Rafayel "Rafo" Israyelian (; – 8 September 1973) was a Soviet

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

architect. Seen as a follower of

Alexander Tamanian Alexander Tamanian (; March 4, 1878 – February 20, 1936) was a Russian-born Armenian Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical architect, well known for his work in the city of Yerevan. Life and work Tamanian was born in the city of Yekaterinod ...

, Israyelian designed some of

Soviet Armenia The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia ...

's most prominent structures, including the Sardarapat Memorial, the Yerevan Wine Factory and several churches, both in Armenia and abroad, most notably St. Sargis in Yerevan and St. Vartan in New York.

Life

Israyelian was born in Tiflis (modern-day

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, capital of Georgia), then part of the Russian Empire, on to

parents. His father, Sargis, was a philologist and folklorist born in

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

(Shushi), Karabakh, while his mother, Mariam (née Hakhnazarian) was a teacher, originally from Nakhichevan. Rafael Israyelyan and Ara Harutyunyan

He attended an Armenian school in Tiflis and continued his education at the State Academy of Arts of Georgia, from which he graduated in 1928 as an architect. He later moved to

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, where he studied at the Leningrad Institute of Communal Building from 1929 to 1932. He thereafter continued his education at the Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (formerly the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

) until 1936. Israyelian moved to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

in 1936 and worked at different state-run architectural organizations. He taught at the

Yerevan Polytechnic Institute The National Polytechnic University of Armenia () is a technical university located in Yerevan, Armenia. Established as the Karl Marx Institute of Polytechnic in 1933, it provides educational and research programs in various fields of technology ...

from 1941 to 1963. In 1936–41, Israyelian worked at the Haypetnakhagits (Armenian State Project) Institute for

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

. He completed a number of projects there, including the retirement home in Nor Kharberd and the dormitory of the Metallurgical Technical College in Yerevan. Israyelian then worked at the

first as a lab technician, then as an assistant, and after 1947, as an associate professor. From 1942, Israyelian started working in the Committee for the Protection of Monuments of Armenia, whose chairman was academician Hovsep Orbeli. Because of the war, there were no funds for the restoration of the monuments, thus the committee engaged in research instead. During these years Israyelian toured the entire territory of Armenia on foot. At that time, he thoroughly studied the

khachkar A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...

s, drew sketches authored a large volume of research. His research on khachkars was published posthumously in the '' Etchmiadzin'' magazine in 1977. It was the first thorough study of khachkars. During World War II, Israyelian also served in an anti-aircraft defense unit based in Yerevan. In 1947, at the conference of young architects held in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Israyelian's works won the first prize. At that time, he was already working on the Victory Monument the construction of which was completed in 1950. In 1952, after defending a thesis at the Leningrad Academy of Fine Arts, the topic of which was "My architectural works", he received the scientific degree of candidate of architecture. Israyelian was also designing a number of residential houses at the time. In addition to architectural works, he made sketches for

applied art The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...

, some of which were accepted for wide production. He closely worked with the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

, under Catholicos

Vazgen I Vazgen I also Vazken I of Bucharest (), born Levon Garabed Baljian (; September 20, 1908 – August 18, 1994) was the Catholicos of All Armenians between 1955 and 1994, for a total of 39 years, the 4th longest reign in the history of the Armenian ...

and was part of the architectural committee of the

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etc ...

from 1956 to 1972. Israyelian died on September 8, 1973, aged 65, at his Yerevan home, after a long illness.

Family

Israyelian married Sofia Muradyan in 1934. They had two sons and three daughters. His first son,

Vahagn Vahagn or Vahakn (), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh (), is a warrior god in Armenian mythology. Scholars consider him to be either the thunder, or sun and fire god of the pre-Christian Armenian pantheon, as well as the god of war, bravery and ...

(b. 1937), is a geologist and second son, Areg (1939–2001), was an architect, who completed some of his father's unfinished works.

Works

Israyelian was inspired by traditional

Armenian architecture Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenians, Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many o ...

, especially

church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...

. He utilized many traditional designs in his projects. His work combined traditional and

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

. In this aspect, he is seen as a follower of the neoclassical architect

. He also borrowed from the

architecture of Mesopotamia The architecture of Mesopotamia is ancient architecture of the region of the Tigris–Euphrates river system (also known as Mesopotamia), encompassing several distinct cultures and spanning a period from the 10th millennium BC (when the first pe ...

(

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

, and

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

). He extensively studied

s and his studies were published in '' Etchmiadzin'' magazine posthumously in 1977.

