MONUMENTS
Sasuntsi Davit
Sculptor: Yervand Kochar
Architect: Mikayel Mazmanyan
Material: Hammered copper, basalt
Year: 3 December, 1959
In Sasuntsi Davit Square, near the railway station, in the central part of the square, Yerevan's guests are greeted by a monument to Sasuntsi Davit (12.5 m, 3.5 tons) made of wrought copper. David rides on his faithful horse, Kurkik Jalali, perched on a huge basalt pedestal.
David of Sasun is a legend of the medieval heroic-epic story about the past of the Armenian people “Sasuntsi David”, which took shape in the 7-10 centuries. David is an irresistible hero of superhuman strength, a lover of mankind, a valiant daredevil and a peace lover.
For many centuries, David for the Armenian people has been the embodiment of freedom-loving aspirations. Four branches of the epic (Sanasar and Bagdasar; Mher; David; Mher the Younger), originally recorded in 1873, tell about the struggle against the Arab invaders of the heroes from Sasun (a region of medieval Armenia, now Turkey).
The figure of David is valor and impulse, determination in the battle with the enemy. On the edge of the pedestal, under the hooves of David's horse, an overturned bronze bowl is made, from which water flows as a symbol of the boundless patience of the Armenian people.
Walking around the sculpture, you will notice how it changes imperceptibly: the horse's jump turns into a long flight. Even a person who is unfamiliar with the epic "David of Sasun", it will be perfectly clear that this hero, who raised his sword to the enemy, will undoubtedly defeat him. Such is the power of Yervand Kochar's art and talent. The monument to David of Sasun is of great importance for Yerevan and for the whole of Armenia.
Sasuntsi Davit statue is depicted on the jubilee coin with a face value of 5 rubles issued by the Central Bank of the Soviet Union in 1991, as well as on the "David of Sassoon" silver commemorative coin with a face value of 25 drams issued by the Central Bank of Armenia in 1994.
In 1968, the USSR Post Office issued a postage stamp, dedicated to the 2750th anniversary of Yerevan, which depicts the Sasuntsi Davit statue.
"David of Sassoun" is depicted on the tokens of the Yerevan metro.
The film studio Hayfilm (formerly Armenfilm) uses the statue as its logo.
