Porumbăcean, Claudiu (szerk.): Satu Mare. Studii şi comunicări. Seria istorie-etnografie-artă 34/2. (2018)
Virgiliu Z. Teodorescu: Odiseea monumentului din Satu Mare dedicat cinstirii memoriei luptătorului pentru Unirea cu ţara, Dr. Vasile Lucaciu
ODISEEA MONUMENTULUI DIN SATU MARE DEDICAT CINSTIRII MEMORIEI LUPTĂTORULUI PENTRU UNIREA CU ŢARA, DR. VASILE LUCACIU Virgiliu Z. TEODORESCU Abstract: (Odyssey of the monument dedicated to honouring the memory of the fighter for union with the country, Dr. Vasile Lucaciufrom Satu Mare) 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 Şişeşti of Maramureş, 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 Şişeşti” 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 ofl 936 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 of this Satu Mare - Studii şi Comunicări, nr. XXXIV/II, 2018, p. 235-254
