The Brâncuși Sculptural Ensemble at Târgu Jiu

The Constantin Brâncuși Sculptural Ensemble in Târgu Jiu, also known as the “Heroes’ Way” Monumental Ensemble, is a tribute to the heroes who fell during World War I, designed and built by Constantin Brâncuși. The four sculptural components — The Table of Silence, The Alley of Chairs, The Gate of the Kiss, and The Endless Column — are aligned along the same axis, oriented from west to east, over a length of 1,275 meters.

A display panel about the ensemble is installed in the park near the Endless Column in Târgu Jiu.

The creation of the “Heroes’ Way” monument is largely attributed to Arethia Tătărescu, wife of Prime Minister Gheorghe Tătărescu.

The Table of Silence, carved in limestone, symbolizes the moment before entering battle. Time is represented by hourglass-shaped stone chairs that measure it.

The Alley of Chairs consists of two stone benches (code LMI GJ-III-m-A-09465.04) and thirty hourglass-shaped stone chairs (code LMI GJ-III-m-A-09465.05) arranged in groups of three along the path, connecting the Table of Silence to the Gate of the Kiss, located at the park entrance to the east. Created between 1937–1938.

The Gate of the Kiss, made of travertine, symbolizes the passage into another life.

The Endless Column, or “Column of Infinite Sacrifice,” regarded by Sydnei Geist as the pinnacle of modern art, represents Brâncuși’s spiritual testament, a kind of axis mundi, seemingly supporting the vault of the sky for eternity.

The ensemble was inaugurated on October 27, 1938.

Part of the Heroes’ Way is also the Saints Peter and Paul Church, inaugurated on November 7, 1937, the same day as the Gate of the Kiss.

During the era of so-called socialist realism, Brâncuși was criticized as a representative of bourgeois cosmopolitan formalism. Only in 1964 was he “rediscovered” in Romania as a national genius, and the ensemble in Târgu Jiu began to be preserved and maintained after having been neglected for a quarter of a century.