146th anniversary of Queen Maria's birthday/Gheorghiu: Every Romanian looks at her with admiration, respect

The interim Minister of Culture, Bogdan Gheorghiu, pays homage, on Friday, to the personality of the "most beloved" sovereign of Romania, Queen Maria, on the occasion of her 146th birthday anniversary, appreciating that, in his opinion, every Romanian looks at her "with admiration, pride, and respect."

"We remember today, October 29, the day in which the most beloved queen of Romania, Queen Maria of Romania, was born, her devotion to the country, the way she fought for it, but also her important place in our history. The role of Queen Maria of Romania in the diplomatic campaign for the recognition of the larger Romanian state was a major one. A true diplomat, aware of her responsibilities," Gheorghiu wrote on Facebook, agerpres reports.

Minister Gheorghiu also highlighted the financial support enjoyed by artistic and literary personalities from Queen Maria, herself "an art lover and a collector of art."

"Regardless of political affinities, I don't think there is a Romanian who does not look at her with admiration, pride, and respect. I can't help but remember the fact that her complex personality prevailed in literary creation as well as in painting. Queen Maria, a gifted painter, was also the one who created the artistic society "Tinerimea artistica," [The Artistic Youth], among the founding members of which were Stefan Luchian and Stefan Popescu. She also financially supported artistic and literary personalities and was an art lover and an art collector. We should look back at her work and learn from it. Because she was someone whom we have a lot to learn from," the interim Minister of Culture also wrote.