The decision to erect a memorial to honour the memory of the Defenders of Freedom and 13 January events was taken in 2000. The author of the memorial was Vilnius Architectural Studio, best bidder in the tender co-organised by the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Architects’ Association of Lithuania. The architects preserved an authentic fragment of the defensive walls erected around the Parliament back in 1991 and some elements of small-scale architecture.

The memorial is adorned by a chapel of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Authentic objects brought along by people during the events of January 1991 are on display on the background of the altar, including wooden crosses and a roadside shrine hosting the statue of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, brought along by a Lithuanian language teacher. At the time, the statue was an integral part of the makeshift altar. The solemn opening of the January 13 Memorial took place on 13 January 2008, in commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the Defence of Freedom.