Sasuntsi Davit
40°09′19″N 44°30′34″E / 40.155296°N 44.509418°E / 40.155296; 44.509418
LocationSasuntsi Davit Square, Erebuni District, Yerevan, Armenia[1]
DesignerYervand Kochar (sculptor)
Mikayel Mazmanian (architect)
MaterialCopper (sculpture)
Basalt (base)
Heightstatue: 6.5 m (21 ft)[2]
total: 12.5 m (41 ft)[3]
Weight3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb)[4]
Opening dateDecember 3, 1959
Dedicated toDavid of Sassoun

Sasuntsi Davit (Armenian: «Սասունցի Դավիթ») is a copper equestrian statue depicting David of Sassoun (Sasuntsi Davit) in Yerevan, Armenia. Erected by Yervand Kochar in 1959, it depicts the protagonist of the Armenian national epic Daredevils of Sassoun. It is placed on a rock-like basalt pedestal in the middle of a large square in front of Yerevan's main railway station.

History

Background

The concept of erecting a statue dedicated to David of Sassoun, the epic hero from the national epic Daredevils of Sassoun, originated in the late 1930s, preceding the thousandth-anniversary celebrations of the epic in Soviet Armenia in 1939. Yervand Kochar was selected and he created it gypsum in just 18 days. The authorities erected the statue in the square in front of the Yerevan Railway Station to greet city visitors, the majority of whom came by train at the time. The statue was destroyed in 1941, days after Kochar was arrested for having supposedly praised Adolf Hitler.[5][6]:28

Current statue

In 1957, on the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, the Yerevan authorities decided to restore the statue. Kochar recreated it, with significant changes from the original, which notably included an old Arab man besides Davit. The restored (current) statue was inaugurated on December 3, 1959.[7][3] It was not immediately well-received.[8] The opening ceremony was attended largely by Armenians hailing from the Sasun region and their descendants, while senior officials from the local Communist Party did not attend.[5]

Restoration

In the post-Soviet period the statue deteriorated somewhat and the "cup of patience", at the feet of the horse, was stolen․ It was recovered in 2011.[6]:1 That year, the statue underwent general restoration, which was funded, primarily, by the Ruben Vardanyan.[5] The pool around the statue was also restored.[6]:18 However, in 2012 several sculptors said the statue needed further restoration.[9]

Description

Davit is mounted on his legendary horse Kurkik Jalali ("fiery colt") and wields his sword Tur ketsaki ("lightning sword").

The statue is made of copper[2][10] (though some sources say bronze).[11] It is 6.5 m (21 ft) tall, 9.3 m (31 ft) long and 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) wide,[2] and weights 3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb).[4] The entire monument, with the base, is 12.5 m (41 ft) tall.[3][4] The base is placed at the center of a reflecting pool with a diameter of 25 m (82 ft).[3]

Davit's face was modelled after the folk dancer Vanoush Khanamirian.[12][13]

Reception

The statue with the train station.

The statue, which earned him a State Prize of the Armenian SSR in 1967,[14] is widely considered Kochar's best-known and most important work.[18]

The statue has been widely admired by specialists and visitors alike,[lower-alpha 1] with some authors describing it as a masterpiece.[lower-alpha 2] Literaturnaya Armenia, a magazine of the Writers Union of Armenia, wrote in 1977 that it is "considered by many to be the world's best equestrian sculpture of the past century."[30][lower-alpha 3]

The iconic statue has become a symbol of Yerevan and a landmark of Armenia.[32][33][lower-alpha 4] Rouben Paul Adalian noted that the "dynamic and forceful" statue is "such a compelling work of sculpture that the image became an emblematic portrait" of Soviet Armenia.[37] David Marshall Lang called it a "spirited masterpiece" and a "fitting symbol of Armenia's national renaissance, and her age long defiance of her foes."[25] James R. Russell suggested that it is "perhaps the most widely-recognized emblem of Armenia" along with Mount Ararat.[38]

