In Chisinau, there is a landmark almost everyone knows: “See you at Stephen.”
The monument to Stephen the Great and Holy, located at the entrance to the Public Garden that bears his name, has become not only a symbol of the capital but also one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
The statue was created between 1925 and 1928 by sculptor Alexandru Plamadeala. The idea of erecting the monument emerged in 1923, when the artist was asked to develop a design based on a miniature portrait of the ruler dating from 1475. Plămădeală was also responsible for choosing the location where the monument would be installed.
The statue was cast in Bucharest in 1927 from bronze obtained by melting down six Ottoman cannons captured during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The monument was unveiled on April 29, 1928, marking 10 years since the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.
The statue is 5.2 meters high and stands on a six-meter-high pedestal made of Cosăuți stone. The entire monument reaches a height of 11.2 meters. An inscription was carved into the front of the pedestal: “Stephen the Great – Ruler of Moldavia. 1457–1504.”
The monument to Stephen the Great and Holy, however, has had a fate almost as turbulent as the history of the territory itself.
In June 1940, following the Soviet ultimatum to Romania, the statue was evacuated to Vaslui to save it, while the pedestal left in Chisinau was demolished. In August 1942, the monument was returned to the capital and installed in front of the Triumphal Arch. In 1944, as the front approached again, the statue was evacuated to Romania for a second time, this time to Craiova.
In 1945, the monument returned to Chisinau once again after sculptor Claudia Cobizeva, a disciple of Alexandru Plamadeala, identified it in a park in Craiova and informed the authorities of its location.
However, the statue was not placed in its original location. Instead, it was moved deeper into the Public Garden, and some of its inscriptions and other elements were altered.
During the Soviet period, the monument to Stephen the Great and Holy was neglected, while a monument to Vladimir Lenin was installed in the center of Chisinau.
It was only in the late 1980s that the monument returned to the center of public life. After being restored and returned to its historic location, with its original inscriptions recreated, it was unveiled again on August 31, 1990, one year after Romanian was proclaimed the state language.
Today, the monument to Stephen the Great and Holy remains one of Chisinau’s most important symbols. Flowers are laid here during official events, marches and demonstrations begin at the site, and for many residents of the capital, it remains one of the city’s simplest meeting points:
“See you at Stephen.”