Contacts with Western missionaries led him to become interested in translating material from the West into Armenian and setting up a religious order to facilitate education.

They encountered the opposition of other Armenians and were compelled to move to the Morea (Peloponnese), at that time Venetian territory, where they built a monastery in 1706.

Jesuit priest Filippo Bonanni wrote of the arrival of two Armenian monks, Elias Martyr and Joannes Simon, sent by Mekhitar to Pope Clement XI to offer the most humble subjection of himself and convent (Ut ei se cum suis religiosis humillime subjiceret).

The work of printing of Armenian books was by this time of great financial importance and the Venetian Republic made considerable efforts to encourage their return, but in vain.

His companion John Cam Hobhouse left this account of the visit: Byron and I then went in [a] gondola to [the] establishment of St Lazare.

Our conductor showed us a man’s dictionary of Armenian and Latin – told us there were about forty frati and eighteen pupils, some few from Armenia, but mostly Constantinople.

Zanetto said Napoleon despoiled them, but our conductor contradicted this, and said that he gave a decree from Paris saving this brotherhood from the fate of the other monasteries on account of their patriotic labours for their countrymen.

Other houses were established in Austria-Hungary, Russia, Persia and Turkey – fourteen in all, according to early 20th century statistics, with one hundred and fifty-two monks, the majority of whom are priests.

While not large for an order hundreds of years old, its extension was necessarily restricted because of its exclusive devotion to persons and things Armenian.

Many of them vow themselves also to missionary work in Armenia, Persia and Turkey, where they live on alms and wear as a badge, beneath the tunic, a cross of red cloth, on which are certain letters signifying their desire to shed their blood for the Catholic faith.

First, there is the work of the mission – not the conversion of the heathen, but priestly ministry to the Armenian communities settled in most of the commercial centres of Europe.

[3] Their work has been fourfold:[2] Mekhitar is credited for the initiating the study of the Armenian writings of the fourth and fifth centuries, which has resulted in the development and adoption of a literary language, nearly as distinct from the vulgar tongue as Latin is from Italian.

Mekhitar's versions of The Imitation of Christ and the Bible began the series of translations of great books, continued unceasingly during two centuries, and ranging from the early Fathers of the Church and the works of Thomas Aquinas (one of their first labors) to Homer and Virgil and the best known poets and historians of later days.

[citation needed] At one period, in connexion with their Vienna house, there existed an association for the propagation of Catholic books, which is said to have distributed nearly a million volumes, and printed and published six new works each year.

To him also they owe the guidance of their first steps in exegesis – the branch of learning in which they have won most distinction – and the kindred studies of the liturgy and the religious history of their country.

[3] At San Lazzaro he founded the printing press from which the most notable of their productions have been issued, and commenced there the collection of Armenian manuscripts for which their library has become famous.

To any but members of the order the history of the Mekhitarists has been uneventful, because of the quiet, untiring plodding along ancient, traditional paths, and the fidelity to the spirit and ideals of their founder.

[3] Principally by means of the Mekhitarists' innumerable periodicals, pious manuals, Bibles, maps, engravings, dictionaries, histories, geographies and other contributions to educational and popular literature they have served Catholicism among the Armenian nation.

Individually, the monks are distinguished by their linguistic accomplishments, and the Vienna establishment has attracted attention by the institution of a Literary Academy, which confers honorary membership without regard to race or religion.