Death of Father Kapriel Menevishian (November 14, 1936)

Father Kapriel Menevishian was a well-known name of the Vienna branch of the Mekhitarist Congregation in the past century. 

He was born in Constantinople on April 16, 1864. His birth name was Piuzant. He went to Vienna in 1878 and after finishing his studies, he entered the Mekhitarist Congregation in 1882 and was ordained in 1887. He taught at the seminary of the congregation between 1886 and 1889. Afterwards, he was sent as a teacher to the Mekhitarist School of Smyrna (1889-1892) and Constantinople (1892-1895). Upon his return to Vienna, he was the editor-in-chief of the journal Handes Amsorya of the congregation.  He returned to Constantinople as director of the Mekhitarist school (1898-1903 and 1908-1909). He was appointed general secretary of the administration of the congregation (1909-1913) and in 1913 he was sent to Novi Sad (Serbia) to administrate the properties of the congregation. He did his administrative work for more than two decades until his death on November 14, 1936.  

Fr. Menevishian was particularly interested in linguistic issues and wrote about the Armenian language of the Golden Age (5th century) and the grammar and orthography of Modern Armenian.  He published several books: Genealogy of the Duzian Family (1890), The Art of Writing Books (1898), Modern Linguistics (1903), The Issue of Armenian Orthography (1910), and The Full Solution of the Gamaktakan of Grigor Magistros (1912). He was a prolific contributor to the press and translated several books. He also authored a three-volume textbook, Illustrated Natural History (1897).