Financed by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, the world’s largest statue of Jesus is expected to reach 101 meters on Mount Hatis, near Yerevan. The project plans to be assembled by trucks, aims to transform Christianity into a tourist brand of Armenia, and faces criticism from the Apostolic Church and environmentalists regarding scale and location.

The world’s largest statue of Jesus is being prepared in Armenia to occupy the top of Mount Hatis, an elevation of approximately 2,500 meters located about 25 kilometers from Yerevan. Financed by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, the monument is expected to reach 101 meters and remains unfinished after works started in 2022.

The information was published by The Guardian on June 21, 2026. The project is presented by Tsarukyan as a future tourist and religious reference for the country, but faces resistance from representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church and environmental groups concerned about the scale of the  construction and its effects on the mountain.

Monument aims to be seen from large parts of Yerevan

Video: Social Media/@tudo_e_geografia.

The location at the top of Mount Hatis was chosen to enhance the visibility of the structure. If completed according to the disclosed project, the white figure of Jesus could be observed from different points of the Armenian capital and nearby areas. 

The combination of the monument’s 101 meters and the mountain’s altitude will create a much greater presence than the isolated measurement of the statue. The endeavor intends to use the landscape as part of its visual scale, transforming the natural elevation into a base for a large-scale attraction. 

World’s Largest Statue of Jesus Will Surpass Brazilian Monument

With a planned height of 101 meters, the structure will be considerably taller than the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The comparison with the Brazilian monument has been used by the financier to demonstrate the international scale he intends to attribute to the Armenian project.

Tsarukyan also states that the world’s largest statue of Jesus will stand slightly above the Statue of Liberty in New York when considering the total height presented for the new monument. The symbolic competition for dimensions is part of the strategy used to draw international attention to the construction.

Structure Began Assembly Far from the Top

Although the final destination is Mount Hatis, parts of the statue were initially produced and assembled at a  construction site on the outskirts of Yerevan. At the site, the figure appears surrounded by cranes, workshops, stones, and equipment used in manufacturing. 

During the visit reported by the publication, the upper part of the monument was already standing out over the site, but the ensemble was still far from its final configuration. The existence of the large pieces does not mean that the installation on the mountain is complete, as the most complex phase involves transportation, foundation, and assembly at altitude.

Transport by Helicopter Was Dismissed by the Team

The initial plan was to take components of the statue to the top using helicopters. However, this alternative was abandoned due to practical difficulties and the dimensions of the pieces that needed to be moved.

The chosen solution involved trucks capable of transporting the parts up the mountain before the final assembly. The movement of giant elements through an elevated area will require suitable access, heavy equipment, and planning to avoid damage during the journey.

Project Remains Unfinished Since the Start of Construction

Video: Social Media/@tudo_e_geografia.

 Construction began in 2022 but progressed intermittently. Four years later, the world’s largest statue of Jesus had not yet been installed at its definitive point, despite the production of important parts of the figure. 

The absence of a confirmed completion date leaves doubts about the schedule. The challenge is not limited to the image’s fabrication, as it includes land preparation, transportation of parts, structural assembly, and creation of the necessary infrastructure to receive visitors.

Entrepreneur predicts 10 million tourists per year

Tsarukyan claims that the monument could attract up to 10 million visitors annually. The number corresponds to an expectation disclosed by the financier himself, and not an independent projection proven by publicly presented tourism studies.

The intention is to turn the site into an attraction known outside Armenia and associate the country with its Christian history. To achieve this flow, however, the project would depend on roads, parking, security, lodging, food, and the ability to organize large volumes of visitors in a mountainous region.

Christianity would be transformed into a national brand

Armenia is traditionally considered the first state to officially adopt Christianity, in 301. Tsarukyan uses this history to justify why the country should host the world’s largest statue of Jesus. 

According to the proposal, the monument would function as a new national calling card, combining religion, identity, and  tourism. The strategy seeks to transform a historical heritage into an immediately recognizable monumental image, capable of circulating in photographs, videos, and international campaigns.

