The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the statue-complex of Jesus Christ was held on the top of Hatis Mountain on Saturday.
“A few years after this historic day, the statue of the Savior will rise in Armenia as a symbol of unity, hope and light,” initiator of the project Gagik Tsarukyan said in a Facebook post.
Attending the ceremony were Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan and Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili.
“It was with excitement that I witnessed the groundbreaking ceremony for the installation of the statue of Christ in Armenia,” Pololikashvili said in a Twitter post.
He expressed gratitude to Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan and businessman and philanthropist Gagik Tsarukyan for the invitation.
The Armenian government greenlighted the project earlier this week.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the cabinet meeting on Thursday he believed the project would attract more tourists to Armenia and voiced hope that relevant agencies would discuss the issue in due time to get the project going as planned.