The Monument of the Ruler Barbu Stirbei

Considered to be the first public monument built in Craiova, it was inaugurated on December 8, 1918. It is located in the courtyard of the Holy Trinity Church - founded by Dumitrana Ştirbei (wife of the great stolnic Constantin Ştirbei, former caimacan of Craiova in 1741) - on the other side of the Carol I National College.
The monument was made by the French sculptor Jean Lecomte du Nouy in 1907, and was cast in Varbedienne bronze. The monument shows the ruler standing, wearing a royal cloak on his shoulders, and several decorations on his chest.
In his right hand, the ruler holds a parchment saying, "We have entrusted you with the defense of our country and our destiny." At his feet there is a young man holding a sickle in one hand and a wheat sheaf in the other hand. There is also an eagle with its wings spread out.
There are a few bas-reliefs on the statue's base, representing Romania, a book listing the important documents in the history of the country, in which the ruler took part, a map representing the Danube plain, from Drobeta Turnu Severin to Braila and other elements.
Lord Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei was born in Craiova in August 1799 and died in Nizza, on 12 April 1869. He reigned between Jan. 1949 - 29 Oct 1853 and Oct. 5 1854 - 25 January 1856. He faced the weight of maintaining the Russian-Turkish armies and the power of the extraordinary commissioners. He obtained their retreat in 1851.He built the Theater in Bucharest, reopened many schools, closed during the 1848 Revolution, and improved the text of the Organic Regulation for Peasants.
In 1853 he retired to Vienna due to the Russian occupation and returned on the throne in 1854, under Austrian occupation, having many restrictions. After the Congress of Paris (1856) his reign was no longer prolonged.
Source: memorielocala.aman.ro