Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău – Moldova

Posted on 09/04/2026 by Michael

Victory Memorial – Chișinău – May 9th, 1980

Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău – Moldova

The memorial park to the fallen of the Great Patriotic War in Chișinău is quite a large complex compared to many of the ones I’ve visited in the other post-Soviet Republics. In Moldova such monuments are now called ‘Eternity Memorials’. One aspect of this memorial (which is repeated in other Moldovan towns) is that the Eternal Flame is still burning. Sadly the flame has been extinguished in many places, for example, in Bishtek (Kyrgyzstan) and Tbilisi (Georgia). So at least in this small country there’s still that element of respect to those who had fallen in the anti-Fascist war.

Though it’s quite a large complex I don’t consider it very attractive – and that’s principally down to the colour of the principal structure and the six large stelae on the edge of the site that separate the memorial complex from the city’s main public cemetery.

Eternity Memorial Complex – Chișinău

The principal structure is in the form of a large, open pyramid formed by five, 25 metre high stylised stone rifles. The numbers 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945 are displayed on each of the struts indicating the years from the time that the Soviet Union was invaded until the year that the Red Army entered Berlin. In the centre is a five pointed star which houses the Eternal Flame.

The problem of this monument, for me, is its garish orange colour. That wasn’t always the case as, originally, both the pyramid and the stelae were the colour of the natural stone when the monument was constructed in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War on 9th May 1975 (when it was known as the Victory Memorial). The structure went through a renovation in time for August 24, 2006, which marked the 62nd anniversary of the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive (an important victory of the Soviet Red Army over the Fascist forces – both German and Romanian – in eastern Romania). It’s almost certain it was during this renovation that the decision was taken to paint the the major structures this stand-out orange colour – an insult (assault) camouflaged as taking care of an important part of Moldova’s heritage.

Eternal Flame

I have read that the pyramid and the Eternal Flame used to have a permanent honour guard (changing every hour on the hour) but that was not the case when I visited in 2025. It’s more than likely that now the honour guard is only in place during the days surrounding the May 9th Victory Day – which is still celebrated (and is a public holiday) in Moldova. This was the situation in May 2025 in Stalingrad in Russia.

At the western edge of the complex is known as the ‘Heroes Cemetery’ where there are a number of memorials, as well as individual graves, to Red Army soldiers who died in Chișinău, either during battles within Chișinău itself in 1941 or in nearby battles towards the end of the conflict in Moldova, in August 1944, when the Nazi forces were being forced back towards their liar in Berlin. In this part of the complex as well as white pillars with the names of individual soldiers there’s a symbolic belfry and a massive bronze laurel crown which is inscribed with the words ‘We didn’t forget you’. This slogan is reflected on the more modern, major monument where can be read the words ‘No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten’. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many in the post-Socialist Republics.

This would seem to indicate that there was a relatively small memorial to those who died in the Great Patriotic War constructed soon after 1945 but it wasn’t until 30 years later that the larger and more substantial monument we see today was constructed.

Red Army Cemetery

As I type this I’m trying to work out why the Revisionists (and traitors to the October Revolution and the Party, as well as the sacrifice of all those who died in the Great Patriotic War to defend Socialism) who were in control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1975 decided to sanction the building of such a major monument in Moldova and the other of the Soviet Republics at, more or less, the same time. All I can come up with is that as they were increasingly flailing having betrayed the cause of Revolutionary Socialism and so they celebrated the past in order to hide their ineptitude in the present.

Another monument, one that is much more recent than those related to the Great Patriotic War, is ‘Grieving Mother’, which is dedicated to the ‘War of Independence of Moldova’ from 1991-1992 which resulted in the establishment of the province of Pridnestrovie (called Transnistria by those in the west that challenge its right to exist) refusing – to this day – to be considered part of the Moldova which wants to integrate/ingratiate itself with the European Union.

There is supposed to be a black cross which was erected on the site of the graves of fallen German soldiers buried here. However, I missed that (if, indeed, it does exist). It seems to be very strange to have such a fascist monument in exactly the same location as the country’s principal monument to the Soviet fallen in the Great Patriotic War. I’ve come across a monument to the German dead in Tirana, Albania – but at least that’s in a different park to the location of the National Martyrs Cemetery. There’s something off about having a memorial to Fascist dead in the country let alone in a complex commemorating the country’s martyrs to fascism.

