SQUARES AND PARKS

1930s

One of the earliest parks in Yerevan, it is located in the Shengavit administrative district, stretching from the edge of Arshakunyats Avenue to Hrazdan Gorge. Until the mid-1930s, the park’s area was occupied by Yerevan’s Mler Cemetery, which also included burials of Russian deceased.

A small, beautiful domed church with a cross plan, designed by architect Vasili Mirzoyan, stood on the site but was demolished in 1935. This church was depicted in Boris Mehrabyan’s 1906-1911 plan of Yerevan under the name “Cemetery Church.”

Notable figures buried in Mler Cemetery included: The heroes of the Battle of Sardarapat (May 1918), architect Vasili Mirzoyan (whose tombstone has not been found), Hamazasp Srvandztyants (Colonel Hamazasp), a key figure in the Armenian national liberation movement, who was murdered by Bolsheviks in the Yerevan prison, Aram Manukyan (Sargis Harutyun Hovhannisyan, 1879–1919), a prominent socio-political, state, and military figure, organizer of the heroic Battle of Van (1915), member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), and founder of the new Armenian statehood.

The cemetery was closed by a decision of the Executive Committee of the Yerevan Political Council. To establish a park on the site, the government issued a statement to the relatives of the deceased, offering them the option to relocate the remains of their loved ones to other cemeteries. The initial design for the park was created by architect Mikael Mazmanyan and later revised by architect Sargis Karapetyan. The dendrological project was developed in 1938 by architects B. Edilyan and H. Petrosyan. The project was commissioned by the Executive Committee of the Yerevan City Council, and the construction was managed by the “Greening” trust of the Yerevan Council.

A cinema was later built in the park, designed by architect Koryun Hakobyan. The park is enclosed by a fence, designed by Mikael Mazmanyan. It features spacious, well-maintained alleys, benches, and resting areas. The metal fence and stone entrance exhibit high artistic quality.

Within the park, notable features include:

• The bronze bust of Shushanik Kurghinyan: Placed on the poetess’s grave in 1952, with the architect being Jim Torosyan and the sculptor Sargis Baghdasaryan.
• The monument dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Relief Society: Installed in 2011, created by sculptor Gevorg Gevorgyan.
• The Fidayi movement “Zoravar Andranik” Museum: Established in 2006.
• The Komitas Museum-Institute: Dedicated to the life, work, and creative heritage of the renowned Armenian composer Komitas. It operates in the renovated former House of Culture and a new adjacent building completed in 2015, designed by architect Artur Meschyan.

In one section of the park, around the grave of poet Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, a pantheon was established in 1936 through the initiative of Aghasi Khanjyan, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. This pantheon is the final resting place for many prominent figures of Armenian science and culture, several of whom have achieved international fame and recognition.

Notable individuals buried here include: Komitas - renowned Armenian composer and ethnomusicologist; Aram Khachatryan - acclaimed Armenian composer; Martiros Saryan - esteemed Armenian artist; William Saroyan - American-Armenian writer and Pulitzer Prize winner; Sergey Parajanov - influential Armenian film director. Additionally, the pantheon contains the tombs of: architects Alexander Tamanyan and Toros Toramanyan; Karen Demirchyan - national hero of the Republic of Armenia, politician, and statesman; writers Alexander Shirvanzade, Derenik Demirchyan, and Stepan Zoryan; poets Avetik Isahakyan, Vahan Teryan, and Hovhannes Shiraz; scientists Ashot Hovhannisyan, Yervand Lalayan, and Leo.

The pantheon is a significant cultural and historical site, honoring the contributions of these distinguished individuals to Armenian and global heritage.

“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO

Yerevan Municipality