Others have called it a "symbol of the Armenian people"[16] and as "particularly consonant with the Armenian spirit".[39] Zori Balayan wrote that it has become a "symbol of the spirit of the [Armenian] people."[24] Ara Baliozian suggested that the "splendid" statue has "acquired archetypal dimension."[40] Aleksandr Dymshits wrote that the statue, along with that of Kochar's Vardan Mamikonian, is "epically grand and at the same time full of drama, movement, impulse, and passion."[26] Soviet travel writer Nikolai Mikhailov admired how it captures impetuousness like nowhere else.[41]

Proposals to relocate

Since the 2000s, some have proposed to move the statue to Republic Square, where the statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin used to stand before it was taken down in 1991.[42][6]:34[43] The key argument brought up by proponents is that the statue's current setting no longer fits its original. Most visitors to Yerevan no longer arrive by train.[35] When the suggestion was made at a 2006 competition, Mkrtich Minasyan, head of Armenia's Union of Architects, called the proposal reasonable, but opined that statue's proportions are small for the square and warned that it may be damaged while moving.[44][45] One proponent, architect Garri Rashidyan, wrote in his 2007 book that it may be the "best solution for replacing Lenin as the central and focal point of the most important square of our republic."[42] Kochar's son, Haykaz, reportedly said that placing the statue in Republic Square was his father's dream.[35]

According to researcher Diana Ter-Ghazaryan, David of Sassoun would be a safe choice because of the epic hero's fundamentally apolitical nature and his statue at Yerevan's central square would be acceptable to most Armenians. However, writing in 2013, she considered the relocation unlikely.[42]

