The Great Patriotic War Memorial Complex in Vank village

The Great Patriotic War Memorial Complex in Vank village

Location

The memorial complex is located in the village of Vank, Martakert District, Republic of Artsakh. Since 2023, it has been annexed by Azerbaijan.

Historical Overview

The Vank memorial complex was built in 2004 to the design of architect Aleksan Babayan (Fig. 1). It was created within a single cultural landscape together with the memorial to the victims of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945).

Fig. 1. The general view of the memorial complex. Photo by A. Babayan.

Architectural–Compositional Examination

The memorial complex consists of an upright khachkar flanked on both sides by horizontal walls. The khachkar is five meters high (Fig. 2); at the top of the central cross angels are depicted holding swords (Fig. 3), while the lower section is flanked on either side by pomegranate motifs (Fig. 4). The horizontal wall to the right of the khachkar bears the engraved names of the fallen servicemen; on the left wall three leonine figures are installed, from whose mouths water was intended to flow according to the architect’s design (Fig. 5). In the architect’s interpretation, the lions represent the “lion-hearted” young men who sacrificed themselves for the homeland, and the flowing water signifies the “word of eternity.”

The inclusion of lions in the ensemble is noteworthy. According to the author, the idea derives from the leonine figures adorning the north entrance of the gavit of Gandzasar Monastery—traditionally regarded as emblems of the Hasan-Jalalyan lineage—and from the patron Levon Hayrapetyan’s preference. As a result, leonine figures were incorporated into this memorial; the village entrance was embellished with lion-shaped stelae; and one of the rocks near the village was fashioned into the semblance of a lion, among other elements.

Fig. 2. The central khachkar of the memorial complex. Photo by A. Babayan.

Fig. 3. The upper section of the khachkar. Photo by A. Babayan.

Fig. 4. The pomegranate carvings on the lower section of the khachkar. Photo by A. Babayan.

Fig. 5. The lion sculptures on the memorial wall. Photo by A. Babayan.

The Condition Before and After the War

As early as July 2024, the website MonumentWatch.org sounded the alarm about Azerbaijan's destruction of the memorials in the village of Vank (for details, see: "The memorials of Vank village are in Azerbaijan's crosshairs"). By May 2025, Artsakhs Monuments reported that Azerbaijan had destroyed both the memorial to the victims of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in Vank and the memorial complex commemorating the victims of the Artsakh Liberation War (for details, see: "On the eve of May 9: The destruction of the Great Patriotic War and Artsakh Liberation War memorials in Vank village").

 

This material was prepared with the direct participation of the memorial's architect, A. Babayan.

The Great Patriotic War Memorial Complex in Vank village
The Great Patriotic War Memorial Complex in Vank village
The Great Patriotic War Memorial Complex in Vank village
Artsakh