Along the walkways there are a total of 155 marble slabs with the names of those who died in the battle against Nazism.

As stated above there are six, very large, square stelae (also now painted the same bright orange as the monument containing the Eternal Flame) which contain images of soldiers but at the same time none of them reference the enemy against which they were fighting – that is, German Nazism. Without knowing the context they could be fighting in any 20th century war.

Stela 1941

The first, the one on the left as you look towards the main cemetery with the road at your back, makes an allegorical reference to the war. Here we have a young, almost naked muscular male sitting on the ground (not obviously injured in any way) with his right arm raised, above his head and slightly behind his back. In his hand he holds a huge sword with its point reaching to the edge of the stela. This might mean a willingness and preparedness to fight to defend the cause of Socialism and the lives of his family, friends and comrades. Not really sure I understand why he’s on the ground.

Behind him, is a female standing with her left arm raised with the forearm resting on her head. This would seem to indicate mourning and sadness but also a realisation that the possible sacrifice of the male (as there is no certainty that those going off to war will return) is necessary for the common good. The expression on her face also indicates grief.

In the left-hand top corner of this stela is the number 1941 – the year of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

The next four stelae have images of ranks of armed Soviet soldiers, in all of them marching forward – even though some of their comrades are injured – and urging those behind to join the fight. They are showing determination to throw out the invader although, in the actual war, there were some serious setbacks. But after the victory of the Red Army in Stalingrad the outcome of the war was certain. It was no longer a question of if, it was a question of when.

The final one, with the year 1945 in the top, right-hand corner, celebrates the victory. Here we have the image of three soldiers, almost standing to attention – their weapons no longer pointing towards the enemy. Their uniforms and headwear demonstrating the different units involved and the fur hat of the soldier on the right emphasising that this was a war of all the people’s of the Soviet Republics. The idea of peace is shown by the fact that there’s a young girl standing by the central soldier – who has his left hand resting on her shoulder. It is now safe for her carry on her life as normal, for her and all the children in the Soviet Union.

Near to the gated entrance to the complex there’s an alcove reached by a couple of steps which contains a semi-circle of marble stelae inscribed with the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union – one of them celebrating the achievements of Semyon Timoshenko. I’m not really sure why his name is included on the honour roll here. He was born in the Odesa Oblast in the Ukraine (which is close but still a separate Republic of the Soviet Union) and I’ve seen no reference to him being involved in any of the fronts that were established in Chișinău/Moldova.

Also to be found in this memorial complex to the dead of the Red Army is a Christian chapel. This is now common in such monuments throughout the post-Socialist world. This follows a ‘tradition’ established by the Roman Catholic church from the 15th/16th centuries were Christian churches were placed on top of religious sites of the indigenous American peoples in (now) Central and Southern America. Placing the European religious buildings in such locations was tantamount to thrusting a dagger into the heart of the defeated peoples’ beliefs. This was the so-called ‘extirpation of idolatry’. The same has happened in Europe. Capitalism and its obscurantist appendages are declaring their ‘victory’ over Communism. But such a ‘victory’ is only temporary.

All in all quite a cluttered site with many (often conflicting) messages. But interesting nonetheless.

Sculptors;

A. Maiko and I. Poniatowski

Architect;

A. Minaev.

Location;

9th May 1945 Memorial, Cemetery of the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War, Pantelimon Halippa Street 5,

GPS;

47.00906 N

28.83218 E

Chișinău National Fine Arts and National History Museums

Posted on 01/04/2026 by Michael

Lady of the Land

Chișinău National Fine Arts and National History Museums

Fine Arts Gallery

One of the notable aspects of the National Fine Arts Gallery in Chișinău is the way it’s been ‘curated’ to eradicate any overtly political reference to the period of Moldova’s socialist period. In this gallery the main concentration of Socialist Realist art is in the basement of the building and was predominantly represented by sculptures.

In these sculptures there is often a reference to the workers or peasants as a part of society, as individuals but part of a community, even though they may be depicted alone. An image of a worker isn’t the image of that person rather he or she is a representative of the participants in that particular work place, whether it be in industry or in agriculture.

But the sculptures don’t just make reference the national situation but also to international issues. For example, there’s a statue of a grieving mother (making reference to the Zionist bombing of Lebanon) and there’s a ceramic sculpture of a young Vietnamese woman – an idea of international solidarity amongst Socialist nations with the US imperialist aggression in Vietnam. Here we have a physical, artistic representation of the Socialist concept of solidarity with other peoples – something which doesn’t exist in present day Moldova whose concept of internationalism is in doing anything that will make the European Union accept their supplications for membership.

