''Dievdirbys'' ("

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

worker/craftsman", plural: ) is a

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n wood carver who crafts

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

statues of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and the Christian saints. In the 18th-20th centuries, self-taught poor peasants mostly did it. The art is closely related to Lithuanian cross crafting, listed among

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The carvers frequently carved sculptures depicting Jesus Christ either Pensive (in Lithuanian ) or Crucified, the Mother of God Mary (as the Pietà,

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

, the Gracious), saints (

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

, Agatha of Sicily, John of Nepomuk, Isidore the Laborer, and others). Other popular figures are the Nativity, Saint Casimir, Saint Roch,

Saint Florian Florian (; AD 250 – 304) was a Christian holy man and the patron saint of chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Poland, the city of Linz, Austria, and Upper Austria, jointl ...

, Saint Anthony. The statues are carved according to artistic conventions developed over the centuries following Lithuania's adoption of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. They are displayed along roadsides, in cemeteries, and in

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

s or churches. Using basic tools, the sculptures were carved out of linden wood, or occasionally oak, and sometimes painted. Along with three-dimensional sculptures, relief and

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

were also cultivated. The works decorate the altars of rural churches, of portable church altars, processional banners,

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

s, dwellings, and barns. The Stations of the Cross often feature these works as well.

Gallery

File:Kazimierzm.jpg, St. Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania File:Sitting Jesus tottem.jpg, Roadside shrine with Pensive Christ File:Dievdirbiai 2.jpg, Pietà File:Dievdirbai 3.jpg, St. George and the dragon

References

External links

Dievdirbiai exhibition at the Lithuanian Art Museum in Vilnius
* {{usurped,

} Lithuanian folk art Folk artists Christianity in Lithuania Carving Woodcarving