Mother Armenia

Armenia, Armenia

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Mother Armenia is a monumental female statue that personifies the nation of Armenia and serves as a powerful symbol of its strength, resilience, and defense.

The most famous version stands in Victory Park on the edge of the Kanaker Upland in Yerevan, overlooking the capital. It is a 22-meter-high copper figure created by sculptor Ara Harutyunyan, with architectural design by Rafayel Israyelian, and was unveiled on November 29, 1967, replacing an earlier statue of Joseph Stalin that had occupied the same pedestal.

The statue portrays a tall woman holding a large sword in her hands with a shield resting at her feet, facing west toward Turkey, and together with its 50-meter basalt pedestal the whole monument reaches about 51 meters. Its face and form were modeled on 17-year-old Yevgenia (Genya) Muradyan, who became the real-life prototype of the figure.

The monument is part of a larger military memorial complex that includes a museum and is one of Yerevan’s most visited landmarks, representing both victory in the Great Patriotic War and the enduring spirit of Armenian women who have defended their homeland. A similar but smaller “Mother Armenia” statue also exists in the city of Gyumri, erected in 1975 and echoing the design of the Yerevan monument.