In the 'Parcul Catedralei' (Cathedral Park) in Chisinau is the
'Monumentul celor trei martiri ai neamului' (Monument of the three martyrs
of the nation). It commemorates three men, one of which was Alexei Mateevici. The monument includes one relief each for them
(Mateevici in the middle) and has
the name and date of birth and death. On the right side an inscription says
"Sculptor Ionesco-Varo". The monument is the reconstruction of a monument
that was errected in 1933 (other sources say 1923) and destroyed in 1940.
Alexei Mateevici
"Alexei (or Alexe) Mateevici (March 27, 1888 – August 24, 1917) was one of the most prominent Romanian poets in Bessarabia.
He was born in the town Căinari, in Eastern Bessarabia, which was part of the Russian Empire, now in the Republic of Moldova. He grew up in Zaim, Căușeni. He studied at the theological school of Chișinău, and published his first poems (Țăranii (Peasants), Eu cânt (I sing), Țara (The Country)) in the newspaper Basarabia, where he also published two articles on Moldavian folklore. Mateevici later published several articles on religion in Moldavia.
Mateevici went on to study at the Theological Academy of Kiev, from which he graduated in 1914. In that year he married Teodora Borisovna Novitski. He returned to Chișinău, and became a Greek language teacher at the theological school. In the summer of 1917 he wrote the lyrics for Limba noastră (Our Language), which has been the national anthem of Moldova since 1994. He also volunteered as a World War One Romanian front prest, at Mărășești great battle.
He died a month later of epidemic typhus, and was buried at the Chișinău Central Cemetery. The street leading to the cemetery now bears his name."
Source and further information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Mateevici