Before
1965, there were only three memorials dedicated to the genocide of 1915
worldwide: the Martyrs’ Chapel in the monastery of Antelias (1938), the
stele at the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut (1939), and the
memorial at the courtyard of the San Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
in Buenos Aires (1961). Starting in 1965, there would be a true
explosion in the construction of memorials, both in Armenia and in the
Diaspora.
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| Inauguration of the Bikfaya memorial. This picture appeared on the cover of the special issue of the daily Aztag (May 9, 1970) and was taken by AP late photographer (and later New Yorker) Harry Koundakjian. |
The
commemoration of 1965 in Lebanon acquired a particular resonance. Even
though the government yielded to Turkish pressure and did not authorize a
projected march, the gathering of 85,000-90,000 Armenians in the sports
complex of Bourj Hammoud became proof that from here on the
commemorations would take a different direction.
As
the end of the fiftieth anniversary, in April 1966, the Catholicos of
the Holy See of Cilicia, Khoren I announced that a monument would be
built at the St. Mary’s Monastery in Bikfaya, which belongs to the
Catholicosate. The “Monument to the Fiftieth Anniversary” would be
located on a rock near the chapel of St. Mary and the Seminary. It was
commissioned to sculptor Zaven Khedeshian (1932-2018), already a noted
name in Lebanese art.
The
groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 23, 1967, by the three
Armenian spiritual leaders, Catholicos Khoren I, Patriarch Ignatius
Peter XVI Batanian of the Armenian Catholic Church, and Rev. Hovhannes
Aharonian. Bishop Karekin Sarkissian (future Catholicos Karekin II of
Cilicia and I of All Armenians), the dean of the seminary, read a
message on behalf of the memorial committee. He said:
“I
want that the eyes of soul see with equal truth and joy the bronze
statue of more than twelve meters of height elevating to the sky, which,
through the image of the restoration of a human body, symbolizes the
triumphant restoration of an entire people, from the terrorizing world
of sand and ruins, rags and wounds, suffering and torture towards the
world of healthy revival, febrile creation, and insatiable
construction.”
A
popular fundraiser was held to finance the construction of the
memorial, a bronze abstract figure of a woman standing with hands toward
the sky. The figure is mounted on a clef-like rock of five meters high,
beyond which is located the public space for public assembly. The
inauguration was anticipated for April 24, 1969, but recurrent political
crisis in Lebanon prevented the public commemoration of the genocide
that year.
The inauguration was postponed for April 24, 1970, when it became one of the main features of the 55
th
anniversary of the genocide. The huge multitude, which by some
estimates surpassed the number of 20,000, went from the ceremony held at
the monastery of Antelias to Bikfaya for the inauguration. At one
point, the traffic flow forced the mass to leave their cars on the road
ascending to the Armenian monastery and reach the place by foot. People
flooded the courtyard of the monastery around the memorial. After a
stirring “hokehankisd” ceremony, the first speaker was Boghos Douzjian,
representing the Memorial Committee, followed by Rev. Aharonian, Bishop
Mesrob Terzian (in representation of Patriarch Batanian), and Catholicos
Khoren. The keynote speaker was Khachig Babikian, Minister of Tourism,
on behalf of the President of Lebanon, Charles Helou, who sponsored the
inauguration.
During
the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, the memorial underwent a sabotage
bombing by the Phalange, a Christian militant party, and the lower
portion of the monument was heavily damaged. The monument was heavily
damaged but it did not fall. It was later repaired.
On
the centennial of the genocide, the memorial was renovated and an altar
dedicated to the martyrs was built nearby. The rocks and walls leading
to the memorial were ornamented with symbols related to Armenian
history, the Armenian Church, and the genocide, and a map of the
Armenian Genocide was added near the monument.
