Armenian Genocide Monument in Nicosia
Encyclopedia
The Armenian Genocide Monument in Nicosia
, Cyprus
, is a monument dedicated to the martyrs and the survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. It is located within the Armenian complex on Armenia street in Acropolis, Strovolos, which contains the Armenian Prelature building, the Sourp Asdvadzadzin
cathedral, the Nareg Armenian School, the marble khachkar, the bust of Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian and the statue of Gregory of Nareg.
monument within the Armenia street compound. The foundation of the monument took place in 1985, on the 70th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but at the time there was no timetable for the erection of this monument.
In 1989, the Armenian Prelature selected this out of two designs submitted by well-known painter and architect, John Guevherian, and construction started in early 1990. It features three marble arches, representing Armenia, the Armenian Diaspora and Armenians within the former Soviet Union. In the centre of the central arch there is a black granite cross, sculpted by famous Armenian sculptor Levon Tokmadjian, who was a guest at the Melkonian Educational Institute at the time, commissioned to carve a series of busts for pillars of Armenian history and letters. The marble monument is positioned on a raised marble base and bears (from left to right) a Greek, Armenian and English inscription .
from Markade, Deir ez-Zor desert, were interred within the monument. In 2000 more bone remains were placed within two reliquaries, built after the donation of the Eghoyian and Tembekidjian families, surrounded by five khachkar-like columns built after the donation of Anahid der Movsessian .
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, is a monument dedicated to the martyrs and the survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. It is located within the Armenian complex on Armenia street in Acropolis, Strovolos, which contains the Armenian Prelature building, the Sourp Asdvadzadzin
Sourp Asdvadzadzin
Sourp Asdvadzadzin is the Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus.Following the 1963-1964 inter-communal troubles, the Armenian-Cypriot community of Nicosia lost its mediaeval church Notre Dame de Tyre to extremist Turkish-Cypriots. As a result, President Makarios granted them...
cathedral, the Nareg Armenian School, the marble khachkar, the bust of Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian and the statue of Gregory of Nareg.
Creation
The creation of the monument was undertaken by the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, so as to have a permanent Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
monument within the Armenia street compound. The foundation of the monument took place in 1985, on the 70th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but at the time there was no timetable for the erection of this monument.
In 1989, the Armenian Prelature selected this out of two designs submitted by well-known painter and architect, John Guevherian, and construction started in early 1990. It features three marble arches, representing Armenia, the Armenian Diaspora and Armenians within the former Soviet Union. In the centre of the central arch there is a black granite cross, sculpted by famous Armenian sculptor Levon Tokmadjian, who was a guest at the Melkonian Educational Institute at the time, commissioned to carve a series of busts for pillars of Armenian history and letters. The marble monument is positioned on a raised marble base and bears (from left to right) a Greek, Armenian and English inscription .
Unveiling
The monument was unveiled by Senior Archimandrite Yeghishe Mandjikian on 24 April 1992, in the presence of a large number of people attending. In 1996 some bone remains of martyrs of the Armenian Genocide brought by a delegation of the Armenian Relief SocietyArmenian Relief Society
The Armenian Relief Society, A.R.S or H.O.M , is an independent, non-governmental and non-sectarian organization and NGO, serving the social and educational needs of Armenian communities everywhere, seeking to preserve the cultural identity of the Armenian nation, and, whenever and wherever the...
from Markade, Deir ez-Zor desert, were interred within the monument. In 2000 more bone remains were placed within two reliquaries, built after the donation of the Eghoyian and Tembekidjian families, surrounded by five khachkar-like columns built after the donation of Anahid der Movsessian .
See also
- Armenian GenocideArmenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
- List of Armenian Genocide memorials
- Genocide Remembrance DayGenocide Remembrance DayGenocide Remembrance Day is a national holiday in Armenia and is observed by Armenians in dispersed communities around the world on April 24. It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923...