The exhibits on the other floors were very much displayed without any real effort of organisation as there didn’t seem to be any logic in what was on the walls in the majority of the rooms. A picture depicting workers during the 1960s at a hydroelectric dam, for example, would be next to one of an aristocrat/wealthy merchant from the end of the 19th century. But this lack or organisation (or, at least, any that I could see) does demonstrate the difference in emphasis from the different historical periods.

It shows the different way in which workers are depicted in Socialist Realist art from that under capitalism. Before the October Revolution ‘realist’ paintings of workers would emphasise the drudgery, the monotony, the drabness of labour. Socialist Realist art stresses the importance and necessity of labour but instead of a worker bring under the control of capitalism and working for the benefit of a few under a Socialist system the workers are working for themselves. Whether that always was the case is not important. That was the aim of the new society. Under capitalism labour is ALWAYS appropriated by the capitalist and insecurity is ALWAYS the lot of the worker.

And if workers are not depicted as being exploited and oppressed there is often a condescension oozing out of the canvas. For example, in this gallery there was a painting of a young (child) shepherdess playing a flute in the countryside – but she is bare footed. We have here a ‘cute’ image but it depicts the subject as if she is happy with her lot and poverty is not the scourge that it is – then and now.

It’s also noticeable that in the art produced following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s (and the rejection to a greater or lesser extent by the various republics of the socialist ethic) is that the art then turned back to what it was pre 1917. Basically, we have the return of religious imagery, depictions of the rich and the powerful, and again the marginalisation of workers in the true sense. (‘Good’ examples of this dark and depressing religious post-Soviet art can be seen in the last rooms of the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.)

Workers only appear as the backdrop. They’re only there to serve the rich and the powerful. The last thing they are allowed to have is choice and an active part in the society. They can vote, but only if they vote for what the oligarchs, the powerful, the rich, the capitalists actually want. If not, with the aid of the western powers (principally of America but also those of Europe and of Britain) local capitalists and reactionaries will do their best to foment dissension and division. Hence, in the last few years there have been demonstrations calling for ‘democracy’ which were disrupting daily life in Georgia and Moldova itself. These events follow the pattern that was so ‘successful’ in the Ukraine in 2014 and which led, inevitably, to the now more than four year proxy war in that country between the US/UK/NATO/EU and Russia. The role of organisations such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (and all the other clones of those US financed ‘soft power democratic change’ organisations) has become more widely known in recent years but there will always be some who are prepared to betray their class and their country for a mess of pottage.

The birth of the Virgin

There was a small collection of religious art in one room of the gallery but it was mainly from the 19th century. However, these relatively late examples followed the same conventions which had been established three or four hundred years previously. A couple of images I found interesting in this particular exhibition (and which you’ll come across in many European art galleries) was the depiction of the birth of the Virgin – not referenced at all in the Bible – as a child coming from a wealthy family although in the traditional Christian story of the Nativity Mary is just an ordinary peasant woman – who’s married to a carpenter! Yet come the Renaissance she was converted into someone from an aristocratic background, with her birth being attended by many women in a very sumptuous bedroom. I’m not exactly sure when and where that idea first came into the Christian story but it seems to be all part of the appropriation of the original, humble story, to fit in with the life styles and ideology of the wealthy and powerful in society. After all, when they had themselves depicted as attending the Nativity they didn’t want to have to be seen, in all their finery, standing knee deep in cow dung.

When I visited the art gallery at the end of 2025 there was a temporary exhibition of photographs on the top floor of the building. These were photographs of people who were defined by their relationship to the means of production. It was interesting to compare this exhibition of ‘workers’ with the images of the workers from the socialist period in the basement. The impression you got from these photographs was that these were purely individuals who happened to work in a particular industry or a particular profession. They were presented as individuals, their relationship to society in general being absent.

National History Museum

The Socialist period of Moldova’s history barely gets mention in this museum. There’s a small, although quite colourful reference to the art of that period in a small section of the top floor. Here there are a few ‘classic’ paintings of Socialist Realism, a few posters and in one large glass case different artefacts that would have been common pre-1990s. These include busts of VI Lenin, banners and pendants with Soviet imagery, ceramics with images of revolutionary heroes and the like. Also a series of abstract murals which were not that common in Socialist art.

