1910 Armenian Tiflis Magazine, Catholicos Matteos II Memorial

The December 1910 issue of Շirак (Shirak), an Armenian-language illustrated periodical published in Tiflis, edited by Tigran Nazarian, year XXI, No. 12. The cover carries a full-page photographic portrait of Ս.Ս. Մատթէոս Բ. — His Holiness Matteos II, Catholicos of All Armenians — in full episcopal vestments. Interior pages include portrait photographs of Armenian cultural and religious figures, an engraving of St. Peter's Square in Rome, and dense Armenian-script editorial content across multiple spreads.

Matteos II died in November 1910 after a two-year pontificate marked by efforts to reassert Armenian Church independence from Tsarist interference. This issue, published in Tiflis — then the cultural capital of the Armenian diaspora in the Russian Empire — served as his memorial, produced for a community navigating its identity under Russian imperial rule five years before catastrophe.

Fair to good vintage condition. Cover shows heavy wear, tearing along edges and fold lines. Interior pages intact with clear text and photographs. All pages present.