Depictions

  • The film studio Hayfilm (formerly Armenfilm) uses the statue as its logo.
  • It appeared on a 1968 and 1990 Soviet stamps and a 1991 Soviet commemorative coin.
  • The statue is featured in the 1987 Soviet Armenian film The Road to Sasuntsi Davit.
  • The statue appeared on the obverse of 10 Armenian dram banknotes of the first series (1993–1998).
  • The Yerevan Metro tokens issued up to 2009 depicted the statue on in side.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "beautiful and spirited",[19] "remarkably powerful statue",[20] "adorns the city",[21] "very fine equestrian statue",[22] "magnificient statue"[23] "brilliantly and ingeniously handled"[24]
  2. ↑ David Marshall Lang: "...Ervand Kochar, creator of the equestrian statue of David of Sassoun. This original and spirited masterpiece..."[25]
    Aleksandr Dymshits: "...такие его шедевры, как «Давид Сасунский»..."[26]
    Murad Hasratyan: «...Քոչարի գլուխգործոց Սասունցի Դավթի արձանին...»[27]
    Apik Zorian: "...Yervant Kotchar avec son chef-d'œuvre équestre..."[28]
    Vazgen Azatyan: "Both monuments [David of Sasun and Vardan Mamikonian] can rival any examples of sculptural masterpieces"[29]
  3. ↑ Similarly, Gavrill Petrosyan, a Soviet Armenian author, wrote in 1981 that critics rank it as the "best equestrian statue of the past 100 years."[31]
  4. ↑ In 2008 Yerevan schoolchildren voted it as one of the city's seven landmarks. It was the only statue in the list.[34] An 2014 online poll by Yerevan Magazine found that Sasuntsi Davit is the most beloved statue of Yerevan.[6]:17 Many authors have called it Yerevan's finest statue.[35][36]
Citations
  1. ↑ "Davit of Sasun Square". yerevan.am. Yerevan Municipality. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Kazaryan, Manya (1978). Изобразительное искусство Армянской ССР. Moscow: Sovetskiy khudozhnik. p. 217. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Кочар Е., Давид Сасунский. 1959. Медь кованая. 650×930×220, Ереван
  3. 1 2 3 4 Simonian, Abel P. [in Armenian] (1963). Ереван: очерк истории, экономики и культуры города. Yerevan: University of Yerevan Press. p. 237.
  4. 1 2 3 Tigranyan, Sergey (June 2015). "Визитная карточка Еревана". Noev Kovcheg (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Կայարան ու Սասունցի Դավիթ' կենդանի պատմություն". mediamax.am (in Armenian). 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Yeghiazaryan, Artavazd, ed. (September 2014). "Արձանագրություն" (PDF). Yerevan Magazine (in Armenian). 9 (27). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Editorial (1959). "Սասունցի Դավթի արձանի բացումը". Etchmiadzin (in Armenian). 16 (12). Archived from the original on 2023-11-13.
  8. ↑ Daniellyan, Gayane (October 15, 2019). "60 տարի առաջ Երևանում տեղադրվեց Սասունցի Դավթի արձանը". azatutyun.am (in Armenian). RFE/RL.
  9. ↑ Mkrtchyan, Anush (15 June 2012). "Արվեստագետներին մտահոգում է "Սասունցի Դավիթ" արձանի վիճակը". azatutyun.am (in Armenian). RFE/RL. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "David of Sasun". kochar.am. Ervand Kochar Museum. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Voronov, Nikita [in Russian] (1984). Советская монументальная скульптура, 1960-1980 [Soviet monumental sculpture, 1960-1980] (in Russian). Moscow: Iskusstvo. p. 217. Давиду Сасунскому. Бронза, камень. 1959. Ереван
  12. ↑ "«Սասունցի Դավթի» արձանը". hushardzan.am (in Armenian). Armenian Ministry of Culture: Service For The Protection Of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum-reservations. 28 February 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Պատմության հետագծով" (in Armenian). Armenpress. 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Քոչար Երվանդ" (in Armenian). Institute for Armenian Studies of Yerevan State University. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "Многомерные объекты Рудольфа Хачатряна [Rudolf Khachatryan's multivariate objects]" (PDF). Di (in Russian). Moscow: Moscow Museum of Modern Art: 46. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-22.
  16. 1 2 Arzumanian, Ara (July 2001). "Henrik Igitian, Yervan Kochar". Armenian International Magazine: 72.
  17. ↑ Melikyan, Satenik (2016). "Մտորումներ Վարդգես Սուրենյանցի կորած կտավի շուրջ [Reflection on the lost canvas of Vardges Surenyants]". Kantegh (in Armenian). 4: 260. Archived from the original on 2023-11-23.
  18. ↑ [15][16][17]
  19. ↑ Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Journal of the Asiatic Society, 1961, p. 215; also printed in Chatterji, Select Writings, Volume 1, 1978, p. 112
