A special concert of sacred music performed two months ago, in the
13th-Century St. Michael's Roman-Catholic Cathedral at Alba-Iulia,
Romania, led by Valerie Ciolos-Villeman, wife of Romania's Prime
Minister Dacian Ciolos, was organized to rally the country's citizens
to a national cause, namely, the purchase by the state of a statue
carved from limestone, called Cumintenia Pamantului
("The Wisdom of the Earth"), created in 1907 by Romania's
most important and celebrated sculptor, Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957).
Temporarily, for convenience of Bucharest citizens, the statue was
put on display in the lobby of the National Bank of Romania downtown.
"The truth is that it is an iconic sculpture for Romanians," explained
Alexandru Baldea in his interview with The Guardian newspaper. Mr. Baldea
is managing partner of the Romanian auction house which has been
charged with handling the statue's sale. "It's an iconic image that is
present in all the books about our national identity. The state used it
a lot in its cultural propaganda and transformed it into an icon of the
Romanian soul."
"I am going to donate,"Valerie Ciolos told the concert audience in
Alba Iulia. Her husband had already pledged to donate his entire
Prime Minister's salary for the month of April to the crowdfunding
campaign, which seeks to raise 6-million Euros before the end of
September; otherwise, the statue's present owners intend to put it
up for auction on the international market.
"Why donate?" Valerie Ciolos-Villemin asked rhetorically. "To me,
it is about a symbol, about Brancusi, who is a Romanian, a man who always
looked for the essence of things and who was an exceptional person. The statute
rightfully belongs to the Romanian people. In fact, to me it is about a symbol,
an archetype to which anyone can contribute what they can afford."
The Roman-Catholic cathedral at Alba Iulia was an especially appropriate
venue for this fundraising concert on behalf of the Brancusi statue-purchase
campaign, as it is steeped in history. The foundations of the building date
back tothe 11th-Century, with the current structure being built during the
13th-Century after the original building met destruction during a
Mongol invasion, and thus it is the oldest surviving cathedral in the
country, looking for most of the past 800 years much as it does in
the photograph above. Bishops, warriors and dignitaries from past
eras of Romanian history are entombed inside the sanctuary and are
visible to visitors.
Among them lies the coffin of John Hunyadi (1406-1456). He was
the dominant political and military leader of eastern europe in the
15th Century, and is credited with stopping the Turkish army from
a westward march to seize control of the Holy Roman Empire.
Adjacent to St. Michael's Roman-Catholic church sits an Orthodox
Cathedral, built in 1922-23 to be the site for the coronation of King
Ferdinand, and today known as the "coronation cathedral."
And the city of Alba Iulia itself has special significance for Romanians,
being the best preserved of the seven medieval walled citadels of
Transylvania, with past customs and ceremonies still being honored.
The National Day of Romania, celebrated annually on December 1,
commemorates the "Great Union" of Transylvania with the rest of
Romania's provinces, which was proclaimed in 1918 at Alba Iulia.
So now the world is watching to see if Romania's citizens will rise
to the challenge of donating an average of less than one-euro-per-person
for the retention of a famous artwork representing their acclaimed
sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
ALLAN CRUSE
15 JUL 2016