Local church questions scale and religious language

The Armenian Apostolic Church has expressed opposition to the project, considering that its scale and style do not correspond to the traditional forms of Christian _expression_ in the country. The institution highlights the historical importance of churches, monasteries, and stone crosses known as khachkars.

These elements use architecture, sculpture, and symbolism unique to Armenian culture, without relying on colossal human figures. The religious critique does not reject the presence of Christianity in public space, but questions whether a gigantic monument adequately represents the local tradition.

Environmentalists warn of changes on Mount Hatis

Environmental groups claim that the implementation could cause permanent changes to the natural landscape. The preparation of access routes, movement of trucks, foundation works, and installation of tourist infrastructure may interfere with the soil and the visual aspect of the mountain.

The actual impact will depend on the construction methods, the limits of the area used, and the protective measures adopted. As the project intends to occupy a high and visible point, any transformation in the terrain may also be perceived from a long distance. 

Noah’s Ark integrates plan for new attractions

The statue is not the only biblical-themed  construction planned by the entrepreneur. Nearby, the development of a Noah’s Ark with 134 meters in length, 24 meters in width, and 18 meters in height has also begun.

The proposal includes a museum on the ground floor, a hotel on the first floor, and a café on the second. The association between the two ventures indicates the intention to create a tourist complex, and not just an isolated monument on top of the mountain.

Dimension divides residents and keeps future open

Some Armenians see the construction as an opportunity to expand the country’s international projection. Others consider the scale excessive and question whether a monument of this size should become the main representation of the national Christian heritage.

While the pieces remain at the construction site and the installation on Mount Hatis is not completed, the project continues between ambition and uncertainty. In your opinion, could the world’s largest statue of Jesus strengthen Armenia’s tourism or does its size exceed the limits of the landscape and local tradition? Leave your comment. 

Six Maronite monuments, one Armenian monument and two Latin monuments have so far been conserved or restored in the occupied areas, while work on the Armenian Monastery at Halevga is now being planned, the co-chair of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, Sotos Ktoris, told the Cyprus News Agency.

Historian, archaeologist and author Anna Marangou also outlined to CNA the history of Maronite, Armenian and Latin religious monuments located in the occupied areas.

Monuments already restored

Ktoris said six Maronite monuments, one Armenian monument and two Latin monuments had so far been conserved or restored in the occupied areas.

The Maronite monuments are the Church of St Anne in medieval Famagusta, the Church of Saints Marina and Theodore in Kormakitis, the Church of St Marina in Ayia Marina Skyllouras, the Church of the Holy Cross in Karpasia, the Church of Archangel Michael in Asomatos and the Church of St George in Kormakitis.

The Armenian church in medieval Famagusta has also been restored, along with two Latin monuments in the city: the Church of St George of the Latins and the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Ktoris added that conservation work on the Armenian Monastery at Halevga was also being planned.

Armenian religious monuments

Marangou said Armenians had lived in Cyprus since the eighth century AD, following the transfer of populations from Cilicia by the Byzantines.

Those who arrived in Cyprus settled in different parts of the island, mainly along the southern slopes of the Pentadaktylos mountain range, she said.

The Armenians were highly skilled craftsmen with extensive knowledge of fortification construction, she added, noting the strong influence of Armenian castles on Cypriot fortresses such as Kantara and Kyrenia castles.

During the medieval period, Cyprus’s Armenian community acquired a monastery at Halevga in the Pentadaktylos mountains. It had been built by Coptic monks around AD 1000 in honour of St Macarius the Hermit of Alexandria.

Known as the Armenian Monastery, it belongs to the Armenian Church and has a long history and considerable property holdings. Its golden age came during the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was also called the “Blue Monastery” because of the colour of its doors and windows.

It also held a decree from the Ottoman sultan exempting it from taxation, Marangou said.

The monastery remained an important part of Cypriot history until the early 20th century and received support from prominent Armenian families in Nicosia and Famagusta.

“An entire community developed there, with many Armenian residents of Nicosia taking part, particularly during the summer holidays,” she said.

Marangou, who carried out a historical study of the monastery with Alexandros Hadjilyra, said “the time has come for its conservation to begin” through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage.

