THE ARMENIAN ROOTS OF SERENDIPITY

Serendipity 3 is a restaurant in Manhattan that has been featured in various films, including the romantic comedy Serendipity (2001). Its name is related to the fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, which English writer John Walpole used in 1754 to characterize his fortunate discovery about a painting as “almost of that land which I call Serendipity.” 

The tale was about three princes who identify the characteristics of a lost camel thanks to their ability and sagacity to read clues. Serendip was the Persian name of Sri-Lanka, derived from Sanskrit. 

Walpole read the fairy tale in a French translation from 1719. The original source was an Italian book published in 1557 by Michele Tremezzino in Venice, and here comes the Armenian connection. The tale was translated from Persian by one Cristoforo Armeno. 

For a long time, the name of Cristoforo Armeno was supposed to be Tremezzino’s invention to give an aura of authenticity to his publication. However, recent discoveries by Italian researchers have provided some flesh and blood to the name. Pope Julius III issued a pass in 1552 to an Armenian from Tabriz who was proficient in Italian and had immigrated to Italy. Such an Armenian with strong command of Oriental languages was regularly employed as an interpreter by the Republic of Venice and had a close friendship with Giuseppe Tremezzino, the publisher’s nephew.  

We do not have any data about this author from Armenian sources. We can only assume that his Armenian name would have been Kristapor (Քրիստափոր), a name used by more than a dozen of personalities until the thirteenth century, including three Catholicoi in the fifth through seventh centuries.