title (lord) in northwest Semitic languages, often applied to particular gods. ... Centuries: 26th century BC - 25th century BC - 24th century BC Decades: 2540s BC 2530s BC 2520s BC 2510s BC 2500s BC - 2490s BC - 2480s BC 2470s BC 2460s BC 2450s BC 2440s BC Years: 2497 BC 2496 BC 2495 BC 2494 BC 2493 BC - 2492 BC - 2491s BC 2490s BC... Official standard of Karekin II Catholicos of Armenia The Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Õ€Õ¡Õµ Ô±Õ¼Õ¡Ö„Õ¥Õ¬Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Եկեղեցի, Hay Arakelagan Yegeghetzi), sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church or the Gregorian Church, is the worlds oldest national church[1] [2] and one of the most ancient Christian communities [3]. // Baptism of Tiridates III. The earliest... Events September 3 - The republic of San Marino is established (traditional date). ...

Chamchian was born in Istanbul and trained as a jeweler by the imperial jeweler Mikayel Chelebi Diuzian. He joined the Armenian Mekhitarian order in Venice in 1762. In 1774 he was appointed instructor of Armenian language in the monastery. In 1795, he was sent back to Istanbul as the resident Mekhitarian representative. Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... The Armenian language (Armenian: , IPA: — hayeren lezu, conventional short form hayeren) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people in the Republic of Armenia, in Georgia (especially in Samtskhe-Javakheti), Mountainous Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and also used by the Armenian diaspora. ...

Works

• 1779 Kerakanutiun Haykazian Lezvi (Grammar of the Armenian)
• 1784 Patmutiun Hayots i Skzbane Ashkharhi Minchev tsam diarn (Պատմութիւն Հայոց Armenian history from the beginning of the world to the year 1784)

References

• Razmik Panossian, The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars, Columbia University Press (2006), ISBN 978-0231139267.
• Adalian, Rouben P., From Humanism to Rationalism: Armenian Scholarship in the Nineteenth Century. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1992.
• Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa (2004).