HEAVENLY CROWNS FOR EARTHLY HEROES
IN BUCHAREST

-text and photos Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
design Florin Alexandru Stancu-

On the morning of 12 November 2016
a special aspect of the Sun fighting with the clouds made me go
to a legendary hill in Bucharest.

Here, in front of the Firemen Monument,
I commemorated one of the most courageous acts in world history.

Thus, in 13 September 1848 during the zonal variant of the European Revolution,
150 Romanian firemen (led by Captain Zaganescu)
fought against 9000 Ottoman soldiers to make a corridor to the Bucharest garrison
and to join 500 Romanian soldiers (led by Colonel Plesoianu).

And they did it!

The extended battle which followed was decided by the superior Ottoman guns,
but in the balance sheet of the confrontation
the number of the victims among the Ottomans were triple-quadruple.

That act of Romanian bravery had an anticipative character:
30 years later the Romanian army,
in alliance with the Russian army and the Balkan volunteers,
defeated the Ottoman army on the Bulgarian territory,
confirming the national independence declared in 10 May 1877.

Then, because the national independence is essential for a nation to become stronger,
the Romanians could obtain more successes the various fields of
civilization, culture, science and sport.

Returning to that morning,
I fully felt recompensed for my thoughts
by fascinating combinations between the Firemen Monument and the Sun,
decorated and crowned by artistic and respectful clouds.

I consider that one of the fields which preserves
the heroism of the Romanian firemen from 1848 is the rugby game,
where Romania, although far of the former English colonial influences,
still resists among the first 20 countries in the world.

That ‘s why the next challenge for me on that day was
to see the Moon over the National Rugby Stadium during a reference rugby match,
in which the representatives of a free nation, Romania,
played the representatives of the greatest nation in the world
(who had helped the Romanian Unions in 1918),
USA
(olympic rugby champion in 1920 and 1924,
and current rugby champion of North America),
for which the winner had to receive the Pershing Cup,
named after the commander of the American army that decided
the victory of the Entente in World War I.

(In fact, this trophy also commemorated
the first USA-Romania rugby match - score 21-0 -, played in 1919
during the Pershing Military Olympiad or the Inter-Allied Games.)

Although worried because the last two matches were won by Americans
(34-3 in 2012 and 27-7 in 2014),
this time I saw a superb Romanian victory (23-10),
saluted by the Casin Church
(nicknamed the Church of Romanian Rugby)
under the… Crowned Moon!

Finally, just because
“finnis coronat opus”,
I selected two “crowned” images as reference points for that day
in which Romania historically defeated the USA
in the most complex sportive game
(it is true, the Americans prefers their own variant of rugby,
named American football,
where they are invincible):
one with the Crowned Sun at the Firemen Monument,
to remember the fight for national independence in a world under pressure,
and one with the Crowned Moon in the middle of the rugby gate,
to remember the fight for sportive glory in a free world.

Independence… a bloody victory which
Gives birth to
More peaceful victories.

Otherwise, if the Sun and the Moon sadly shine,
You can ask yourself:
What kind of life is this?

HEAVENLY CROWNS FOR EARTHLY HEROES IN BUCHAREST

HEAVENLY CROWNS FOR EARTHLY HEROES
IN BUCHAREST