Kryždirbiai
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Kryždirbiai (English: crossmakers) are practitioners of the traditional Lithuanian art of crafting crosses. Its craftsmen travel across the country. The crosses were intricately carved of wood, and sometimes incorporated iron elements as well.
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. They often feature organic flourishes, motifs of the sun, birds, and the tree of life. 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.
The Lithuanian cross crafting has been enrolled into the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity of 2001 by UNESCO.
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[edit] See also
- Dievdirbiai - Lithuanian woodcarvings of Jesus and saints
