Stepan Shahumyan Monument, Granite statue in Kentron District, Armenia.
The Stepan Shahumyan Monument stands on Shahumyan Square: a full-length figure of Shahumyan carved from pink granite on a stepped pedestal, shown at the moment of his execution. Behind it rise seven rectangular basalt pylons joined by an entablature of architrave and cyma, the sculpture and pylons sharing one stepped stylobate. It occupies the square's north-eastern part, against the boulevard.
The monument was inaugurated in 1931 to honor Stepan Shahumyan, whom Lenin appointed as Extraordinary Temporary Commissioner in the Caucasus. Its construction occurred during a period when the Soviet Union was creating memorials throughout its territories to commemorate revolutionary and political figures.
The square and monument carry Shahumyan's name; he was a Bolshevik leader and one of the 26 Baku Commissars executed in 1918. The statue shows him at the moment of his shooting, which is why the figure appears in motion rather than in a static pose. The monument is listed among the immovable monuments of history and culture of Yerevan's Kentron district.
The monument is located on Shahumyan Square near Republic Square and is easily accessible on foot from central Yerevan. The open plaza provides clear views from all angles and easy circulation around the site.
The statue stands where the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas once stood, demolished in the late 1920s along with several other churches of old Yerevan. The figure is carved at the moment of Shahumyan's execution, and the sculptor Merkurov gave it a sense of movement.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,632 contributors worldwide.
