I'd be astonished if you were not familiar with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the famous monument honoring the brave soldiers who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. But you may not know that there are other similar arch structures built around the globe in memory of valiant soldiers who lost their lives for a cause .
I've seen four other arch monuments in my travels: in Rome, Delhi, Bucharest and Chişinău. Today, for Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday and the letter A, I share with you my photos of the small Arc de Triomphe in the small country of Moldova.
We arrived in the capital in the late afternoon earlier this year and I made it to the monument just as the sun was setting. The massive building behind it is the Government House of Moldova.
Chişinău, 2011
Unfortunately, I've been unable to find out what triumph this monument commemorates. I've learned that it is also called the Holy Gates, but to what I don't know.
Built of white stone this triumphal arch is similar in design to the one in Paris, but much smaller. The architectural details are rather pretty, I think.
Another confusing fact is that the references I found date this monument to 1841, yet the plaque offers the date 1846. It was restored in 1973.
I think these two plaques in the Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet (used only from 1938 until 1989) and the Russian Cyrillic alphabet... and I can't tell you which is what... are interesting and will fit sign seekers at Signs, Signs.
