Teaching the Armenian language at the University of Lwówin the years 1904-1939

The first attempts to introduce an Armenian language course at the University of Lwów were made at the beginning of the 20th century. The authorities ofthe Faculty of Philosophy obtained the consent of the Ministry of Religious Affairsand Education in Vienna to open a course of Old and New Armenian, which was conducted in the years 1904-1933 by Rev. Bogdan Dawidowicz. The classes were attended by seminarians of the Armenian-Catholic archdiocese, linguists, orientalists and others interested in Armenian issues. Typically, two hours a week were allocated to these classes. Students learned Armenian grammar and literature, including the works of Movses Khorenatsi and Raffi (Hakob Melik Hakobian), as well as with the specific conditions of the development of the Armenian language in Poland. After the death of Rev. Dawidowicz, Garabed Keuprulian continued the course, focusing on West Armenian. In the interwar period, lectures on Armenian language and classical literature were conducted by professor Andrzej Gawroński from the Institute of Oriental Studies, while professor Jerzy Kuryłowicz taught Old Armenian from the historical and comparative perspective. During the discussed period, the university community in Lviv and the activists of the Archdiocese Union of Armenians were also involved in publishing aimed at popularizing knowledge and broadening th estudies in the field of the Armenian language.