VÂRTOSU Valentin, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
The work is a massive cross, but its essence lies not in the form, but in the carved word - the text of the Creed (Symbol of Faith). This is carved directly into the stone, transforming the doctrine into a physical body. The faith is not quoted, but embodied. The sandstone, with its asperities, suggests durability and resistance over time.
The text is not perfectly legible at a glance - it requires closeness, patience, slow reading. Just like the act of faith: it is not consumed instantly. The cross seems slightly unbalanced, as if the upper fragment were pressing heavily on the base. This tension suggests the weight of the creed: not as an imposed burden, but as an assumed responsibility.
Being located in an inhabited urban space, the work brings a liturgical text into everyday life. The sculpture is not isolated in a sacred space, but placed in the middle of the city, where faith coexists with daily routine. No characters, auxiliary symbols or traditional iconography appear in the field of the work. Everything is reduced to the cross and the text.
This austerity reinforces the idea that the essence of Christianity lies in confession, not in representation. The Creed of the sculptor Vârtosu is a sculpture-testimony. It does not invite aesthetic creation, but rather reading, reflection and assumption. It is a cross that speaks not through image, but through word turned to stone - a stable, essential, public and unornamented form of faith.
Explore the locations in Ungheni where sculptures representing the cultural heritage of the Middle Prut Valley are located. Click on the pins to discover the works of art.