I look forward to the day when the doors of this remarkable house open. It is not only a museum but also the Hrant Matevossian Cultural Centre. Its presence will place us alongside societies that know how to honour their great figures. I have visited many countries where the traces of remarkable people are preserved, and where their memory helps educate new generations.

It is a magnificent space: a solid building, nearly ready to fulfil its purpose. Among painting, theatre, music, and the many other forms of art, Armenians have always valued literature above all. A medieval line that has reached us bears witness to this: “Let me die and turn to earth; may my writing remain in memory.” We are devoted to the written word. This is a building of letters—a modern house of writing.