Anyway, the images in the slideshow below will hopefully give you an idea of what is on show in the Art Gallery/Historical Museum in Moldova’s capital city of Chișinău. As well as in the art in a ‘formal’ context you can also see examples of Socialist art in the mosaics in Chișinău itself (as well as in Cahul and Bălți).

Location;

National Museum of Fine Arts of Moldova

31 August 1989 St 115, Chișinău

GPS;

47.02199 N

28.83021 E

Open;

Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-18.00

Closed Monday

Entrance;

Adults; 50 MDL

Pensioners/students; 25 MDL

National History Museum of Moldova

Location;

31 August 1989 St 121A, Chișinău

GPS;

47.02269 N

28.82811 E

Open;

Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-18.00

Closed Monday

Entrance;

Adults; 50 MDL

Pensioners/students; 20 MDL

Soviet-era mosaics in Cahul – Gagauzia – Moldova

Posted on 07/01/2026 by Michael

Mosaic in Cahul

More on Moldova – on the Post-Socialist Countries – Eastern Europe and Asia page

Soviet Mosaics – Bălți – Moldova

VI Lenin and Palace of Culture Mosaic – Ribniţa – Pridnestrovie

Soviet-era mosaics in Cahul – Gagauzia – Moldova

Cahul, in the south western corner of Moldova, close to the border with Rumania, isn’t a spectacular city by any means but it is the home of four large Soviet era mosaics plus a collection of smaller mosaics (some in a very sad state of repair) on the external walls of a kindergarten. Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, has a greater number but few of them are on the scale of those in Cahul.

The problem facing all Soviet era mosaics (and public art in general in post-Socialist countries) is due to a combination of factors; there’s little enthusiasm on the part of authorities (and the local population in general?) to properly maintain and care for these reminders of a previous era and there’s probably a lack of skilled artists (either with the skill or the inclination) to carry out such maintenance and repair. Being a central European country Moldova has a huge variation in temperature throughout the year and this plays havoc on the mosaics out in the open. Once cracks in the art work begin degeneration becomes exponential.

However, that degeneration on the four large has not developed to such a stage that a visitor cannot appreciate the skill of the (often un-named and unknown) artist/s.

Sports School

‘On the wall of the School building in 1989, a mosaic was executed by the artist GA Hadjioglov (in some sources Hadjalov), originally from Ukraine, a member of the Union of Plastic Artists of Russia, who has held numerous exhibitions all over the world, a series of monumental works in the Republic of Moldova in the period 1979-89, including two mosaics in the city of Cahul. Among them is this mosaic – a panel consisting of five stylized compositions with a sports theme, brightly colored, made of enamel (fused glass with pigments of different colors).’

From; Visit Cahul

In the four panels on the left and right hand sides of the artwork it’s possible to see represented; running, wrestling, boxing, field athletics, football, basket ball, cycling, volley ball and women’s hockey. (Or that’s what it looks to me.)

I’m not totally sure what is the story being told in the central panel. It depicts six female figures. At the top are four young women, the two on either side of the group playing a flute – or similar instrument. Of the two main characters the one on the right is holding what looks like an laurel branch (signifying victory?) and the one on the left has a living flame cupped in her hands. This traditionally signifies vitality, energy and passion that comes from competition. It could also symbolise the spirit of unity and teamwork – as in the Olympic flame.

There are a few signs of deterioration, but there is an obvious fault line running down the mosaic from top to bottom of the two panels on the right, especially through the image of the basketball player in red. Here some of the small tiles are missing. Other than that the mosaic looks in a good condition, indicating some level of regular maintenance.

Also on the bottom corner of the top left hand panel, the one with the runners, can be seen the name of the artist Gheorghii Hadjioglov (in Cyrillic) and the date of inauguration, 1989. Hadjioglov was also the artist for the mosaic on the front façade of the Palace of Culture in Cahul – see below.

Location;

The external wall of Sports School No. 1, Strada Bogdan Petriceicu-Hașdeu 4,

GPS;

45.90135 N

28.18862 E

Palace of Culture

This large mosaic, on the side wall of the large Palace of Culture in Cahul is also the work of Gheorghii Hadjioglov – who created the mosaic at the Sports School (see above). However, this predates that mosaic by 3 years being created in 1986.

