The notion of a funerary monument is defined in art dictionaries as an edifice, usually of small dimensions (such as a burial vault), a sculpture or sculptured composition, a stele, an obelisk, a pillar or memorial gravestone, meant to mark the place of inhumation of one or more persons and to commemorate the memory of the latter (see: "Art Dictionary, Meridiane Printing House, Bucharest, 1995, vol. 1, p. 291). In certain cases, orthodox chapels, erected on the places, where Christian Saints and martyrs were subject to martyrdom, may be attributed to the category of funerary monuments (see category "Stone Churches").
Funerary monuments, in their various forms, exist since the very old times. Thus, many barrows of migrating populations that passed through these realms and erected these funerary hillocks in homage to the dead ones may be found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. There have been attested several cases, when summits of these barrows were decorated by steles or anthropomorphic sculptures, thus prefiguring the appearance of modern funerary sculpture.
Traditional graves of medieval Moldova represented either a gravestone with graved inscriptions and reliefs, situated in the burial vault of the church, or a vertically placed stone plaque in village cemeteries or necropolises in the neighborhood of monasteries or churches. Usually, the images of the cross, sun and moon, vine creeping stems or other figurative or decorative elements, inspired from folk art were depicted on these stone plaques.
The custom of digging burial vaults or erecting statues and monuments above the graves appears in the Republic of Moldova quite late. Hence, it is only after the joining of Basarabia to Tsarist Empire in 1812, when funerary monuments started to be constructed with sculptures in the Neo-classicist style.
Samples of funerary sculpture, executed in the Classicist or academic style, appear in the XIXth century at the Central Orthodox Cemetery in Chisinau, cemeteries in Rascani quarter in Chisinau, Armenian and Polish Cemetery, Orhei, Soroca, Balti, Tighina, Cahul cemeteries, etc.
There used to be prestigious ateliers that were dealing with such a production in that period. One of such ateliers was "De Vecchi" atelier, which executed orders both for Chisinau and Odessa. Sculptures from the graves of Ana Tonbas (1839), Iordache Tomulet (1843), Natalia Markova (1876), burial vault decorated by sculptures of the Chancellor Semigradov's family (1912), located at the Central Orthodox Cemetery in Chisinau, assay the persistence of classicist and academic traditions in Basarabian funerary art along the entire XIXth century and even in the first decades of the XXth century. In the same classicist spirit the funerary monument of the Princess E.M. Cantacuzino (Gorceakov) was executed in the town of Otaci (1854). The burial vault of the Prince R. Wittgenstein's family is more sober, owing to the fact that it is placed in the former Lutheran Church in the town of Camenca (Transdniestria).
The memorial of heroes fallen during the World War I, executed by the sculptor Ion Antonovici at the Central Orthodox Cemetery in Chisinau, is dating from the Interwar period. The grave of choir conductor Alexandra Cristea, executed during the World War II, is remarkable by the utilized material: Gothic characters and conductor's profile are teemed in forged stainless steel.
The greatest part of funerary sculptures in Chisinau cemetery and other cemeteries are dating from Postwar period and second half of the XXth century. Some of these sculptures are executed in the most "authentic" traditions of "social realism". Sculptures, executed at the graves of the Hero of Soviet Union, Alexei Belski (1972, sculptor Lazar Dubinovski) and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Presidium of MSSR, Chiril Iliasenco (sculptor I. Poniatovski), are erected in the same manner. Other monuments represent only photographs of the dead ones, transposed on black granite (case of the graves, belonging to Pavel Botu, George Meniuc, Gheorghe Malarciuc, violinist Serghei Lunchevici, actor Chiril Stirbu, singer Angela Paduraru). The "profile" technique, executed in relief, is utilized in the case of the grave, belonging to the foremost poet, Liviu Deleanu. The sculptor Tudor Cataraga succeeded to create a real sculptural masterpiece with certain metaphorical traits in the image of an angel, portrayed on the grave of the scientist and publicist Ion Dumeniuc at the Central Orthodox Cemetery in Chisinau.
Funerary monuments of some men of considerable culture of the Republic of Moldova may be also found in rural localities, usually, in native villages of the dead ones. Thus, Liviu Damian's grave is located in Singureni (Judets of Balti), Maria Dragan's grave is located in Balauresti (Judets of Ungheni), Petru Zadnipru's monument is situated in Sauca (Judets of Edinet), Constantin Stamati-Ciurea's monument is located in Caracusenii Vechi (Judets of Edinet), the narrator, Trifan Balta's grave is located in Blesteni (Judets of Edinet), whereas in Pociumbeni (Judets of Edinet) the poet Teodor Varnav was buried in the XIXth century.
