Russian-Armenian Friendship Monument Uniform Cross
Uniform Cross – Russian-Armenian Friendship Monument
This white stone sculpture of two female figures united by the large cross is a monument to friendship between Russian and Armenian peoples. Between the two monuments – twenty years and almost two thousand kilometers. The first one was set in Moscow as a gift of Armenia to the 850th anniversary of Moscow (1997), the second, its copy, – in Yerevan in 2013. The authors of the ‘Uniform Cross’ Monument talented Armenian sculptors Frid and Vahe Soghoyan. Female figures represent Armenia and Russia, and the cross – a symbol of the common Christian faith, cementing their friendship. Relations between the two countries and cultures are quite immense, and numerous Armenian cultural sites and monuments in Moscow – a testament to this fact. In 1711 Peter the Great issued a decree, which said: “To care for Armenians as much as possible, and to facilitate what is needed, in order to get more arrivals and the desire to live in Russia”. Due to the fact that many Armenians settled in Stolpov Lane, in the XVIII century it was renamed in Armenian Lane.
Facial expressions on the two monuments are slightly different. In addition, it is stated that in Yerevan version of the monument the Armenian girl is on the left, and Russian – on the right. In the Moscow version – the other way around: Russian girl on the left, and Armenian – right. The prototype for the Russian girl Maria served wife of the sculptor Vahe Soghoyan.
Russian-Armenian Friendship Monument Uniform Cross
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