The Lions’ Obelisk: a stone monument in Copou Park, Iași
The Lions’ Obelisk (Obeliscul cu lei) is a stone monument in the middle of Copou Park in Iași, in north-eastern Romania, built between 1834 and 1841. About 13.5 m high, it is considered one of the oldest public monuments in the country, and it stands close to the famous Eminescu’s Linden.
The ruler who approved this monument was told that its four lions came from his own family coat of arms, while they were also said to stand for four European powers.
The history of the Lions’ Obelisk
The monument is also known as the Monument of the Organic Regulation, the first political, administrative and legal charter of the Danubian Principalities, adopted in 1831 in Bucharest and Iași while they were under the administration of the Russian general Pavel Kiseleff. In 1833–1834 the boyars and the city board of Iași laid out a public garden in a wooded area on the site of a former post station. This is today’s Copou Park. In a petition to Prince Mihail Sturdza, the great boyars and the high clergy proposed a commemorative monument in its centre, as a sign of gratitude to the two empires that had helped draw up the Regulation: Russia, the protector, and the Ottoman Empire, the suzerain.
The prince agreed to a stone monument, and its plans were drawn up by the Moldavian engineer Gheorghe Asachi. The money, 2,225 ducats, came from public subscription among the great boyars and the clergy. Work began in haste on 8 November 1834, the ruler’s name day, when the foundation stone was laid together with a box containing a document signed by the boyars of the Divan and by the clergy. Progress was slow. In 1836 the Viennese architect Johann Freiwald, who was also designing the Metropolitan Cathedral, was hired to build it, and he passed the task to the Russian engineer Mihail Singurov. Neither could bring the stone blocks from Șcheia. In the summer of 1841 the prince appointed Asachi, who had the blocks carried from Șcheia and the lions from the Iacobeni quarry in big carts pulled by many pairs of oxen. The monument was thus completed. The sculptors who worked on it were Polish.
The monument has a massive stone base with four lions, carved by Johann Semser, each resting over a sword with oak branches. On their backs rises the obelisk, a stone column 6–7 m high and weighing 10 tonnes; the whole monument measures 47½ palms, about 13.5 m. According to the tradition, the four lions represented the four European powers that had recognised the independence of the Romanian lands, but the proud prince was told that the country was represented by the column and that the lions came from the Sturdza family arms. The sides of the pedestal carried marble plaques with the arms of Moldavia and of Sturdza and two inscriptions, one in Romanian and one in Latin.
The monument was repaired in 1904, when its pedestal was covered with marble plates without inscriptions, and in 1906 it was surrounded by a thick metal chain. In the Second World War it was hit by bullets and shrapnel and later cleaned and polished. Soviet troops stationed in Copou Park destroyed its inscriptions and the arms of Moldavia and Sturdza. After the war a rose bed was planted around it. Nearby stand the bandstand, where the garrison band played, and Eminescu’s Linden, under which the national poet liked to rest.
Curiosities about the Lions’ Obelisk
- The monument is also called the Monument of the Organic Regulation, after the first political and legal charter of the Danubian Principalities.
- The four lions are said to symbolise four European powers, but the proud prince was told that they came from the Sturdza family arms.
- The stone for the base came from Șcheia and the lions from the Iacobeni quarry, hauled on big carts drawn by many pairs of oxen.
- The whole monument measures 47½ palms, about 13.5 m, and its obelisk weighs 10 tonnes.
- The foundation stone was laid on 8 November 1834, the ruler’s name day, together with a box containing a document signed by boyars and clergy.
- It is considered one of the oldest public monuments in Romania, and it stands close to Eminescu’s Linden.
Tours near Lions’ Obelisk
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting the Lions’ Obelisk: what to see
- Look at the four carved lions at the base, each over a sword with oak branches, and at the 10-tonne column above them.
- The monument stands in the middle of Copou Park, so it is easy to combine with a walk through the park.
- Eminescu’s Linden, where the poet liked to rest, and the bandstand are close by.
- Golia Monastery and Trei Ierarhi Monastery are about 2 km away, and Cetățuia Monastery about 5 km.
- It is an open-air monument in a public park; check local information for any current works around it.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Lions’ Obelisk is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Lions’ Obelisk
Questions
Where is the Lions’ Obelisk?
It stands in the middle of Copou Park in Iași, near Eminescu’s Linden.
When was the Lions’ Obelisk built?
It was built between 1834 and 1841 and finished under the supervision of Gheorghe Asachi.
What does the Lions’ Obelisk commemorate?
It commemorates the Organic Regulation, the first political, administrative and legal charter of the Danubian Principalities, and expresses gratitude to Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
How tall is the Lions’ Obelisk?
The whole monument is about 13.5 m high, and the obelisk itself is 6–7 m high and weighs 10 tonnes.
What do the four lions mean?
According to the tradition they represented four European powers, but the prince was told that they came from the Sturdza family arms.
What can you see near the Lions’ Obelisk?
Eminescu’s Linden and the bandstand are next to it, Golia Monastery and Trei Ierarhi Monastery are about 2 km away, and Cetățuia Monastery about 5 km.
Also nearby
Golia Monastery
Iași · walled monastery with a 120-step tower
2.5 km away
Trei Ierarhi Monastery
Iași · the church with façades carved like lace
2.5 km away
Cetățuia Monastery
Iași · fortified monastery on a hill above the city
5.5 km away
Eiffel Bridge, Ungheni
Iași · metal border bridge over the Prut, Bridge of Flowers
17 km away