The Museum of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has acquired a rare 18th-century antique map entitled “Earthly Paradise,” enriching its collection through the generous benefaction of Roza Hovhannisyan of Armenia. The map was purchased at the Galeria Frame auction house in Madrid, Spain, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
The author of the map is Father Antoine Augustin Calmet, a French scholar and Benedictine abbot, and the engraver is the British artist Peter Starkman. Printed and published in 1729, the map was included as an insert in the monumental two-volume work: “Dictionarium Historicum, Criticum, Chronologicum, Geographicum, et Literale Sacrae Scripturae: Cum figuris Antiquitates Judaicas repraesentantibus.”
The map, titled “Tabula Paradisi Terrestris” (Map of the Earthly Paradise), depicts the Biblical Garden of Eden and surrounding lands. Armenia is placed at its heart, with Eden (Paradisius) and the Four Rivers of Paradise — the Tigris, Euphrates, Phison, and Gihon — flowing outward. Neighboring regions such as Babylonia, Assyria, Susiana, and Chaldaea are also illustrated, alongside major bodies of water including the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus) and the Caspian Sea (Mare Caspium). By situating Eden in the Armenian Highlands, the map reflects early modern European scholarship that linked Armenia to the cradle of Biblical history.
Following restoration, the map will be displayed in the museum’s permanent exhibition. Notably, Armenia is depicted at the center of the map, underscoring its historical and symbolic significance.
