Armenia is set to be home to the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ, currently nearing completion on Mount Hatis in Zovuni village, Kotayk Province.
Spearheaded by business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party and former Member of Parliament, this monumental project is poised to become a landmark in the region.
The 33-meter statue, designed by sculptor Armen Samvelyan, will be placed on a 44-meter pedestal. While originally planned for a different location, the statue will now be installed a few meters away from the initial site on Mount Hatis, just 25 kilometers from Yerevan. The remaining sections of the statue are set to be airlifted by helicopter to their final destination.
The project officially began on July 9, 2022, with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by then-Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan and Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili. However, the day after the ceremony, the Armenian Government Service for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (KGSMSN) demanded a halt to the construction, citing the lack of a presented project and a construction permit. Despite these challenges, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded positively to Tsarukyan’s vision, believing that the statue would boost tourism in the area.
The project has also faced opposition from the Armenian Church, with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Supreme Spiritual Council expressing their disapproval, stating that the installation of the Christ statue does not align with the centuries-old iconographic and worship traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Critics of the project have raised concerns about the statue’s placement on Mount Hatis, pointing out that the mountain’s slopes contain around 20 registered historical and cultural monuments from different eras.
As the final preparations draw to a close, this awe-inspiring monument is poised to become a significant addition to Armenia’s cultural and religious landscape.
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