Komitas Pantheon is a lush park and cemetery located near the center of Yerevan. It is named after a monumental figure in Armenian musicology – Komitas. Born in Ottoman Turkey in the mid-19th century, Komitas was a priest who survived the Armenian genocide and greatly influenced both spiritual and secular Armenian music. The famous French Impressionist composer, Claude Debussy, also admired Komitas’s work.
Back to the park, the Pantheon is a cemetery and many prominent Armenian artists are interred there, including, but not limited to, Komitas, Avetik Isahakyan (writer/poet), Sergei Parajanov (film maker), Alexander Tamanyan (Yerevan’s chef architect), Vahan Terian (poet), William Saroyan (American-Armenian author), in addition to many others. Moreover, in 2015, within the park, the Komitas Museum opened (check out fellow Spotter Arpi’s article). The Museum is devoted to Komitas, his life, impact, and legacy.
This is a park I really enjoy visiting. There are several reasons why: it is serene and well forested; it is connected to the Komitas Museum, which hosts unique concerts; it is a historically important site; and, last but not least, it is located near the center of the city. Those traveling to Yerevan Mall should seriously consider visiting this park as it is on the way!