Memorials

Israyelian created two memorials dedicated to the victims of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, when its 50th anniversary was commemorated in 1965. The better known monument is located at

and was inaugurated on April 24, 1965. It features several crosses inspired by traditional

s and a sword and shield, symbolizing Armenian self-defense efforts during the genocide. The second

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

is located Yerevan's

Erebuni District Erebuni () is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It is situated southeast of the city centre where Erebuni Fortress is located. The name of Yerevan itself is derived from ancient ''Erebuni''. Erebuni is bordered by Shen ...

. The latter was sculpted by Ara Harutyunyan. Israyelian's best-known memorial is the Sardarapat Memorial, near Araks, Armavir, completed in 1968 and inaugurated on May 25 of that year. It is dedicated to the 1918

Battle of Sardarabad The Battle of Sardarabad (; ) was a battle of the Caucasus campaign of World War I that took place near Sardarapat, Armenia, Sardarabad, Armenia, from 21 to 29 May 1918, between the regular Armenian military units and militia on one side and the ...

, in which the Armenian forces stopped the advantage of Turkish forces towards Yerevan. He also designed memorials dedicated to self-defenses during the Armenian Genocide. The monument to 1915 Defense of Hachn, was erected in Nor Hachn in 1974 and the

Musa Dagh Musa Dagh (; ; ; meaning "Moses Mountain") is a mountain in the Hatay Province of Turkey. In 1915, it was the location of a successful Armenian resistance to the Armenian genocide, an event that inspired Franz Werfel to write the novel '' The ...

in Musaler in 1976. The latter was sculpted by Ara Harutyunyan. The

of the 1918 Battle of Bash-Aparan was erected in

Aparan Aparan ( , colloquially ) is a town in the Aparan Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, about 50 kilometers northwest of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 6,451. As per the 2016 official esti ...

in 1979. In 1967 a memorial designed by Israyelian was erected in the Armenian-populated village of Banants (Bayan) in Azerbaijan dedicated to the villagers killed in World War II. The memorial was demolished around 1990 during the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbai ...

. File:Հուշարձան Մեծ եղեռնի զոհերին, ArmAg 2015 (2).JPG, Genocide memorial in Yerevan (1965) File:2014 Prowincja Armawir, Wagharszapat, Pomnik ludobójstwa Ormian (02).jpg, Genocide memorial in Ejmiatsin (1965) File:Sardarabad Memorial.jpg, Sardarapat Memorial (1968) File:Nor Hachen memorial.JPG, Nor Hachn Memorial (1974) File:Musaler.jpg, Musa Dagh (Musa Ler) Memorial (1976) File:Aparan, Monument Veratsnund (Renaissance) - panoramio.jpg, Bash-Aparan Memorial (1979)

Religious

Israyelian designed two altars for

Etchmiadzin Cathedral Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the Mother church#Church as a building, mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located in the city Dual naming, dually known as Etchmiadzin (Ejmiatsin) and Vagharshapat, Armenia. It is #Oldest cathedral, usuall ...

, Armenia's mother church: the Main Altar (1958) and the Altar of Descent (1962). In 1972 the summer residence of the

Catholicos of All Armenians The Catholicos of All Armenians () is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Armenian diaspora. The Armenian Catholicos (plural Catholicoi) is also known as the Armenian ...

, known as "Haykashen", was built in

Byurakan Byurakan () is a village in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the slope of Mount Aragats. The village is home to several historical sites including the 7th-century Artavazik Church, the 10th-century bas ...

according to Israyelian's design. Israyelian designed several Armenian churches both in Armenia and abroad. In

he designed reconstructions of two churches: St. Sargis and

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. Both were completed after Israyelian's death. St. Sargis, which was entirely reconstructed, was completed in 1976. Architect Artsrun Galikyan further contributed to the design after Israyelian's death. The reconstruction of Saint John the Baptist church, designed by Israyelian, was completed in the 1980s. The reconstruction works were further developed by

Baghdasar Arzoumanian Baghdasar Arzoumanian (; January 1, 1916 – November 19, 2001) was an Armenian architect and designer based in Yerevan, Armenia. He designed a large body of civil and religious buildings as well as many smaller works. Education and background ...

and engineer Avetik Teknejian. Israyelian designed and co-designed three churches in the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

: Holy Forty Martyrs Church in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy (1958), St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(1968), and Surp Nerses Shnorhali Cathedral in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

(1968). The church in Milan was co-designed with Armenian-American architect Zareh Sourian, while the church in Montevideo with

Varazdat Harutyunyan Varazdat Harutyunyan (also Harutiunian, ; 29 November 1909 in Van, Turkey, Van – 20 March 2008 in Yerevan) was an Armenian academic, architect and writer. Biography Harutyunyan was born in the Ottoman Empire, in the town of Van, Turkey, ...

