Summary

From a plough to a cross: typological connections in decorating iron crosses 

Antanas Stravinskas

The forgers of Griškabūdis managed not only to forge skilfully the farm implements, but also to cherish local traditions of beauty, i.e. to forge original crosses used as monuments and, in such a way, to satisfy the spiritual and aesthetical demands of local people.

Older (19th–beginning-20th c.) metal crosses of the Zanavykai area are described in the article, but their authorship could not be established. By simple construction and rather modest decorations it can be supposed that some crosses could be forged by Evangelical blacksmiths or Prussians, which had moved to Sūduvija and finally lost their original ethnical identity and took over local customs and traditions. 

The metal crosses in Griškabūdis and adjacent environs, as typical of nearly all Sūduva monuments, can be distinguished according to their application type into two main groups: crosses of sacral buildings (churches, chapels, belfries) and tomb monuments. The latter type makes a main part in the description in the present article; moreover, they can be divided into two traditional groups according to their construction: one-pole and frame-shaped crosses.