The Armenian community in Shumen has donated to the city a "Monument of gratitude". The monument was officially opened for visitors today and it is located in the alley of the City Garden near Crystal Square.
The monument is an expression of the great thankfulness of the Armenian community in Shumen to Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people for the fact that at the beginning of the last century thousands of refugees from Ottoman Turkey were accepted to the region.
The official opening of the monument brought together dozens of representatives of the Armenian community in the city. The Mayor Lyubomir Hristov, the district governor Stefan Zhelev, the main donor and honorable citizen of Shumen – Kevorg Kesoyan, the sculptor of the monument Rumen Mihailov and other public figures have attended the opening ceremony.
"With this monument we would like to express our gratitude and to leave after us a memory for the future generations and all citizens of Shumen – a monument, a symbol of friendship, gratitude and loyalty from Shumen Armenians to Bulgaria," he said. His speech was made on behalf of the Armenian community in Shumen.
"Our two nations – the Armenian and the Bulgarian – have almost identical historical fates, and this unites us. Satisfaction is for both, the one who is grateful and the one who receives the gratitude "said the Mayor Lyubomir Hristov.
The monument of thankfulness is made of bronze; it is 3 meters high and 2 cm wide. It represents a detachable chapel. At the base of it there are wheels of ox cart, above them is the Gospel in Bulgarian and Armenian language, followed by a big cross in the middle, and a phoenix is placed at the top.
The total value of the monument itself is 55 thousand levs. 50 thousand are donated by the honorable citizen of Shumen – Kevork Keesyan and the rest of the amount is collected by the Armenian Church “Virgin Mary”.
