Mother Armenia - The Symbol of Peace and Strength

The current statue of Mother Armenia replaced a monumental statue of General Secretary Joseph Stalin that was created as a victory memorial for World War II. The statue was considered a masterpiece by the sculptor Sergey Merkurov. The pedestal was designed by architect Rafayel Israyelian. Realizing that occupying a pedestal can be a short-term honor, Israyelian designed the pedestal to resemble a three-nave basilica Armenian church. As he confessed many years later, "Knowing that the glory of dictators is temporary, I have built a simple three-nave Armenian basilica."

 Mother Armenia and Joseph Stalin's statue

In contrast to the right-angled shapes of the external view, the interior is light and pleasing to the eye, resembling Echmiadzin's seventh-century St. Hripsime Church. After Stalin’s death in spring 1962, the statue of Stalin was removed secretly at night, with one soldier being killed and many injured during the process. In 1967, the statue of Mother Armenia, designed by Ara Harutyunyan, was installed in its place. The prototype of "Mother Armenia" was a 17-year-old girl named Zhenya Muradian. Ara Harutyunyan met her at a store and persuaded her to pose for the sculpture.

Mother Armenia

"Mother Armenia" has a height of 22 meters (72 ft), making the overall height of the monument 51 meters (167 ft), including the pedestal. The statue is built of hammered copper, while the pedestal-museum is made of tuff stone. In 1970, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Victory, the Museum of Armenia in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 was opened inside the pedestal. In 1995, it was renamed the "Mother Armenia" military museum of the RA Ministry of Defense and came under the authority of the RA Ministry of Defense. The exhibition of the museum consists of two main parts: "Participation of the Armenian people in the Second World War" and "War of Liberation of Artsakh."

Ara Harutyunyan and Zhenya Muradian (the prototype of "Mother Armenia")

The Mother Armenia statue symbolizes peace through strength. Its location on a hill overlooking Yerevan makes it appear as a guardian of the Armenian capital. Every year on May 9th, thousands of Armenians visit the statue of Mother Armenia and lay flowers to commemorate the Armenian martyrs of the Second World War.

In conclusion, Mother Armenia is more than just a statue. It’s a symbol of the nation’s history, a tribute to its heroes, and a beacon of its enduring spirit.