For the Armenian people, the 20th century was a century of great losses and tribulations. Yet, it was the time when the rebuilding of Armenian statehood had started and another renaissance of the people of Armenia had begun. With that in mind, the Armenian Embassy in Canada has commissioned a sculpture to be erected in front of the Chancery in the capital city of Ottawa, which will commemorate victims of the Armenian Genocide, and at the same time, symbolize the resurgence of the Armenian people and the revival of the Armenian state.
   To that end, a large (8.5 tones) piece of Armenian orange tufa stone has already been shipped to Ottawa. Upon completion, the monument will become the largest sculpture carved out of monolith tufa outside Armenia. Both the Ani Cathedral and the Sardarapat Memorial Complex are made of this very stone. The wisdom of ages lives in their unity.
   The sculpture was commissioned to the father and son Tokmajians, who will arrive in Ottawa shortly to begin work. Tokmajian senior, Levon, is one of the finest and most renowned artists in Armenia today. A winner of numerous international fine arts awards, Mr. Tokmajian, often with the help of his sons, Vahe and Haik, created statues of Martiros Sarian, Tigran the Great, Noah, the King Argishti, Karabalah and Leonid Yengibarov in Yerevan; carved angels on the Khazanchetsots Church in Shushi and the memorial sculpture of the legendary freedom fighter Monte Melkonian in Karabakh; sculpted the Aivazovski brothers' memorial in Crimea (Ukraine), the bust of Alek Manoogian in Cyprus; statues of the King Varazdat and the Greek national hero Spros Lusis in Athens.
   The memorial sculpture will be erected on the property of the Armenian Embassy in Ottawa overlooking the picturesque Rideau Canal. The location of the Chancery, an Ottawa's landmark by itself, in the proximity to one of the capital's highly trafficked recreational sites will give the monument an exposure to estimated 100,000 passers-by annually, and a chance for them to learn a little about Armenia. On a bronze plaque adorning the monument the following inscription in three languages - Armenian, English and French - will read:

Armenia Immortal
Sculptors: Levon and Hayk Tokhmajians
Ottawa, 2002
In tribute to Armenia, as symbolized by Mt. Ararat, and to the Armenian
people, who were the first to embrace Christianity in 301, and the first nation to be crucified in 1915-1923, falling victim to the first genocide of the 20th century.
For the glory of a reborn free Armenia, whose sons and daughters, despite their ancestral suffering, continue to believe in justice.

   Contributions from Armenian-Canadians would greatly facilitate this project. Individuals are welcome to make a donation in any amount. The names of all donors will be entered in a special commemorative journal, one copy of which will be kept at the Armenian Embassy in Ottawa, while another copy will be given to the Museum of the Armenian Genocide at Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan. All contributors to the monument will be invited to the opening of the sculpture to be held on Saturday, September 21 at 12:30 p.m.
   As a special thank you to the patrons who made donations in the amounts of/or above: 250CAD, 500CAD and 1,000CAD, they will be invited to the Independence Day luncheon (1:30 - 3:30 p.m.) at the Adams Room of the prestigious Chateau Laurier Hotel near the Parliament Hill in Ottawa following the unveiling ceremony. Invitations for two persons will be mailed to them upon the receipt of cheques in the above amounts.
   The names of benefactors who donated 250CAD or more, 500CAD or more and 1,000CAD or more will be recorded in the commemorative journal on bronze, silver and gold pages respectively. Please make cheques payable to "The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia," and put "Monument Donation" on it.
   The keynote speaker at the Independence Day luncheon will be His Excellency Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the present Greek Ambassador to Canada, who in 1993-1994 served as the first Greek Ambassador to newly independent Armenia.
   I remain hopeful that this initiative of the Armenian Embassy in Ottawa, the importance of which has on many occasions been underlined by various representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Canada, will be given due attention and response.
Ara Papian,
Ambassador

 
Armenian tufa stone, out of which the Armenian Immortal monument will be carved.
click to enlarge
A clay model of the sculpture.
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