Mother Armenia

Mother Armenia (Armenian Մայր Հայաստան Majr Hayastan, Russian Мать - Армения ) is a monument located in the Victory Park in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, and consists of a military museum, a tomb of the unknown soldier and a statue.

History

Under the bloody tyranny of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union built Grigor Haroutounian, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia, as well as members of the government and a huge monument glorifying the dictator. The statue was sculpted by Sergueï Merkurov while the Meißelung the socket back to the architect Raphael Israelian. The latter, who thought that the statue represented only a temporary honor, designed as a monument base, which is as important as the statue that wears them. The base interior is built as a church and was inspired by the St. Hripsime Church in Echmiadzin. The monument was inaugurated on 29 November 1950. The Stalin statue was dismantled in spring 1962 and replaced in 1967 by the still standing today, a work by Ara Haroutyounian ..

Characteristics

The symbolic siting of the monument in Victory Park on one of the hills of Yerevan, is to convey a feeling that Mother Armenia watches over the entire city. It occupies an area of ​​3,000 m² in the heart of the great parks of Yerevan. The 36 meter high pedestal houses a museum on five floors, the military museum of the Defense Ministry. It is mainly dedicated to the heroism of the 650,000 Armenians who participated in World War II, as well as the soldiers of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The statue over it, which is much smaller, makes up another 24 meters. Altogether, there are whole 51 meters.