Another important Armenian religious monument is the Church of Our Lady of Tyre in Nicosia’s Armenian quarter, near Paphos Gate.

Marangou said the church originally belonged to Benedictine nuns who had arrived from Tyre carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary believed to have miraculous powers. They built the large monastery, which still exists but is now in very poor condition.

The Ottomans later granted the church to the Armenians because of the support they had given Ottoman forces during the capture of Nicosia in 1570, she said.

The church received a Europa Nostra award for its restoration and is used once a year by the Armenian community, which provided much of the funding for the work.

The Armenian community in Famagusta had three churches, Marangou said.

One that survives is the Church of Panagia Ganchvor, also known as Panagia Kalousa. It was built in the 14th century by Armenian refugees from Cilicia who fled to Cyprus to escape Mamluk attacks.

The church is “literally a masterpiece”, she said. It is decorated with frescoes and was formally handed to the Armenian community by the British colonial administration.

Maronite religious monuments

Marangou said Cyprus’s Maronite community descended from the Mardaites, whom Byzantine emperor Justinian transferred from Lebanon to Antalya.

During the Arab raids, which lasted from the seventh to the 10th centuries AD, several Mardaites moved to Cyprus to reinforce the island’s defences against Arab attacks.

This marked the beginning of the Maronite presence in the Kormakitis area and along the southern slopes of the Pentadaktylos mountains, she said.

One of the most important Maronite religious monuments in the occupied areas is the Monastery of Prophet Elias in Ayia Marina Skyllouras.

Built in the 16th century, it developed gradually and served as a beacon of Maronite religion and culture for almost two centuries.

The monastery is now “unfortunately in a very poor condition”, Marangou said, although she stressed that efforts to conserve it would be “well worth undertaking”.

Kormakitis is home to the large Church of St George, which was built in the 20th century.

Construction took almost 33 years and involved Maltese craftsmen, giving it some resemblance to the well-known Co-Cathedral of St John in Valletta, Marangou said.

It was built over an earlier church also dedicated to St George, beside a small convent.

Near the Church of St George are the ruins of the Church of St Theodore, which probably dates from the 13th or 14th century.

The Church of St George of the Sowing is located on the Kormakitis coast and celebrates its feast at the beginning of the sowing season.

Marangou also referred to the Church of St Anne in Famagusta, which was granted to the Maronites and where a service was held after the crossing points opened.

Latin religious monuments

Turning to Latin religious monuments, Marangou said the Church of the Holy Cross near Paphos Gate had been built over an earlier 16th-century church.

“When a church is destroyed, or when the population of a religious denomination increases and needs a larger church, a new one is built over the older church so that it may receive the sacred essence of the previous building,” she said.

She also referred to the Gothic churches of St Sophia in Nicosia and St Nicholas in Famagusta, which were converted into mosques by the Ottomans after they conquered Cyprus in 1570 and 1571.

Marangou said she believed both “should have been UNESCO monuments”.

St Sophia was “one of the most important monuments in the eastern Mediterranean”, she said, adding that it had undergone “remarkable conservation work by Turkey” in recent years.

Marangou also referred to records of churches built in Famagusta by the Franks and Latins who came to Cyprus after losing Jerusalem.

The city had churches belonging to different Christian denominations and orders, including Nestorians, Jacobites and Carmelites.

She described them as buildings of “extraordinary artistry”, adding that a large number had survived.

Marangou described the Nestorian Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Famagusta as “a leading monument of the 14th century”.

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also in Famagusta, “is an example of how the Orthodox and Latin Churches existed alongside one another”, she said.

Medieval Famagusta reflected a multicultural society made up of Orthodox residents, Franks, Armenians, Maronites and refugees who arrived from Syria and Lesser Armenia, or Cilicia, she added.

“Famagusta may not have 365 churches, as tradition claims, but we can certainly count 30 extremely important churches within the medieval city,” she said.

Marangou added that the medieval cities of Nicosia and Famagusta “should have been UNESCO monuments”.

Efforts shift toward the upcoming stabilization of the historic Sourp Magar Armenian monastery.