{"id":7032,"date":"2026-07-30T18:38:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/thats-interesting\/the-paths-of-cross-crafting\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T14:47:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T11:47:39","slug":"the-paths-of-cross-crafting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/thats-interesting\/the-paths-of-cross-crafting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paths of Cross-Crafting"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"7032\" class=\"elementor elementor-7032 elementor-2882\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_width_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_padding_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true},&quot;element_pack_global_tooltip_border_radius_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;right&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;bottom&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;left&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;isLinked&quot;:true}}\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69514505 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"69514505\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1794bae1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-bdt-accordion\" data-id=\"1794bae1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"bdt-accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-container\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"bdt-ep-accordion-1794bae1\" class=\"bdt-ep-accordion bdt-accordion\" data-bdt-accordion=\"{&quot;collapsible&quot;:true,&quot;multiple&quot;:false,&quot;animation&quot;:true,&quot;transition&quot;:&quot;ease-in-out&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:200}\" \t\tdata-settings=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;bdt-ep-accordion-1794bae1&quot;,&quot;activeHash&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;activeScrollspy&quot;:null,&quot;hashTopOffset&quot;:false,&quot;hashScrollspyTime&quot;:false,&quot;closeAllItemsOnMobile&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"bdt-ep-accordion-title bdt-accordion-title bdt-flex bdt-flex-middle bdt-flex-between\" id=\"bdt-ep-accordion-the-history-of-cross-making-in-lithuania\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-accordion-index=\"0\" data-title=\"the-history-of-cross-making-in-lithuania\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon bdt-flex-align-right\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon-closed\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa-fw fas fa-plus\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon-opened\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa-fw fas fa-minus\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span role=\"heading\" class=\"bdt-ep-title-text bdt-flex-inline bdt-flex-middle\" >\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe History of Cross-Making in Lithuania\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-content bdt-accordion-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-content is_visible\">\n<div class=\"expand-content is_visible\">\n<p>The Secretariat of the National Commission for UNESCO, in collaboration with the Lithuanian Institute for Cultural Research, has produced digital maps of the Lithuanian cross-crafting routes. This is the result of a project dedicated to the Year of Folk Art. The project\u2019s creative team undertook 10 expeditions in the regions of Samogitia, Auk\u0161taitija, Dz\u016bkija and Suvalkija.<\/p>\n<p>The first map presents locations in Lithuania associated with cross-crafting. It marks ensembles of sacred and secular sculptures, individual monuments, fields of crosses, mounds, sacred sites and memorials. These are some of the most significant sites of Lithuanian cross-crafting, where monuments of historical, social, cultural or artistic value are located.<\/p>\n<p>The second map showcases talented folk artists \u2013 cross-makers, woodcarvers and blacksmiths. In the public eye, cross-crafting is more often associated with the monuments themselves rather than with the living craft, customs, traditions or the skills of the masters, which form the essence of the values inscribed on UNESCO\u2019s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Over the course of several months, the project organisers visited 35 cross-makers in various regions of Lithuania. <\/p>\n<p>So far, only a small proportion of all the cross-crafting monuments and folk artists have been marked on the map \u2013 those that the creative team managed to document and include on the map over the course of a few months. The map will be expanded in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Map of locations <a href=\"https:\/\/kryzdirbysteskelias.lt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&gt;&gt;&gt; <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Map of cross-makers <a href=\"https:\/\/kryzdirbysteskelias.lt\/kryzdirbiai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&gt;&gt;&gt; <\/a><\/p>\n<p>www.unesco.lt<br \/>www.kryzdirbysteskeliai.lt<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/uploads\/tourism\/documents\/images\/kryzdirbyste%20baneris%20233x200%20(002).png\" alt=\"\" \/ ><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"expand-list\">\n<li class=\"expanded\"> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"bdt-ep-accordion-title