Church Does Not Approve the Installation of a Statue of Jesus Christ

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin hosted a meeting of the Armenian members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, during which, among other issues, the initiative for constructing a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ in Armenia by Mr. Gagik Tsarukyan was discussed.

The Mother See reports that discussions have been held with Mr. Gagik Tsarukyan regarding the project, indicating the traditional approaches of the Armenian Apostolic Church concerning the construction of icons, particularly those of the Lord.

The Supreme Spiritual Council reaffirmed its position regarding this matter, which was adopted at an extended session on March 9. The statement notes, “The Supreme Spiritual Council highly appreciates the undeniable contributions of Mr. Gagik Tsarukyan to church building, through which he has significantly contributed to the effectiveness of the Church's spiritual and missionary mission. At the same time, the Church does not find the installation of a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ acceptable, considering that it is not in line with the centuries-old iconographic and worship traditions of the Armenian Church.”

“The construction of a flat relief of our Savior may be acceptable for the Church, based on the principles of ‘All-Savior’ cross-stones. The Supreme Spiritual Council urges the authors and participants of the initiative to refrain from projects contradicting the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church and to be guided by approaches consistent with our national-ecclesiastical culture, ecclesiastical and theological principles,” the statement continued.

It is worth reminding that the “Gagik Tsarukyan” charitable foundation announced in 2022 the launch of a new megaproject, marking the start of an exceptional program aimed at showing the path of rebirth and light to the Armenian people. “As the first Christian nation in the world, we should have a statue of Jesus Christ in Armenia, at its highest point. On behalf of my family, I want to implement this project,” stated Gagik Tsarukyan, president of the Prosperous Armenia party.