Ministry of Education and Science Unaware; Demands Halt to Construction of 'Jesus Christ' Statue on Mount Hatis

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia has issued a clarification regarding the installation of a monumental statue of 'Jesus Christ' and the presence of historical and cultural monuments in the area of Mount Hatis. The clarification states:

“In response to a letter received from the ‘Gagik Tsarukyan’ charitable foundation regarding the installation of the 'Jesus Christ' monumental statue on February 28, 2022, the Ministry informed the foundation in a letter dated March 17, N 34/14.2/5473-2022 that ‘... when determining the location for the proposed monumental sculpture complex, it is necessary to consider the provisions of the RA Law on the Protection and Use of Immovable Historical and Cultural Monuments and Historical Environment and to exclude the installation in the territories of historical and cultural monuments or their protected zones.’”

Following the aforementioned letter, no project or proposal has been submitted by the mentioned foundation to the Ministry, and information regarding the selection of Mount Hatis as the location was received from media sources.

Meanwhile, regional employees of the ‘Service for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments and Historical Environment’ under the Ministry have reported that road alignment and widening works are being carried out towards the summit of Mount Hatis. Following the instructions of the Ministry’s Department for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, on July 7 of this year, employees of the regional service in Kotayk province, accompanied by an archaeologist, visited the area to conduct relevant studies.

It is noteworthy that there are approximately 20 historical and cultural monuments listed in the state registry from various eras present on the slopes of Mount Hatis.

Additionally, it was revealed that as of 2019, preliminary assessments from the Armenian-Italian archaeological expedition have found a Bronze-Iron Age archaeological site-fortress/newly discovered object at the top of Mount Hatis, whose walls are highly visible from aerial photographs. Works on land loading and leveling have been conducted in the area of this newly discovered archaeological site-fortress.

Nevertheless, even if the newly discovered object has not yet been included in the state registry of monuments, it is evident that it is an archaeological site-fortress, and according to point 43 of the Armenian government’s decision N 438 dated April 20, 2002, which establishes the procedures for the state registration, study, protection, reinforcement, repair, restoration, and use of immovable historical and cultural monuments, ‘entities, legal entities, and individuals are obligated to stop works immediately upon the discovery of historical, scientific, artistic, or other cultural values in archaeological and other objects and notify the authorized body without delay.’

According to Article 20 of the RA Law on the Protection and Use of Immovable Historical and Cultural Monuments and Historical Environment, ‘A newly discovered or newly valued object with historical, scientific, artistic, or other cultural significance acquires the status of a newly discovered monument and is preserved until it is included in the state registry of monuments in accordance with established legal procedures. The legal or natural person in charge of the newly discovered monument is obliged to ensure its integrity, and in case of seizure by the state, compensation for the losses incurred by the owner is provided in accordance with the law.’

An individual who conceals the fact of the monument's discovery, creates obstacles for its registration and study, or destroys or misappropriates found objects is held accountable under the law of the Republic of Armenia.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport considers the idea of the 'Jesus Christ' monumental statue acceptable; however, within the scope of its authority and responsibility, it demands that all activities in the area of the archaeological site-fortress that contradict existing legislation and regulations be halted until a project is submitted and a professional study is conducted in accordance with established procedures.