Financiarul

What is happening today to the Romanian cultural heritage is desecration pure and simple, parish priest Iustin Marchis of the Stavropoleoss Church of Bucharest told a debate on Tuesday evening on a report by the Presidential Board on Built Heritage, Historic and Natural Sites, hosted by the Bucharest Romanian Culture Institute (ICR).

Marchis said at least one church official should be sitting on the presidential board, who will be able to further the message of support for the national heritage. “What is happening to the Romanian cultural heritage, both ecclesiastical and laic, has a common name, and that is desecration. Church people are sometimes implicated is the destruction of the tangible heritage and in most instances because of ignorance,” said Marchis.

Moderating the debate at the ICR was ICR Chairman Horia Roman Patapievici, and among the debaters were Minister of Culture, Religious Affairs and National Heritage Theodor Paleologu, state adviser on culture and religious affairs with the Presidential Administration Bogdan Tataru-Cazaban, as well as specialists of the presidential board.

“There are indeed instances in which the culture departments fail to consult with the Monument Commission, but then there are also instances in which the minister may reject the decision of the commission, and I do that sometimes, only I do it contrariwise. If the commission agrees with declassifying a monument, it may happen that I do not want to declassify it and that has happened several times. I know there is certain irritation with this practice, which I assume it because my philosophy is what Descartes once said the more I irritate people, the better.This is my vision of my role: since the budget is small at least I am irking as many as I can, because that is the power I possess,” said Minister Paleologu.

Architect Serban Sturdza, chairman of the Romanian Architects” Guild and co-chair of the Presidential Board on Built Heritage, Historic and Natural Sites, told the participants about the hardships of the board in drawing up the report, starting with financial hardships and including the refusal of people to provide the requested information. “The report is one thing; it can be buried even tomorrow, but what is happening in the country cannot be concealed.

Destructions will continue, camouflaged and concealed. Our report indicates a disastrous state and the first condition is that you have to acknowledge it so that you can rectify it afterwards. Some hundreds of pages have no importance, only to the extent they are read; things have to be regarded as in a crisis situation, not a normal state,” said Sturdza.

Dan Mohanu, head of the Heritage Refurbishment Chair of the National University of Arts Dan Mohanu, another co-chair of the presidential board, said the report was born out of the need to respond to an emergency, which was what is happening to the tangible heritage of Bucharest City. The report of the Presidential Board on Built Heritage, Historic and Natural Sites was officially released on September 21 at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.