One of the oldest votive statues in Transylvania has only to be finished

The Romanian Communists dismantled it, and now it has returned to its rightful place, the marvelously beautiful Baroque Mary column.

Transylvania's second oldest votive statue, the Baroque Mary Column, was returned to the city center of Cluj. On Tuesday afternoon, an authentic copy of the statue of the Virgin Mary was placed on the pedestal. This was announced by Oláh Emese, deputy mayor of Cluj.

The politician of the Romanian Hungarian Democratic Union (RMDSZ) shared pictures on his social media page of the veiled statue of the Virgin Mary already on the pedestal. Everything will be in place soon, he wrote.

Stone restorer Zoltán Árpád Kiss, who is carrying out the restoration and reconstruction works of the monument, told MTI on Tuesday evening: the reconstruction of the votive statue is 90 percent complete, after which the final finishing touches will follow.

The next step is to replace the three angel eyes and ampoules, and at the same time to dismantle the scaffolding, so that the exposed elements are not damaged. After that, a final retouch and protective treatment follow. The latter can only take place when the monument is dry, said Zoltán Árpád Kiss.

The statue of the Virgin Mary and the other sculptural elements of the monument have been seriously damaged in recent decades, so the saint's statue and the original angels are placed in museum conditions. An authentic copy of these will be visible in the public square.

The pedestal of the 18th-century monument and the three ampoules, however, can be seen in their original form in the small square at the intersection of University and Farkas (Mihail Kogalniceanu) streets. Zoltán Árpád Kiss said that they are trying to complete the reconstruction work by the December 20 deadline. Currently, the construction company is also working on the design of the small space around the monument.

The Mary column in Cluj is the second oldest public monument in Transylvania, next to the statue of St. John of Nepomuk in Sibiu.

After several decades, it returned to its original location, in front of the Piarist church, at the intersection of University and Farkas (Mihail Kogalniceanu) streets, from where it overlooks the main square of St. Michael's Church.

The 18th-century baroque votive statue was demolished by the Romanian communist authorities in 1959, after its restoration, on the grounds that it obstructed car traffic. From 1961, it stood in the garden of the church of Saints Peter and Paul Apostles, located in one of the largest housing estates, closed to the public by two avenues, where it was barely noticeable due to the heavy traffic.

The representative body decided in 2018 to return the votive statue to the city center. Its restoration is part of the project requiring the complete renovation of Farkas Street and the surrounding streets, which will be completed at the end of the year.

In 1744, Antal Kornis, an important representative of the Transylvanian Catholic aristocracy, signed a contract with sculptor Anton Schuschbauer for the creation of the Mary column. He intended the monument as a thank you donation for the end of the plague epidemic that began in 1738.

MTI
Lelepo.hu

Cover photo: The covered baroque column of Mary on November 22, 2023, after it was returned to its original place, in front of the Piarist church in Cluj, at the intersection of Egyeteme and Farkas (Mihail Kogalniceanu) streets Source: MTI/Gábor
Kiss