LOST, FOUND, HIDDEN
The History of the Skevra Evangeliary
The Skevra Evangeliary is a 12th-century Armenian manuscript that has travelled an extraordinary path — from the Cilician scriptoria on the Mediterranean coast, through Crimea and Lviv, and its post-war concealment in Poland, to its present-day display at the National Library.
Its fate reflects the history of Armenians in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and bears witness to the resilience of a culture that endured despite the upheavals of history.
The Film’s Concept
The film reveals the extraordinary journey of a medieval Armenian manuscript — from the 12th-century Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia on the Mediterranean coast to contemporary Poland. It tells the story of its mysterious disappearance after the Second World War, its almost accidental rediscovery in 1993, and its subsequent concealment once again.
The fate of the Skevra Evangeliary reflects the history of the Armenian minority in Poland, making its journey deeply symbolic. The film follows the testimonies of those connected with the manuscript’s wanderings — individuals who played a crucial role in its survival and whose lives were profoundly marked by this remarkable book.
The filmmakers conceived the documentary as a kind of cinematic colophon — an attempt to fill in the missing blank pages in the manuscript’s history.
The film has become a manifesto affirming Armenian culture as an inseparable part of European civilisation and of the world’s cultural heritage.
It is a story about values capable of uniting Catholics and Protestants, members of the Armenian Church, as well as atheists and scholars — regardless of faith or nationality.
The Film Team
The film was created by an international team of artists: director, co-writer, and co-producer Vahram Mkhitaryan; co-writer and producer Aleksandra Majdzińska; composer Arsen Babajanyan; and sound and editing specialists Katarzyna Figat and Sławomir Witek. Their collaborative work resulted in a documentary that combines scholarly precision with cinematic sensitivity.
News
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“Lost, Found, Hidden” in the Autumn Issue of Awedis
In the latest autumn issue of Awedis magazine, materials were published посвящed to the screening of the film Lost, Found, Hidden at the National Library, along with the article “The Manuscript That Connects People.” The publication includes an interview with the film’s director, as well as conversations with the protagonists of the documentary, who travelled…
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Gdańsk City of Literature on the film “Lost, Found, Hidden” – a review by Urszula Obara
About a truth more compelling than fiction—set against the history of the Skewra Gospel Book and the cinematic story of its fate—you can read in the review “Things and People. The History of the Skewra Gospel Book” by Urszula Obara. The text was published in issue no. 36 (10/2025) of Gdańsk City of Literature magazine….
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“Lost, Found, Hidden” at a Special Screening during the Apricot Tree International Documentary Film Festival in Armenia
A special screening of the documentary Lost, Found, Hidden, intended for members of the media and film critics, took place as part of the Apricot Tree International Documentary Film Festival, held from August 30 to September 6, 2025, in Armenia. The event had an intimate character and provided a professional setting for presenting the film,…
