The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), 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. Lithuania ...

n presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis.

History

Interwar period

Rejected initial design

The order was first established on 30 July 1919 as the Cross for the Homeland (''Kryžius "Už Tėvynę"'') when the newly established

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (wh ...

was engaged in the

Lithuanian–Soviet War The Lithuanian–Soviet War or Lithuanian–Bolshevik War ( lt, karas su bolševikais) was fought between Act of Independence of Lithuania, newly independent Lithuania and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian Socialist Feder ...

. The initial design was based on the Polish

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

with an addition of crossed swords, but no such crosses were actually produced. At the time of the

Polish–Lithuanian War The Polish–Lithuanian War (in Polish historiography, Polish–Lithuanian Conflict) was an undeclared war between newly-independent Lithuania and Poland following World War I, which happened mainly, but not only, in the Vilnius and Suwałki regi ...

, the design was criticized for following Polish traditions. Antanas Smetona 2

New version

On 26 November 1919, the design was changed to the Cross of the

Jagiellons The Jagiellonian dynasty (, pl, dynastia jagiellońska), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty ( pl, dynastia Jagiellonów), the House of Jagiellon ( pl, Dom Jagiellonów), or simply the Jagiellons ( pl, Jagiellonowie), was the name assumed by a cad ...

, one of the varieties of the

Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (french: Croix de Lorraine, link=no), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizont ...

found on the

Coat of arms of Lithuania The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is ...

. On 3 February 1920, the name was changed to the Cross of

Vytis The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is als ...

. The order had two types: the first type had the crossed swords, and the second type was without the swords. Each type had three classes (the 1st class was the lowest, 3rd class was the highest).

After 1991

The Order of the Cross of Vytis was the first state decoration of the pre-war Lithuania reinstated after the restoration of independence. The award was established on 15 January 1991. The first to receive the order were the victims of the Soviet attack on the Vilnius TV Tower and on the border post in Medininkai. Other recipients included leaders of the

Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania The Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania or VLIK ( lt, Vyriausiasis Lietuvos išlaisvinimo komitetas) was an organization seeking independence of Lithuania. It was established on November 25, 1943, during the Nazi occupation. After Wor ...

, representatives of the world Lithuanian community, officers of the

Lithuanian Armed Forces The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (whi ...

for contributing to the withdrawal of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

from Lithuania, and Lithuanian policemen and prosecutors for distinction in combating

organised crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

. According to the Law on State Awards, adopted in 2002, the Order of the Cross of Vytis is conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence, including armed and unarmed resistance to the 1940–90 occupations and service during the independence movement in 1988–90, and other acts of valor and bravery.

Classes

The Order of the Cross of Vytis is awarded in five classes:

References

External links

Database of post-1991 recipients of the Order of the Cross of Vytis
{{Orders of Lithuania

Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. Hist ...

Awards established in 1919 Awards established in 1991 1919 establishments in Lithuania 1991 establishments in Lithuania