. St. Vartan is the first Armenian cathedral built in the US. It is based on classical Armenian church architecture, namely

Saint Hripsime Church Saint Hripsime Church is a seventh-century Armenian Apostolic church in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia. It was built in 618 by Catholicos Komitas over the tomb of Hripsime, a Roman virgin murdered by Tiridates III and a key ...

in Ejmiatsin. According to some sources, it was designed by Walker O. Cain, however, the Armenian church publication indicates Israyelian as its architect.

noted that Israyelian's design was only modified slightly. According to the website dedicated to Israyelian, it was designed by Israyelian, but because he could not travel to the US, its construction was supervised by Édouard Utudjian. File:Armenian Church, Milan, Italy.png, Forty Martyrs Church in Milan (1958) File:Echmiatsin monastery.JPG, Main Altar of

(1958) File:Saint-Siège d'Etchmiadzin 2017 - 47.JPG, Altar of Descent of Etchmiadzin (1962) File:St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.jpg, St. Vartan, New York (1968) File:Armenian Apostolic Church San Nerses Shnorhali, Montevideo.jpg, St. Nerses Shnorhali, Montevideo (1968) File:Haykashen.png, Haykashen (1971) File:Սուրբ Սարգիս, Իսրայել յան փող., ArmAg (3).jpg, St. Sargis, Yerevan (1976, reconstruction) File:St Hovhanes, Kond, ArmAg.jpg, St. John the Baptist (1980s, reconstruction)

Monuments

Israyelian designed two structures at Victory Park in Yerevan. The first is the pedestal for the statue of Stalin (removed in 1962), which has served as a museum of "

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

" (World War II). It was completed in 1950. It is now also the pedestal of the monument Mother Armenia (erected in 1967). The second is the main entrance to the same park, completed a decade after his death, in 1982. Israyelian designed several popular monuments near prominent landmarks of Armenia. In 1957 " Eagle of Zvartnots", created with Yervand Kochar, near the seventh century

Zvartnots Cathedral Zvartnots Cathedral ( (Classical Armenian orthography, classical); (Armenian orthography reform, reformed), sometimes rendered in scholarly works as Zuart'nots' or Zuart'noc' ; 'place of reserection/lifefulness/joyfulness') is a medieval Arme ...

. In the same year, on a small hill on the road to the

temple of Garni The Garni Temple is a Classical architecture, classical colonnaded structure in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, around east of Yerevan. Built in the Ionic order, it is the best-known structure and symbol of Armenian mythology, pre-Chri ...

, a monument known as Charents Arch was erected. It offers a panoramic view of

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

. It is often referred to as the "Arch of Ararat". Lines from a

Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents (; , 1897 – November 27, 1937) was an Armenian poet, writer and public activist. Charents' literary subject matter ranged from his experiences in the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and frequently Armenia and Arme ...

poem glorifying the mountain are inscribed into the monument. The " Lion of Geghard" was erected near the monastery of

Geghard Geghard (, meaning "spear") is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status. Wh ...

in 1958. It was sculpted by Ara Harutyunyan. The monument is inspired by the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the Proshian noble family found inside Geghard. In 1960 a monument conventionally known as the "Western Entrance of Yerevan" was erected in the outskirts of Yerevan, facing those entering the capital from the west (i.e. from the direction of

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Armenia, 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border ...

/Ejmiatsin). File:Hammond Slides Armenia 29. Former Stalin monument in Yerevan.jpg, World War II Museum (1950) File:2014 Prowincja Armawir, Zwartnoc, Pomnik przy wejściu.jpg, Eagle of Zvartnots (1957) File:Arc-tcharents.JPG, Arch of Charents (1957) File:Kotogh-Ughenish Geghard (4).JPG, Lion of Geghard (1958) File:Երևանի արևմյան մուտքը.jpg, Western Entrance of Yerevan (1960) File:2014 Erywań, Park Zwycięstwa (01).jpg, Entrance of Victory Park (1982)

Other buildings

Israyelian designed a number of structures and buildings for civic use. They include the Ararat Wine Factory in Yerevan (1937–1961); the Kheres Wine Factory in Oshakan (1950s); the Hrazdan Gorge Aqueduct in Yerevan (1950), with engineer G. Yeghoyan; Government House #2 in Yerevan's Republic Square (1955, with Samvel Safaryan and Varazdat Arevshatyan),view article online
/ref> the building of the Union of Artists of Armenia in Yerevan (1955-56); the Ethnographic Museum of Armenia near the Sardarapat Memorial (1977–78). His design for Kevork Chavoush Museum in Ashnak village was completed in the 1980s. He also designed restaurants in Yerevan ("Aragil", 1957/1960),

Hrazdan Hrazdan ( ) is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia serving as the administrative centre of Kotayk Province, located northeast of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 44,231. During the Soviet Uni ...

