Ričardas Mikutavičius (February 26, 1935 in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Tra ...

– July 1, 1998) was a Lithuanian priest,

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

, poet, and one of the most famous collectors of art in Lithuania.

Biography

He attended the 15th Kaunas elementary school and the 4th boy's gymnasium. In 1953 he entered

Kaunas Priest Seminary Kaunas Priest Seminary ( lt, Kauno kunigų seminarija) is the largest seminary in Lithuania serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. It is part of the Faculty of Theology of Vytautas Magnus University. Its current rector is Aurelijus Žu ...

and he became a priest in 1958. He had been a member of the

Union of Lithuanian writers The Lithuanian Association for Writers is an association for writers and poets in Lithuania, founded in 1922. It gives annual prizes and awards to talented Lithuanian writers. The Association also has its own publishing house. References Exter ...

since 1992. He was awarded the 3rd class

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this ...

in 1993.Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
/ref> He was killed on June 30, 1998 during a robbery of his painting collection. His body was tossed into the

Nemunas River The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...

and he was later buried in

Petrašiūnai cemetery Petrašiūnai Cemetery ( lt, Petrašiūnų kapinės) is Lithuania's premiere last resting place formally designated for graves of people influential in national history, politics, arts, and science. Location Petrašiūnai Cemetery is located abo ...

. Three defendants subsequently confessed to the murder and pointed to a fourth defendant as the mastermind of the crime. On November 29, 2001 the monument for his honour was built. Eighteen paintings from his collections are still missing. Seventeen paintings that were found were shown to the public during a special exhibition dedicated to his 70th birthday in 2005.Exhibition
/ref>

Literary works

Although the fact that Mikutavičius was a poet and essayist was known, he didn't publish any of his poetry until the

Sąjūdis Sąjūdis (, "Movement"), initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis), is the political organisation which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was e ...

times. In 1989 he introduced his first book "Kad Lietuva neišsivaikščiotų" in Town Hall of Kaunas. Other books, "Poterių upė" (River of Prayers), "Šviesos spalvos" (Colours of Light), "Žaizdos metafizika" (Metaphysics of Injury), "Spindintis virš mūsų" (Shining above Us) and "Mirties vilties veidai" (Death's Hope's Faces), were published in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999 respectively.

References

1935 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Lithuanian Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Lithuanian poets Lithuanian Catholic poets Lithuanian art collectors Commander's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Burials at Petrašiūnai Cemetery {{Lithuania-poet-stub