bdt-accordion-title bdt-flex bdt-flex-middle bdt-flex-between\" id=\"bdt-ep-accordion-the-way-of-the-cross-in-the-kdainiai-district\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-accordion-index=\"1\" data-title=\"the-way-of-the-cross-in-the-k-dainiai-district\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon bdt-flex-align-right\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-hidden=\"true\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon-closed\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa-fw fas fa-plus\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-icon-opened\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa-fw fas fa-minus\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span role=\"heading\" class=\"bdt-ep-title-text bdt-flex-inline bdt-flex-middle\" >\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Way of the Cross in the K\u0117dainiai District\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"bdt-ep-accordion-content bdt-accordion-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-content is_visible\">\n<p>In 2008, UNESCO included Lithuanian cross-crafting and the symbolism of the cross on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is an exceptionally valuable part of our folk culture, which must be preserved and understood. One of the most famous Lithuanian cross-makers was Vincas Svirskis (1835\u20131916), a self-taught craftsman and itinerant folk artist. Having devoted his life to the craft of cross-making, he worked in the Panev\u0117\u017eys and K\u0117dainiai regions. <\/p>\n<p>There is little reliable information that has survived about V. Svirskis\u2019s life. He was born into a poor peasant family and could read and write. Vincas Svirskis began carving whilst still working as a cowherd. Over time, woodcarving became his main source of livelihood. In the areas around K\u0117dainiai, Survili\u0161kis, Krekenava, Krakiai and Truskava, he embodied the image of the traditional craftsman, wandering from one village to another, from one farmyard to another, and crafting crosses and wayside shrines. He was a devout man; he read the lives of the saints, and it is said that he would sing hymns whilst carving. <\/p>\n<p>V. Svirskis set about creating monuments of a completely different type to what had been customary until then: he altered the structure of the established traditional wayside shrines, which featured small sculptures set within them, and of the crosses, which had figures of saints nailed to their shafts. He would hollow out niches at the broad end of the wayside shrine\u2019s trunk, featuring sculptures carved in high relief and bas-relief; that is, he would craft the crosses, small statues of saints and little angels from the same piece of wood. This is what set his works apart from those of other cross-carvers. <\/p>\n<p>Vincas Svirskis created more than 200 oak works, each approximately 3\u20135 metres tall. Most of them were erected in the K\u0117dainiai and Panev\u0117\u017eys areas, in villages on both sides of the Nev\u0117\u017eis River: on farmsteads, by the roadside and in cemeteries. Some of Vincas Svirskis\u2019s works have been lost, some have been moved from their original locations to private collections and museums, some are kept in churches, and a few still stand in their natural surroundings. <\/p>\n<p>Twenty of Vincas Svirskis\u2019s crosses are on display at the K\u0117dainiai Regional Museum, in the Vincas Svirskis Crosses Hall. The crosses were saved by Father Stanislovas; they adorn Paber\u017e\u0117 Church and the Museum of the 1863 Uprising. It is thought that Vincas Svirskis may have carved the altar of Paber\u017e\u0117 Church. His crosses can be found in the villages of Nauj\u0173j\u0173 La\u017e\u0173 and Nauj\u0173j\u0173 Bakaini\u0173, as well as in Survili\u0161kis. Vincas Svirskis is buried in the Survili\u0161kis cemetery.<\/p>\n<p>In K\u0117dainiai, we invite you to discover the works of the talented woodcarver Vytautas Ulevi\u010dius. The exhibition is housed in the K\u0117dainiai District Municipality building. The artist himself lives in Krak\u0117s, where he has also set up a gallery of his works on his farmstead and is happy to chat with visitors. <\/p>\n<p>Itinerary: \u2018The Spirit of Cross-Making in the K\u0117dainiai Region\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/uploads\/tourism\/documents\/files\/Vinco_Svirskio_marsrutas(2).pdf\">&gt;&gt;&gt; <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Vincas Svirskis and the K\u0117dainiai region <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kedainiutvic.lt\/turizmas\/lt\/idomu\/vincas-svirskis-ir-kedainiu-krastas\">&gt;&gt;&gt; <\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Photographs by Regina Jasinskien\u0117.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/uploads\/tourism\/documents\/images\/Vinco_Svirskio_kapas2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The History of Cross-Making in Lithuania The Secretariat of the National Commission for UNESCO, in collaboration with the Lithuanian Institute for Cultural [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7029,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7032","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7032\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kedainiutvic.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}