Lithuanian cross crafting () is a traditional Lithuanian art of crafting

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

es. The making of altars and crosses is an important part of Lithuanian culture. Lithuanian traditional crosses are part of the people's

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

religion. Approximately since Lithuania became a part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in the 19th century, these crosses have become a symbol of the

Lithuanian people Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

. The crosses are intricately carved of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

wood, and sometimes incorporate iron elements as well. Their craftsmen, known as ''kryždirbiai'', travel across the country. The most renowned Lithuanian cross crafter and god carver was the self-taught Vincas Svirskis (1835–1916), whose crosses, once seen across central Lithuania, are now kept in national museums. Lithuanian cross crafting has been included in the list of

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 ...

of 2001 by

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 ...

. Also In 2017 Cross-crafting and its symbolism in Lithuania was inscribed into The

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

Inventory of

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 ...

as a form of

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

, traditional craftsmanship or agricultural activities. Intricate cross crafting of wood, stone or metal, as well as elaborate

jewelry Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

crosses is known in other cultures as well. Examples are

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

es, Ethiopian crosses and Armenian crosses.

History and traditional form

Cross crafting as a form of folk art emerged introducing Christianity in Lithuania, therefore, it combined motifs of

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Religious art Religious art is a visual representation of religious ideologies and their relationship with humans. Sacred art directly relates to religious art in the sense that its purpose is for worship and religious practices. According to one set of definit ...

and motifs of

Baltic mythology Baltic mythology is the body of mythology of the Baltic peoples stemming from Baltic paganism and continuing after Christianization and into Baltic folklore. History Baltic mythology ultimately stems from Proto-Indo-European mythology. The Bal ...

., Tradition, formed in the 15th century, is not only linked to craftsmanship itself, but includes the ritual of erecting the cross (searching for mercy or protection, in honor of the deceased, God or saints, etc.) – the search and choice of the cross-crafter, the creative process of cross-crafting, erection, consecration, visitations to crosses, chanting and other related ceremonies, the burning of a collapsed monument as well. Tradition encompasses both the Christianity (monuments are built in cemeteries, villages and towns) and the archaic human relationship to nature (the monuments are built near sacred water springs or sources, sacred stones or hung on sacred trees). The stylized crosses, ''Lietuviškasis kryžius'', are put up along roadsides, in cemeteries, near houses and as votive offerings in churches. The crosses combine elements of architecture, sculpture, blacksmith art, and painting. One to five meters high, they often feature floral or geometric symbols, motifs of the sun, birds and the tree of life; they are sometimes adorned with small statues. To plead for grace or to express gratitude, the crosses are built as memorials to the dead or as the signs of spiritual protection at certain places. Even today crosses are built to mark the places of former settlements or farmsteads, places of death by homicide or accident, in memory of deceased people or groups of people, significant events and anniversaries, as protection for road travelers and adornment of sacred sites. The

Hill of Crosses Hill of Crosses (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: ) is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed ...

holds a large collection of the pieces. The sculptural appearance wary according to particular region, an alternative being a traditional chapel-pole (i. e. "koplytstulpis" – a pole with one or multiple roofed small chapels with a sacred statuettes usually arranged in different level one above the other, the smallest on the top). In

Dzūkija Dzūkija () or Dainava is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. Dzūkija is a cultural region defined by traditional lifestyles and dialects of the local Lithuanian population (mostly rural farmers) and has never been defined as a poli ...

ethnographic region crosses are adorned with wreaths, flowers, ribbons and aprons. In

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

statuettes of Virgin Mary are enrobed and adorned with necklaces. More than 200 cross-craftsmen in Lithuania are active today.

Gallery

Image:Krizius_1.jpg Image:Krizius_2.jpg Image:Krizius_3.jpg File:Lithuanian Riflemen's Union Monument in Šimonys, Lithuania, 1928.jpg, Lithuanian Riflemen's Union Monument in Šimonys, Lithuania, 1928, gathered besides traditional Lithuanian cross File:Colina de las Cruces, Lituania, 2012-08-09, DD 29.JPG, The

File:Wooden crucifix on the Hill of Crosses, Lithuania.jpg, Wooden crucifix on the

File:Hill of Crosses - Lithuania.jpg, The

File:Lithuania 1990 PSE 02 02A diff B002.jpg, 1990 postage stamp, showing and angel and a traditional Lithuanian wayside shrine File:1991-lithuania-Mi468.jpg, 1991 postage stamp, commemorating the Lithuanian Cross-crafting and its symbolism File:Stamps of Lithuania, 2002-15.jpg, 2002 postage stamp, commemorating the Lithuanian Cross-crafting and its symbolism File:Stamps of Lithuania, 2002-14.jpg, 2002 postage stamp, commemorating the Lithuanian Cross-crafting and its symbolism File:Stamps of Lithuania, 2002-13.jpg, 2002 postage stamp, commemorating the Lithuanian Cross-crafting and its symbolism File:Stamps of Lithuania, 2006-17.jpg, 2006 postage stamp, commemorating the Lithuanian Cross-crafting and its symbolism File:Europe. European Cultural Heritage. Reversum. 2008.jpg, 50 litas coin issued for participation in the Silver Coin programme “Europe. European Cultural Heritage” File:Old cross in Vepriai.jpg, Traditional cross in Vepriai File:Kvintiškės, prie Ilgio.JPG, Kvintiškės, crosses by chapel, Zarasai district, Lithuania File:Kryžius ant A. Juškos kapo, Pilkalnis.JPG, Cemetery in Pilkalnis, Raseiniai district, Lithuania File:Lietuviški metaliniai kryžiai Kalvystės muziejuje.jpg, Lithuanian metal crosses at The Blacksmith's Museum in

Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

File:Deikiškių koplyčia, kryžius.JPG, Chapel in Deikiškiai, Biržai district, Lithuania File:Shrine at Zervynos, Lithuania, 13 Sept. 2008 (2856210997).jpg, Shrine at Zervynos, Lithuania

Footnotes

References

Cross-crafting
Lithuanian National Culture Centre.
Lithuania cross-makers keep tradition alive

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Crafting Christianity in Lithuania Cross crafting Lithuanian folk art Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity National symbols of Lithuania Woodcarving Votive offering Monumental crosses

History and traditional form

Gallery

See also

Footnotes

References