Monument of the Holy Mother of God (Haskovo)

The Monument of the Holy Mother of God is a monument in Haskovo, a city in southeastern Bulgaria. The monument is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus and was unveiled in 2003. Standing at a total height of 31 metres or 102 feet (of which the statue itself is 14 m or 46 ft), the monument has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus in the world. The Virgin Mary is the traditional patron saint of Haskovo. The Bulgarian National Revival-time Church of the Holy Mother of God, built from 1832 to 1837, was the first cathedral to be built in Haskovo in modern times. The feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God on 8 September has been celebrated as one of the most important holidays of that city. The earliest record of an organized celebration dates from 1896 and the feast was officially proclaimed the Day of Haskovo in 1993. Construction of the Monument of the Holy Mother of God was approved by the Haskovo municipal council in September 2002.