Bye-bye, Rio De Janeiro, welcome to Hatis
Armenia is set to put up a 33-metre statue of Jesus Christ on Hatis Mountain, positioning it among the largest Christ statues in the world. The project's initiator, the wealthy businessman and politician Gagik Tsarukyan, says the statue should serve as a guardian of the country and people while making a statement to the international community.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has expressed concerns, deeming the project inappropriate and contrary to Armenian Christian traditions. The situation became more complicated when, just a day after construction began, the Armenian culture ministry intervened, halting the project due to the site's historical significance. Mount Hatis is home to several state-protected ancient monuments. The design contest for the statue damaged a pre-Christian fortress atop the mountain, and road construction and new infrastructure for the project may have affected other nearby structures.
Despite this, construction continued partly due to the absence of local opposition, as Tsarukyan is popular among residents, and the project promises to create jobs for local villagers. Moreover, some view this as an important architectural landmark and a testament to Armenia's Christian heritage. ”This will attract tourists from around the world to see the Armenian statue of Jesus Christ, which is beneficial for our economy,” says Armen, a local resident.
Armenia claims the world's highest number of churches per capita. Many Armenian oligarchs, most notably Tsarukyan, have invested heavily in constructing churches and other symbols of Christianity, such as cross stones and statues of saints.
With a landscape already filled with magnificent and historic sanctuaries, one might wonder why this relentless construction continues. Are these oligarchs doing this to ”atone for their sins” or to pay less taxes? Or could this simply be a standard investment to hide their money? Not to mention, many church projects in Armenia are not funded through dedicated public budgets or revenue sources; instead, they rely on large one-time donations from benefactors, mostly from the diaspora.