One of the iconic landmarks in Armenia is Vardanants Square Gyumri, dedicated to the Battle of Avarayr in 451, where Armenians fought against the Persian Empire to preserve their Christian faith. The square is surrounded by churches, museums, and the impressive City Hall building.
The former name of the Square was May Uprising, after the Bolshevik uprising protests against the government of the First Armenian Republic in 1920. In 2008, when the memorial to the Battle of Avarayr was erected in the square, it was renamed Vardanants Square.
At the center of the memorial stands a statue of Vardan Mamikonian, commander-in-chief of the Armenian army during the battle against the Persian Empire.
The other four statues represent:
- Catholicos Hovsep I of Armenia, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the time of the battle
- Ghevond Yerets, a priest and chronicler whose accounts are among the key sources for the history of the battle
- Vardan Mamikonian’s mother, who symbolizes the role of Armenian women in nurturing national and spiritual identity
- Prince Arshavir II Kamsarakan, a military leader who supported Vardan and the other generals in the battle.
On 25 June 2016, Pope Francis with the participation of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II delivered a Holy Mass at the Vartanants Square.
You can visit Gyumri click here….
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