(Here it might be appropriate to mention that many of the mosaics in Moldova seem to date from the late 1980s – this was following the introduction of the policies of Perestroika and Glasnost which contributed to the demise of what still existed of Socialism in the Soviet Union. That means they tend more to ‘the pretty and colourful’, lacking any strong political content and, therefore, more difficult to interpret the story being told or the reason for their creation in the first place.)

One of the reasons that its difficult (without any information about the intentions of the artist) to interpret the five panels of the mosaic as that there are few, if any, clues from the clothing. Traditionally, the first panel would be a representation of the October Revolution. After all this was the birth of the Republics of the Soviet Union – before then all that existed was serfdom, Tsarism, feudalism, exploitation and oppression.

Often the wording on banners help in the interpretation but the words seen at the top right hand corner of the first panel on the left seem to be only a part of the slogan and for a non-Russian speaker like myself, depending upon machine translation, it doesn’t make sense. Here’s what I think is the Cyrillic;

ВСЯ ВЛАСТЪ СОЕ ДА ЭАРАВСТВЧЕТ ПРО

which makes reference to a government but which and when is still a mystery.

The first panel does have elements that point to the October Revolution with a combination of armed soldiers and civilians. However, although the civilians are dressed as they might have been in 1917 the soldiers uniforms, and especially their helmets, seem to point to an earlier period. Is this, perhaps, reference to an uprising of the Moldovan people pre-October Revolution, therefore the image already attempting to roll back Socialism in favour of the nationalism that was to take over the thinking and politics of many of the Soviet Republics after 1990?

The second panel depicts three men and three women sitting at a table, all writing. Is this a reference to a literacy campaign? After all this is a Palace of Culture and universal literacy would have been one of the first goals of the Bolsheviks after the threat from the invading powers and local reactionaries had been defeated in the War of Intervention/Civil War.

The third panel depicts soldiers being welcomed by civilians. Are these soldiers returning home or are they liberators? And from which war are they returning? The uniform of the two soldiers has more in common with that of the armies that fought in the first imperialist war of the 20th century, with puttees on their legs and their bed rolls over their backs. And there is a total lack of any symbolism of Socialism in this image – no Red Stars and no red Flags.

The fourth panel depicts similarly dressed soldiers but here they seem to be going to war, the way they are moving and the soldier in the foreground kissing a woman in what seems to be a farewell kiss.

The final panel is a bit of a leap from the others. The central figures are a woman and a very young child. This is more reminiscent of a Virgin and Child scene than one celebrating the family under Socialism. However, here we have a woman holding a huge sheaf of wheat, an image that normally represents collectivisation and also there are images of grapes in the background, again indicating organised agriculture on a large scale – something that is evident for anyone who has travelled to any extent through the Moldovan countryside.

So that’s my ‘best guess’ interpretation of this mosaic. It might be well off mark but I can’t come up with anything better at the moment. There might have been some clues in Hadjioglov’s biography but I have been, so far, unable to find out anything at all about him.

In the bottom right hand corner of the final panel the mosaic is ‘signed’, this time just with the initials of the artist, in Cyrillic, together with the date of its creation, 1986.

Of the four large mosaics in Cahul this one shows the greatest signs of damage due to lack of maintenance. Throughout the whole length and breadth of the mosaic there are many places where the small, ceramic tiles have fallen away. So far this decay hasn’t developed to the stage where big sections of the image are missing but when a big enough space of missing tiles exists the weather damage can become exponential – this is demonstrated in some of the mosaics on the exterior of the kindergarten described below.

Location;

Bulevardul Victoriei 18

GPS;

45.90458 N

28.20079 E

Liceul Teoretic Serghei Rahmaninov/Theoretical High School Sergei Rahmaninov

Liceul Teoretic Serghei Rahmaninov

This mosaic, on the façade of an educational building, is some way from the centre of Cahul but still within a reasonable walking distance.

In the very centre there’s an image, slightly abstract, of a female figure. She’s obviously the most important image, both in size and the centrality of her position. She has her left arm, bent at the elbow, with her hand at near shoulder height and in her open hand rests a small object – but it’s not exactly clear what that is. Her right arm hangs down at her side, slightly away from her body. By her hand is something that resembles a painter’s palette. She is dressed in what would probably be described as ‘classical’ style. She is possibly an allegory for culture and art, or more likely ‘The Muse’. Her ‘classical’ dress makes a connection to timeless ideals, while the palette and other object perhaps symbolize creative and intellectual enlightenment.

