HISTORICAL BUILDINGS
MEMORIAL SPRING TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS FROM RUMTIKIN (“LUSAGHBYUR”)
1975 թ.
State index: 1.5.13
Architect: Rafael Israelyan
Rumtikin, now known as Felahiye in Angora Province, Turkey, was one of the villages in Western Armenia. Situated in the central part of the Asia Minor peninsula, it lay 43 km north of the city of Caesarea, along the Halys River. Until the early 20th century, the village was divided into two parts: the eastern section, predominantly Turkish, with 200-300 houses, and the western section, predominantly Armenian. On the eve of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, the Armenian part of Rumtikin had about 750 houses, housing approximately 3,000 people, which constituted the majority of the village's population.
The village was home to a church dedicated to St.
Mary, which also housed the Parthevyan National School. The surrounding area
was rich in historical monuments, including cave dwellings, Bronze Age mounds,
the “House of the Dev” tower, and more. The most renowned monument was the holy
spring “Lusaghbyur,” located to the northwest of the village. According to
legend, Gregory the Illuminator was baptized in its white marble pool (10 × 6
m, depth 1.5 m). The pool, which resembled the layout of a single-nave church
with an altar and prayer room, was believed to have healing properties for
fever.
In the first months of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, the
Armenian population of Rumtikin was forcibly deported and brutally killed. Few
escaped this hell and returned to the village in 1918, but were forced to leave
it again in 1920. Some found refuge in Soviet Armenia, while others scattered
around the world.
In 1975, on the
60th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a memorial spring named “Lusakhpyur”
was built to honor the memory of the villagers from Rumtikin who perished. The
initiative came from Rumtikin residents living in the Armenian SSR and abroad. The
memorial was constructed at the beginning of the highway leading to Sovetashen
(now Nubarashen), situated on an elevated area on the right.
Designed by the
renowned architect Rafael Israelyan, the memorial features a rectangular
obelisk set on a basalt platform. Water flows from three taps located in an
altar-niche on the lower part of the obelisk’s front facade into a small
rectangular pool below, evoking the design of the old Lusakhpyur. The name
“LUSAGHBYUR” is engraved at the top of the obelisk.
A border extends from the back of the memorial, continuing along the right side and ending with a small carved obelisk. This obelisk depicts an eagle and bears the inscription:
“SPRING-MONUMENT
TO THE VICTIMS OF RUMTIKIN OF 1915.”
The platform and niche are made of basalt, the obelisk
and walls are made of red tuff. The dimensions of the platform are 10 × 7.6 m,
the height of the walls is 1.38 m, the dimensions of the obelisk are 8 × 2 ×
0.85 m.
In 2014-2015, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of
the genocide, “Lusaghbyur” was restored along with other Yerevan monuments
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. The area was improved, landscaped, and the
platform was paved with two-color tiles.
“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO
Yerevan Municipality