  20. ↑ Lewin, Joseph, ed. (1972). "May the Atom ... " A Report of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Delegation to the U.S.S.R., August, 1971. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. p. 103.
  21. ↑ Mikoyan, Nami [in Russian] (2003). Своими глазами (in Russian). Moscow: Vagrius. p. 82. ISBN 5-98262-002-5. Конный памятник Давиду Сасунскому, заказанный тогда Ерванду Кочару, украшает город до сих пор.
  22. ↑ Holding, Nicholas (2006). Armenia: With Nagorno Karabagh. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 101. ISBN 9781841621630.
  23. ↑ Avetisyan, Kamsar [in Armenian] (1979). "Երևանի ընդհանուր նկարագիրը". Հայրենագիտական էտյուդներ (in Armenian). Sovetakan grogh. p. 81. ...հոյակապ արձանը...
  24. 1 2 Balayan, Zori (1988). Дорога (in Russian). Moscow: Sovetsky Pisatel. p. 148.
  25. 1 2 Lang, David Marshall (1980). Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. Allen & Unwin. p. 227. ISBN 9780049560093.
  26. 1 2 Dymshits, Aleksandr (1978). Любовь моя, Армения! [Armenia, My Love!] (in Russian). Yerevan: Sovetakan grogh. p. 159.
  27. ↑ Hasratyan, Murad (2009). "Արարատ Աղասյան. Հայ կերպարվեստի զարգացման ուղիները XIX-XX դարերում, Երևան, "Ոսկան Երևանցի" հրատ., 2009 [Ararat Aghassyan. The Paths of the Development of Armenian Fine Arts of the 19th–20th Centuries]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (2–3): 274. Archived from the original on 2023-11-22.
  28. ↑ Zorian, Apik (1998). La culture arménienne: son passé son avenir [Armenian Culture: Its Past, Its Future] Volume 1 (in French). Catholicossat Armenien de Cilicie. p. 44. Les meilleurs représentants de cette période "postkhatchkar" ont été Yervant Kotchar avec son chef-d'œuvre équestre "David de Sassoun".
  29. ↑ Azatyan, Vazgen (1989). Ереван [Erevan] (in Russian). Yerevan: Parberakan. p. 207.
  30. ↑ "His statue of David of Sasun, a hero of Armenian epic tales, adorns the capital of Armenia and is considered by many to be the world's best equestrian sculpture of the past century."; reproduced in English in Sputnik: Digest, 1977, p. 56; in German in Sputnik, August 1977, "Mein Land, Armenien", pp. 56-62
  31. ↑ Petrosyan, Gavrill (1981). Armenia. Moscow: Novosti Press Agency Publishing House. p. 40. ...the imposing 12-metre-high statue of the national epic hero, David of Sasun. (The experts reckon that this is the best equestrian statue of the past 100 years).
  32. ↑ "Death of Varaz Samuelian". Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. November 7, 1995. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023.
  33. ↑ Bedevian, Ruth (15 February 2007). "Yervand Kochar - Incomparable Talent Evoked the National Spirit of Armenia". Armenian News Network / Groong. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  34. ↑ "Ընտրվել են Երևանի 7 հրաշալիքները" (in Armenian). Tert.am. 7 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  35. 1 2 3 "Մեր մայրաքաղաքի արձանները – 2 [The Statues of Our Capital - 2]". Aravot (in Armenian). July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  36. ↑ Ishkhanyan, Avetik (1 July 2019). "Երկու արձան [Two statues]". Hetq (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2019.
  37. ↑ Adalian, Rouben Paul (2010). Historical Dictionary of Armenia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8108-7450-3.
  38. ↑ Sital, Karapet (2000). The Heroes of Kasht (Kašti Kʿaǰer). Translated by James R. Russell. Caravan Books. p. 34. ISBN 978-0882060996.
  39. ↑ Kublitsky, Georgi [in Russian] (1984). The Soviet People: Portrait Sketches. Moscow: Novosti Press Agency Publishing House. p. 19.
  40. ↑ Baliozian, Ara (1980). The Armenians: Their History and Culture. New York: AGBU Ararat Press. p. 151.
  41. ↑ Mikhailov, Nikolai [in Russian] (1983). Panorama of the Soviet Union. Moscow: Progress Publishers. p. 196. Nowhere have I seen impetuousness so well as in this sculpture.
  42. 1 2 3 Ter-Ghazaryan, Diana K. (2013). ""Civilizing the city center": symbolic spaces and narratives of the nation in Yerevan's post-Soviet landscape". Nationalities Papers. 41 (4): 570–589. doi:10.1080/00905992.2013.802766. S2CID 128756570.
  43. ↑ Deheryan, Suren (December 5, 2003). "Արքաներ, հերոսնե՞ր, սարե՞ր. ո՞վ կփոխարինի Լենինին հանրապետության հրապարակում". ArmeniaNow. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  44. ↑ "Ս.Դանիելյան. «Եթե անհրաժեշտություն առաջանա, կվերաձեւակերպվի Հանրապետության հրապարակում հուշարձանի տեղադրման մրցույթի առաջադրանքը, լրացուցիչ մրցույթ կհայտարարվի»" (in Armenian). Armenpress. 25 November 2006. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  45. ↑ "Ո՞վ կփոխարինի Լենինին". Aravot (in Armenian). December 5, 2006. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
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