Behind this main figure are two other females, one behind her on each side, just behind her shoulders. The one behind her left shoulder has the hand of her left arm, which is stretched down, resting on a swirl that looks similar to a symbol in musical notation. Are these the ‘handmaidens’ to ‘The Muse’?

Some ideas about the background which is a mixture of;

vertical and horizontal blocks and the triangular, almost machine like shapes – do these represent industry, construction and modern science? The arts are important in a modern developing society but they are dependent upon a healthy economy. Here we are presented with a faith in progress and technology;

bunches of grapes, which are on the left side of the figures, representing Moldova and the importance of agriculture in the economy (which also pays for education) and celebrating the vineyards found throughout the country;

images reminiscent of musical notation honouring the school’s namesake, the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov – connecting the education institution’s cultural mission to a celebrated figure;

there are abstract representations of what could be flowers at the feet of the female figures – this being a nod to nature;

behind, to either side of the female figures, and going upwards to the edge of the mosaic, are two large arcs which contain within them what looks like a representation of clouds – this could possibly represent artistic inspiration and the flow of knowledge, forever aiming for greater heights.

Not definite, but a possible interpretation.

To date I have no information of the artist nor the date of its inauguration, but as two of the other major mosaics in the town were created in the late 1980s I would assume this one would be dated at, more or less, the same period.

Despite the area being somewhat exposed the mosaic is in a very good condition.

Location;

Strada Păcii 6,

GPS;

45.89457 N

28.18949 E

Woman with doves and flowers

This, the fourth of the large mosaics in Cahul, is very different in style from many other mosaics in Moldova or any of the other post-Socialist societies in Eastern Europe. If we consider the three mosaics in Cahul described above they all had, if sometimes tenuous, a relationship to some of the aims of a Socialist society – the history of the country at the Palace of Culture; sport and recreation at the Sports School; and the idea of education and progress at the Rachmaninov school. Here there’s none of that and that would seem to indicate a very late creation of the Soviet era.

Here we have a simple, although spanning multi-storeys, image of a young, blond, blue-eyed woman. She’s dressed in a loose, flowing dress, with very wide sleeves and is barefoot as she walks through the countryside. Perhaps through a wood as the vertical lines behind her could well represent silver birch trees (as seen in some of the mosaics in Bălți). She is surrounded by flower heads and doves and with her arms in the air she might be playing with the birds. This is very reminiscent of ‘flower power’ images of young women of the 1960s. There is some sort of scroll going across her lower body which then swirls around above her head which might be representative of music.

Whilst the other large mosaics in Cahul are on public building this one is on the gable end of an apartment block, very close to the centre of the town. As in other parts of Moldova there isn’t a great deal of respect paid to the past culture as an air conditioning unit invades the edge at the lower right hand side and there is a one storey building, a small shop selling furniture, which cuts across the bottom of the work. It doesn’t look as if the more modern construction has obliterated anything important but it does make it impossible to see any possible signature and/or date – which would normally be placed at the bottom corner of such a mosaic.

Location:

Strada Mihai Eminescu near the junction with Strada Ștefan cel Mare

GPS;

45.90729 N

28.18979 E

Kindergarten

The last example of this Soviet-era art in Cahul is a number of smaller mosaics which are interspersed around the outside of a large Kindergarten on the northern edge of the town centre.

A number of them appear to be characters that you would see in a circus, dressed as clowns, some of them in very fancy gowns. There is one, which upon first glance is a Christ-like figure but on a closer look you see he is holding a bared sword in both his hands at waist level. Moldova, even in Soviet times, seemed to place Stefan cel Mare into public imagery so it’s possible that is who is represented here. As he was involved in battles against the Ottoman Turks I assume he represents Moldovan nationalism and independence.

When it comes to their physical condition they range from very well preserved to just hanging on by a thread. I didn’t come across any indication of the name/s of the artists or when they might have been placed there.

Unlike the others mosaics in Cahul these are not readily observed from the street. There’s only one that can be seen properly from the street. I was there when the school had closed for the day and was able to walk around the premises and able to see some of those in the best condition which are at the back of the building.

I don’t know if it became quite common to install mosaics on school premises but that’s a possibility – as can be seen by the large mosaic on the wall of the kindergarten in Bălți and also an interesting one on a school in Chișinău.

Location;

Strada Costache Negruzzi at the junction with Strada Mihai Eminescu (just a couple of blocks, along the same road, further north from the Woman with doves and flowers)