chaczkar, Wrocław

Here is the chaczkar: an Armenian stone memorial set in the small square by Janickiego Street, unveiled on the twenty-first of September, twenty twelve. Follow the carving across the face of the stele; this is a work made for remembrance, not decoration alone. The volcanic-tuff monument was carved in Armenia by Taron Martirosyan and Bagrat Balabekyan, then given by the World Union of Armenian Painters.

Its inscribed message binds together the long Armenian presence in Poland, the genocide of Armenians in Turkey, and the suffering of Armenians and Poles in the eastern borderlands during the twentieth century. It mourns Armenians killed in Turkey between nineteen fifteen and nineteen seventeen, as well as Polish and Armenian victims murdered in the east during the Second World War. It also marks seven centuries of Armenian life within the lands of the Polish Commonwealth.

The dedication formed the main event of the Armenian Days held here. Nearby, Saint Adalbert’s Church holds Mass in the Armenian rite, giving this small memorial a living religious setting as well as a commemorative role.