SQUARES AND PARKS

1980s, 2005

State index: 1.6.131

Urban planning ensemble: architect։ Levon Vardanyan

Alexander Myasnikyan Monument – 1980, architect: Jim Torosyan, sculptor: Ara Shiraz 

The sculptural-architectural complex is located in the Central administrative district, adjacent to Russia Square. It bears the name of Alexander Myasnikyan (1886-1925), an Armenian Soviet political, state, and military figure, the first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Armenian SSR (1921-1922).

The square adjoins the territory of the former Yerevan fortress. City planners included it in Yerevan’s master plans, but it took shape later.

A statue of Alexander Myasnikyan completes the square. The pink granite statue (height: 8.6 m) stands on a rectangular, low, cleanly hewn pedestal. Architect Jim Torosyan and sculptor Ara Shiraz created the monument in 1980. The statue depicts the statesman in a military greatcoat, with facial features resembling his actual appearance. Behind the statue, a polished gray granite column with reliefs and five table-like steles rise. The rightmost stele's front side bears the engraving: ALEXANDER MYASNIKYAN, while the leftmost one features lines by Yeghishe Charents dedicated to Alexander Myasnikyan:

THE NAIRIAN SUN / IN YOU / WITH LENINIST / FIRE / SHONE. / YEGHISHE / CHARENTS.

One of the steles contains an opening with a monument resembling a khachkar, featuring carved floral ornaments and the coat of arms of Soviet Armenia.

The garden behind Myasnikyan's monument, stretching to Stepan Shahumyan Square with its flowerbeds and fountains, took shape in the 1980s. For about two decades afterward, it remained neglected and forgotten. In 2018, the "Vardanyan Family" charitable foundation operating in Armenia initiated and funded a major renovation of the garden. The revitalized garden complex opened on May 10, 2019, dedicated to the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan's foundation. In 2020-2022, the same foundation restored the dilapidated Myasnikyan monument and square. Now, these two integrated spaces rank among the most popular leisure spots for Yerevan residents.

Myasnikyan’s monument solves an important urban planning challenge by connecting the eponymous square with the 2800th Anniversary Garden and Shahumyan Square.

“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO

Yerevan Municipality