Apkar Tebir was an
Armenian colonist and
priest. He was one of the first to set up a
printing press in
Constantinople.
Life and influence
Apkar Tebir was born in
Tokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is located at the confluence of the Tokat River (Tokat Suyu) with the Yeşilırmak. In the 2018 census, the city of Tokat had a population of 155,00 ...
,
Turkey. He studied
typography in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, and in 1567, set up a
printing press in
Constantinople, one of the first to do so. In 1627, he obtained a
Greek printing press, built by
Nicodemus Metaxas, which had its machinery and type imported from
England.
This had an important effect on
Turkish Armenia
Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...
and the
Mediterranean world. The most notable was that of cultural repair, mainly though the colonists' work to restore
Armenia's heritage through the medium of the printed page.
These activities showed their readiness to join in the
European Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, and they quickly undertook the task of broadening their compatriots' knowledge of the West. The
Armenians also lent assistance during the
Crusades, which helped a warm relationship develop between the
Gregorian and the
Roman Catholic churches.
[Jacques Jean Marie de Morgan, Histoire du peuple armenien aris, 1921p.239]
See also
*
Armenian Renaissance
References
Armenian clergy
Armenian printers
Year of death unknown
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Year of birth unknown
People from Tokat
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