Grigor Khanjyan’s Monumental Fresco at the Yerevan Cascade

A vast fresco-triptych illustrating the history of Armenia is exhibited in the Khandjian Gallery at the Cafesjian Art Center in Yerevan. Widely regarded as Grigor Khanjyan’s greatest achievement, the monument consists of three large-scale scenes commissioned during the Soviet period and left unfinished at the time of the artist’s death: The Armenian Alphabet (1992–1994), Vardanank (1995–1998), and Resurrected Armenia (1998–2000).

The origins of the project date back to 1978, when Catholicos Vazgen I commissioned Khanjyan to create sketches based on the themes of Vardanank and the Armenian Alphabet for two monumental tapestries. While the Armenian Alphabet is self-explanatory, Vardanank refers to the heroic struggle of the Armenians, led by Vardan Mamikonian, against the Sassanid Persian Empire in 451 AD.

Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I and Grigor Khanjyan

In the summer of 1984, Khanjyan’s works The Armenian Alphabet and Vardanank were presented to the public for the first time. The tapestry sketches were exhibited at the House of the Artist in Yerevan and immediately attracted enormous attention. For weeks, thousands of visitors came daily to see the works, which touched upon some of the most significant chapters of Armenia’s past.

The tapestries were later woven in France at the renowned Pinton Brothers workshop in Felletin, near Aubusson—an internationally famous center for high-quality tapestry production. In 1984, the finished tapestries were installed in the Pontifical Residence (Veharan) in Vagharshapat. As the residence was not open to the general public, access to the artworks remained limited, despite widespread public interest.

Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I and Grigor Khanjyan at the House of Artists, 1981

To make the works accessible to everyone, Karen Demirchyan, then First Secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, asked Khanjyan to recreate the compositions as monumental murals. Initially, the murals were planned for installation in the newly built Sports and Concert Complex (now the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex), but no suitable wall was found. Instead, Khanjyan created the monumental Mother Armenia curtain-goblet for the complex, which was the second largest of its kind in the Soviet Union.

At the suggestion of his close friend, architect Jim Torosyan, Khanjyan turned to the Cascade Complex, which was still under construction. A separate hall was allocated for the project. Specialists from Moscow prepared the wall and applied a special primer, creating the surface needed for the murals.

Grigor Khanjyan at the construction of the Cascade with architect Jim Torosyan (left)

Khanjyan started painting the frescoes in 1992 using the tempera technique. Each cardboard sketch was individually attached to the wall; one by one, Khanjyan removed them, traced the outlines, and applied the paint. The Armenian Alphabet was completed in 1994, followed by Vardanank in 1998. Khanjyan then added a third composition, Resurrected Armenia, on which he worked from 1998 until 2000.

Grigory Khanjyan’s monumental fresco-triptych

The artist worked entirely alone under harsh conditions. The hall was cold, often without electricity or proper equipment. Khanjyan suffered from serious health problems, including deteriorating eyesight. The death of his wife, Jemma, in 1997 was a devastating personal loss. Despite all this, he continued to work with remarkable determination, often without adequate compensation.

Sadly, Resurrected Armenia remained unfinished. Grigor Khanjyan died on April 19, 2000.

After his death, the work was continued by Professor Henrik Mamyan, a distinguished artist and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, who followed Khanjyan’s original sketches. The work was completed in 2002.

Grigor Khanjyan is working on the third part of the mural “Resurrected Armenia.”

At the time, there were discussions about repurposing the first hall of the Cascade for official reception or ceremonial use, which alarmed Khanjyan’s family and the intellectual community. The situation was resolved when Gerard Cafesjian acquired the Cascade Complex, ensuring the preservation of the frescoes.

The Cascade was subsequently renamed the Cafesjian Art Center, and the hall housing the murals became the Khanjyan Gallery. Today, the Cafesjian Art Center is one of Yerevan’s most visited cultural landmarks, and Khanjyan’s monumental fresco-triptych remains one of the city’s most profound artistic treasures.

The Khanjyan Gallery is located within the Cafesjian Center for the Arts and is open from Friday to Sunday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The center is closed from Monday to Thursday. Entrance is free.