A bit of history: Mechitarists are Armenian Roman Catholics. The order was established in 1701 in Istanbul, by one Mechitar Petrosian whose life mission was to convert Orthodox Armenians into Roman Catholicism. For that he was expelled by the Armenian community and the Venetians gave him the St. Lazzarro in 1717. Mechitarists collect Armenian artifacts and provide education to Armenian boys who are willing to convert.
This, in my opinion, is yet another piece of the puzzle: the connection with the Western, Catholic sources and the bias to prove that ancient Armenian kings were Catholics. The fact that Mechitarists accept the Leon V/14th century attribution of this sword proves nothing about it's true provenance. They wanted it to be Leon's! How many times all of us bought embarrassing junk on e-bay because we wanted it to be our Dream Blade?
I am sure that they did, and continue to do it, out of good intentions and not for any nepharious purposes or perpetration of a hoax. Blind faith, however, is not a good councelor. They could have brought an experienced museum curator who would have given them the facts. But... what religious faith had ever tried to puncture it's own balloon?
IMHO, the claim that this sword is Armenian is incorrect: there is nothing Armenian about it except the inscription. The claim that it is Persian is even more problematic: it ignores it's Kilic-like form and the astounding similarity with other Istanbul-made pieces of the same time period. To form conclusions on the basis of Damascus assumes that only Persians were capable of making it. The claim that it is 14th century is embarrassing, to say the least
Still, I admire Tsubame1 for his true Bushido spirit of loyalty to his master.
No hard feelings and no seppuku, OK?
