Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 36/2. (2016)
Virgiliu Z. Teodorescu: Odiseea monumentului din Satu Mare dedicat cinstirii memoriei luptătorului pentru Unirea cu ţara, dr. Vasile Lucaciu
Marisia XXXVI Odiseea monumentului din Satu Mare dedicat cinstirii memoriei luptätorului pentru Unirea cu tara, dr. Vasile Lucaciu Virgiliu Z. Teodorescu „Sträbunii nostri ne-au conservat limba si pämäntul strämosesc; generatiunea care se duce a fäcut Unirea, Independenta si mult lucrat-a pentru libertate. Acum este rändul nostru: nouä ne este dat a completa unitatea nationalä, a intärii libertatea si a face ca egalitatea sä ne fie un пите nou. ” Vasile Lucaciu Odyssey of the monument dedicated to honouring the memory of the fighter for union with the country, Dr. Vasile Lucaciu from Satu Mare* Abstract Knowing the chronological sequence of the history of this monument should be a goal for all generations, requiring those from the XXI century to maintain a constant concern to ensure its everlasting presence in the public forum, as a beacon towards the unity of the Romanian nation. For those from the area of the Romanian territory at the turn of the XIX-XX century, the personality of Dr. Vasile Lucaciu is a notable one. He was born on 21 January 1852 and passed away at 29 November 1922, then buried on December 1 in the village of §i§e§ti of Mara mures, where he served after leaving the post of Professor in Satu-Mare due to the pressure of the oppressive regime against Romanians at the time. He was an active Romanian Greek Catholic priest, consistent and tenacious campaigner for the rights of Romanians in the territories incorporated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a leader of the Romanian National Party, and earned the surname of "Lion of §i§e§ti" through his undertakings in the decades since the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the next. He was one of the initiators and signatories of the Memorandum of 1892. He was arrested several times and finally sentenced to five years in prison. He was a definite and permanent example of living for the good of his people and, as such, after his death, it became a legitimate concern for his fighting comrades and successors to honor his memory by bringing a representative symbol into the public forum of Satu-Mare. Convincing steps were undertaken to ensure necessary funding and designate through competition a sculpting artist, who would achieve the modelling of the sculptural components. The work was finalized in Bucharest and cast in bronze by the experienced metallurgist Basil V. Rascanu. After completion of all operations (casting, recomposing of fragments, chiseling, spinning), in the spring of 1936 the statue was exposed for several months in front of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. Simultaneously in Satu-Mare steps were taken to select and obtain the placement area, execute the foundation, build the slab and the concrete pedestal plated with travertine. Then the statue was brought over and installed on its intended site. All these steps required significant human and technical participation. On 13 December 1936 it was followed by the unveiling and consecration * Traducere: Liviu M. Teodorescu 129
