TSITSERNAKABERD (GENOCIDE MEMORIAL)

Situated on the west bank of the Hrazdan, the wooded hill of Tsitsernakaberd (Swallow Fortress) is a place for walking and meditation. Every April 24, the people of Yerevan and other regions of Armenia, behind their religious and political leaders, march in a long procession up the shady alleys of this park to gather at its summit, in front of the memorial dedicated to the victims of the 1915 genocide, erected on a vast paved esplanade. Few people in Yerevan fail in their duty of remembrance on this national holiday of mourning. Built in 1965 (architects Tarkhanian and Kalachian, sculptor Khatchatrian), this monument is composed of massive grey basalt stelae leaning over the eternal flame as a sign of mourning, and two arrows rising towards the sky symbolizing the rebirth of the Armenian people. Not far away, a khatchkar pays tribute to the victims of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku from 1988 to 1990. The April 24th commemorations, to the sound of Komitas' music, which is conducive to meditation, are a moment of intense emotion, shared by Armenians of the Diaspora, some of whom travel to Yerevan to take part in it, but also by foreign visitors, famous or anonymous. The protocol requires that foreign officials visiting Yerevan lay a wreath at the memorial, plant a tree in honor of the victims in the "Garden of Memory", and sign the museum's guest book. This is where you can recognize Armenia's true friends. Thus, J. Chirac in 2006, N. Sarkozy in 2011, F. Hollande in 2014 and 2015, E. Macron in 2018, had sacrificed to this ritual.

2015: the centenary of the genocide. The 100th anniversary of the genocide, in 2015, gave rise to numerous events, manifestations, conferences and symposia, in Armenia and around the world, culminating in the ceremony on 24 April in Tsitsernakaberd. The day before, Armenian churches around the world had sounded the knell in memory of the victims of the genocide, canonized by the Catholicos at a solemn mass in Etchmiadzin. The Armenian authorities, who had actively prepared for the Jubilee Year, had called upon the world's leaders to take communion in mourning for their nation, victim of a crime against humanity that was not yet universally recognized as genocide. F. Holland and V. Putin had attended the ceremonies, along with many foreign delegations.