Monument to Stephen the Great and Saint in Chisinau

Abstract

The personality of the famous Ruler of Moldova, Stephen the Great and Saint (reigned 1457-1504) and the victories he won in 40 wars and battles, his efforts to preserve the integrity and independence of the country, deserved the construction of a monument to him in the heart of the capital of the Republic of Moldova. This monument is the crowning achievement of the sculptor Alexandru Plamadeala (1888-1940) and the architect Eugen A. Bernardazzi (1883-1931). We find the true pages of the history of the construction of the monument in the memoirs of the sculptor’s wife, Olga Plamadeala. This article examines: the fate of the monument, the circumstances of its construction, the plastic and semantic aspects of the processing of the artistic image of the Great Ruler. The author examines three versions of the monument models created by Alexandru Plamadeala from the stylistic aspect, studying the evolution of the sculptor’s concepts in the interpretation of the image of the Lord.