The Statue of Stefan Cel Mare

Equestrian statue of Stefan cel Mare in Iasi is a bronze monument dedicated moldovean ruler Stephen the Great (1457-1504), which was conducted by French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet and inaugurated in 1883 in the city of Iasi.
Initially, the monument is located in the Administrative Palace in Iasi, and currently before the Palace of Culture that was built after the demolition of the old palace.
The idea to raise a statue Iaşi a great voivode dates of Moldova since 1856, the desire caimacamului Theodor Balş to oppose Unification principalities. He hoped that the exacerbation of nationalism local Moldovan principality, create from Stefan cel Mare a symbol of power which would be demonstrated by the futility Unification Wallachia.
To this end, he appointed a panel of the backrest Mihai Cantacuzino, postelnicul Gheorghe Asachi and postelnicul Nicolae Istrate, who began a campaign fundraising. Gheorghe Asachi was the one who sketched portrait great voivode, based on descriptions of Stefan cel Mare made by Gregory Ureche Letopiseţul in Moldova and after painting of Stephen the Great Church of Bădeuţi (church built by Stephen the Great and demolată by Austro-Hungary in World War I).
According to the original outlines, the result voivode with a beard, of medium stature. Asachi's why the error was due to the fact that the paintings of Stephen the Great, even painted during his life, were the monasteries of Bucovina, which entered the province in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dr. Adriana Ioniuc, scientific director of the Moldova National Museum Complex of Iasi states that: "Stephen's beard appeared after restoring the original painting from the Church Badea, painters of the XIX century and adding voievodului beard, it was fashionable in those times "[1].
With the death caimacamului Theodor Balş in 1857 were the work of the system and making the statue. Abia în anul 1871, când la Mănăstirea Putna se sărbătoreau 370 de ani de la moartea domnitorului Moldovei, s-au reluat discuţiile referitoare la monument. Only in 1871, when the Putna Monastery is celebrating 370 years after the death of Prince of Moldavia, have resumed talks on the monument.
After the War of Independence, has opened a list of the public at the initiative of a national group patrioţi de inimi Vasile Alecsandri Nicolae Gane, Jacob, Negruzzi Pastia Scarlat, Alexander Stamatopol. They collected 135,000 francs, and in 1879 before ordering French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910), an artist in high fashion in Paris that time.
Documentation submitted sculptor is run postelnicul Gheorghe Asachi, French artist from carrying the statue in his studio in Rue L'Université, Paris. On 16 September 1882, after raising foundations, was seated in the middle soclului a commemorative act in recognition for moldovean famous ruler. The statue was finally exposed and the National Sculpture Fair in France in 1882.
the ceremony held on June 5 1883, in the presence of King Carol I and was memorable. Under a canopy of red velvet curtains and blue satin, was made the throne of Stephen the Great dug into the rock, found in the village Vânători-Neamt (Neamt County), under the feet of the Fortress Neamţului.
The statue has a height of 4.5 meters and is made of bronze, the ruler is depicted with a beard and a crown on his head Catholic. No never a model of authentic Crown Moldova, French sculptor for the statue from a model Iaşi crown Catholic, this was a serious contradictions and a legend.
Piedestalulul statue is made of pink marble from Carrara. On the sides of piedestalului are two altoreliefuri bronze, representing the fight Codrii Cosminului - 1497 (at left) and the Fight Podu High - 1475 (at right).
The statue is flanked by two cannons "Krupp", given by the King Carol I of Romania.Cannons were trophies of War of Independence, conquered by the Regiment of Dorobanţi Copou (who fought in that war).
Originally the statue was surrounded by an iron fence, which was subsequently removed by widening the market.
Currently, there are views which accredits the idea that the soil on which the statue is built is unstable and that the movement should be restricted in the area.