The article focuses on the study of the life and work of the Armenian medieval master – scribe, miniaturist, architect and sculptor Momik. The master’s biography has been reconstructed thanks to memorial records in manuscripts and epigraphic inscriptions. This study reconsiders certain episodes from his life in a new light and offer hypotheses. In the colophon of scribe David of 1287 (Teghenik Monastery), a mention of Momik allows one to hypothesize both the plundering of his manuscript and the capture of the master himself. This can be explained by the fact that Armenian stonecutters and artisans were well-known and even worked for Muslim rulers, such as the contemporary architect to Momik – Shahik, who built Muslim mausoleums in Khachen-Dorbatli and Yerevan. Notably, the Church of Holy Mother of God in Yeghvard built by Shahik in its architectural structure, closely resembles the Church of Burtelashen in Noravank.
Based on tհe colophon from 1331 (Yale University, Arm. 3), where the master writes that he was unable to complete the manuscript due to an eye disease, specialists suggest that his vision had been partially lost, and as a result, he could no longer work as a miniaturist instead focusing on sculpture and architecture. We find this opinion unconvincing, as the intricate work of creating the fine details of Momik’s khachkars required just as much eye strain as miniature art. We believe that Momik developed an eye disease trachoma, which was widespread at the time, especially considering that Momik was a stone worker, and dust and dirt could have severely damaged his eyes. The phrase “սակաւ ամաց” in the text should be understood not as “several years later,” but as “after some time or months,” and the year 1331 refers not to the restoration of his eyesight but to the year the memorial inscription was written.
