The Bulgarian Liberation in the works of Italian Arnoldo Zocchi

published on 5/23/13 10:33 AM

Photo: BGNES

On 23 May, an exhibition opened at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia as part of the program of the Third Congress of Bulgarian Studies. The display includes photographs under the heading Italian Sculptor Arnoldo Zocchi and the Bulgarian Liberation. There will be a screening of a documentary film dedicated to Zocchi and produced by the Bulgarian National Television with the tittle The Divine Florentian. The authors of the exhibition and the catalogue designed for it are Radoslav Spassov and Penka Shopova, film director.

On 3 March this year Bulgaria celebrated the 135th anniversary since the Liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish Rule that became possible after the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation that ended in 1878. The gratitude of the Bulgarian nation to its liberators has found an expression in a range of remarkable monuments. The author of some of the best among them was Italian artist Arnoldo Zocchi. He was a famous sculptor in the late 19 and early 20 c. His works can be seen in Italy, USA, Bulgaria, Argentina, Algeria etc.

In Bulgaria Arnoldo Zocchi was commissioned to create the Tsar Liberator Monument standing across the National Assembly building in Sofia, as well as the monument of Bulgarian volunteers in Ruse on the Danube and the monuments of freedom in Sevlievo, Central Bulgaria, and Oryahovo, Northern Bulgaria.

Arnoldo Zocchi was born in 1862 in Florence, to a family of artists. He grew up with the beauty of the River Arno and its lovely bridges, great sunsets and bird flocks. At first young Arnoldo was not keen on art and took a deep interest in classical languages. At 18 however, he joined the Art Academy in Florence to study sculpture in the class of Prof. Emilio Zocchi, his own father. His talent stood out immediately, and the young man decided to rid himself of the influence of his dad and went to Rome. His first independent project was a statue of artist Piero della Francesca. Later on he created sculptures of composer Palestrina, St. Francis of Assisi, Christopher Columbus and Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The most impressive monument designed by Arnoldo Zocchi in Bulgaria is the Tsar Osvoboditel (Liberator) Monument in central Sofia. At the end of 19 c. a commission was formed that decided to build a monument to Russian tsar Alexander II. In 1900 it declared an international anonymous tender for the monument’s design. The winner in the tender was Arnoldo Zocchi. The sod-turning ceremony was on 23 April 1903 when the 25th anniversary of Liberation was celebrated across Bulgaria, the culmination of the national-liberation struggles of Bulgarians.

The consecration and the official opening of the monument took place on 30 August 1907. For the celebrations high-ranking guests came over from Russia – including the son of Tsar Alexander II, Prince Vladimir Alexandrovic with his family. 250 Russian generals and Bulgarian volunteers in the war attended the opening. A church service was held outside the National Assembly and Bulgarian and Russian bands played the two national anthems. In front of a 40,000-strong crowd the Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand unveiled the 12-m high magnificent monument. This was followed by a military parade and fireworks. Arnoldo Zocchi was there too, and he was brought to tears. The sculptor frequently visited Bulgaria afterwards and came to love this country and its people. His home in Rome was always open for Bulgarian visitors. He kept a real-size copy of the Tsar Liberator Monument in his studio where he often got photographed with Bulgarian guests.

Taking a look at the celebrated monument downtown Sofia we can see that it represents a novel about the War of Liberation and its heroes, the Russian tsar, generals, drummers, soldiers and the Bulgarian volunteers. The works of the great Italian Arnoldo Zocchi are part of the cityscape of Sofia and of other Bulgarian towns. They are often at the center of annual celebrations linked to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War of Liberation that opened the road of Bulgaria’s European development.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Radoslav Spassov

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The Bulgarian Liberation in the works of Italian Arnoldo Zocchi

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