("Tsovinar", 1960), and

Vanadzor Vanadzor (, ) is an urban municipal community and the third largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the city h ...

("Kars", 1965). Israyelian designed decorative drinking fountains at the courtyards of St. Hripsime (1958),

(1958/59),

(1967), St. Gayane (1972), and in numerous villages and towns around Armenia (1943–46), including Parakar, Karbi,

Stepanavan Stepanavan () is a town and municipal community in the Lori Province of Armenia. It is located north of the capital Yerevan and north of the provincial centre Vanadzor, halfway between Yerevan and Tbilisi. As of the 2011 census, the population o ...

Sisian Sisian ( ) is a town and the centre of the Sisian Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. It is located on both banks of the Vorotan River, at an altitude of 1600 m above sea level, 6 km south of the Yerevan- Meghri highway, at ...

Artik Artik () is a town in the Artik Municipality of the Shirak Province of Armenia. As of the 2011 census, the town had a population of 19,534. As per the 2016 official estimate, the population of Artik was around 18,800. As of the 2022 census, the t ...

Goris Goris ( ) is a town and the centre of the Goris Municipality in the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. Located in the valley of the Goris (or Vararak) River, it is 254 kilometres from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 67 kilometres from the provi ...

Ashtarak Ashtarak ( ) is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 kms northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an i ...

, Alaverdi, and Taperakan. He also designed some of the buildings of the Kanaker Aluminium Plant (KanAZ) in 1948–50, a campus of the

Yerevan Physics Institute The A.I. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory () is a research institute located in Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 1943 as a branch of the Yerevan State University by brothers Abram Alikhanov and Artem Alikhanian. It was often referred to by ...

on the slopes of

Mount Aragats Mount Aragats (, ) is an isolated four-peaked volcano massif in Armenia. Its northern summit, at above sea level, is the highest point of the Lesser Caucasus and Armenia. It is also one of the highest points in the Armenian Highlands. The Ar ...

(1960), a large hotel (''pansionat'') in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia (1977), several residential buildings in Yerevan and other structures. File:Hrazdan Gorge Aqueduct, Yerevan.jpg, Hrazdan Aqueduct (1950) File:Plaza de la República, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 11.jpg, Government House #2 (1955) File:Arazul Yerevan.jpg, Aragil Restaurant (1957-60) File:Building of Armenian Union of Artists, Yerevan (7).jpg, Union of Artists of Armenia (1956) File:Yerevan Noy Ararat Brandy Wine Vodka Factory.jpg, Ararat Wine Factory (1937–1961) File:Թանգարանի շենք. Հայաստանի ազգագրության պետական թանգարանը, ArmAg.JPG, Ethnographic Museum of Armenia (1978) File:Gevorg Chaush museum 2015 aug pic 01.JPG, Kevork Chavoush Museum (1980s)

Legacy

Martiros Saryan and Artashes Hovsepyan created portraits of Israyelian.

Grigor Khanjyan Grigor Khanjyan (; 29 November 1926 – 19 April 2000) was a Soviet and Armenian artist, painter, and illustrator. He is most notable for his illustrations of historical novels and poems, and murals and tapestries on historical topics. In 1983 Kha ...

depicted him in the mural ''Revived Armenia'' (1999-2000). A street in Yerevan was named after him. In mid-2000s Israyelian's son Vahagn proposed to turn the second floor of Israyelian's house at 9 Saryan St. in Yerevan into a house-museum. The house, designed and built by himself, was demolished in October 2011 to make way for a hotel. The Municipality of Yerevan stated that Israyelian's son, Vahagn, had sold the house earlier and gave formal permission to demolish it.

Awards

Israyelian was awarded: *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1951) *Honored Artist of Armenian SSR (1961) *Honored Architect of Armenian SSR (1968) * People's Architect of the USSR (1970) ;Military awards *

Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" () was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" was established on May 1, 1944, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet o ...

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established on May 9, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote military partici ...

References

;Notes ;Citations ;Bibliography * * ;Further reading * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Israyelian, Rafayel 1908 births 1973 deaths Architects from Tbilisi Georgian people of Armenian descent 20th-century Armenian architects Soviet Armenians Soviet architects Mount Ararat