A joint concert by the “Hover” State Chamber Choir and the Vahagn Hayrapetyan Trio at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris marked the culmination of a series of events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Hrachia Acharian and the centenary of the launch of construction of Republic Square in Yerevan. Both anniversaries are included in UNESCO’s Calendar of Anniversaries of Eminent Personalities and Important Events for 2026–2027.
The commemorative events are dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.
Tigran Virabyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia, attended the event and delivered welcoming remarks.
He expressed his gratitude to UNESCO for including the two anniversaries in its calendar, emphasizing that this recognition attests to the global value and significance of Armenian cultural heritage.
“The life and scholarly legacy of renowned Hrachia Acharian are among the foundations of Armenian identity. He was not merely a scholar, but a devoted guardian of the Armenian letter and word, an architect of the Armenian spoken and written language. If Acharian built the temple of our language and thought, then Alexander Tamanian and the Armenian architects of his time gave form to our aspirations in stone. Republic Square has become an enduring symbol of the unity, revival, independence and statehood of the Armenian people - a crossroads where the Armenian soul meets its dreams carved in stone.”
Tigran Virabyan noted that the closing concert brought together different dimensions of Armenian cultural heritage — language, folklore, architecture and musical traditions — once again highlighting the Armenian people's creative spirit and their contribution to the world's cultural landscape.
Welcoming remarks were also delivered by Nayef Al-Fayez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, and Aram Hakobyan, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Armenia to UNESCO.
The commemorative events were organized jointly by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia and UNESCO. As part of the program, a photography exhibition entitled “The Square and Time: From Past to Future” was opened and will remain on display until November 2.
The exhibition features around 40 photographs documenting the history of Republic Square, selected from archival collections held by the National Archives of Armenia, the History Museum of Armenia, the Chamber of Architects of Armenia, “Armenpress” news agency and individual photographers.
The “Teryan” Cultural Centre also presented an exhibition of traditional Armenian costumes, featuring ornamental motifs inspired by the patterns of Republic Square.
The commemorative program also included a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Hrachia Acharian, the renowned Armenian studies scholar, linguist and academician. Entitled “Life as Science: Hrachia Acharian”, the conference focused on the significance of his scholarly legacy and his outstanding contribution to the development of Armenian linguistics.