More and more people are taking the initiative to give meaning to painful historical events by erecting crosses. One of them is Artūras Juozas Tumasonis, who lives in Kaunas. After reading in a historian’s book about the tragedy of his native village of Padusi (Lazdija district), the man decided to build a cross in memory of the dead people. “I am grateful to my family members for their understanding and support, and to historian Gintaras Lučinskas for the historical facts that I read in his book,” says AJ Tumasonis.
AJ Tumasonis ordered Artūras Zienkas, a master of folk art from the Alytus region, a man with golden hands from the village of Rajžiūnai, to make a five-meter high oak cross. For this artist, each such work is unique and very expensive. Last weekend, AJ Tumasonis and his wife visited the master’s workshop, inspected the cross carving work, and agreed on the final deadline for the completion of the work. “You need special concentration, attitude, thinking… The cross is born slowly from wood, from a 5-meter long log. It is important to feel who the cross will be for, to know the history and to believe in what I am doing. At the same time, it’s a search for myself as a craftsman, because I don’t want to repeat the details of already existing crosses,” says cross carver A. Zienka. According to him, the creative process, the search for details, is particularly important. Recently, the artist discovered the compatibility of metal and wood. Therefore, the newly created cross will be characterized by abundant metal details, which will provide longevity. “I think this cross will keep me busy,” A. Zienka smiles. However, he notes that the warmer winters make the wood softer, so it is impregnated and, where possible, tinned.
Sanctification of the Cross on June 23
AJ Tumasonis, the originator of the idea of erecting the cross, learned about the painful history of the village of Padusi just a couple of years ago. In 1941, German soldiers killed 9 innocent people in the village of Padusi. “It was the first day of the war. About 20 people were hiding from the bullets in my grandfather’s vegetable garden. The wounded villager Bronius Jodauga, who went to the garden where people were hiding, brought the Germans as well. They shot 9 people without explaining anything,” A. J. Tumasonis told the tragic story. The man is surprised that counting 83 years since the tragedy, it still has not been made sense of. Therefore, in order to remind and honor the sad history of his native village, AJ Tumasonis took the initiative to build a cross. The celebrations of the consecration of the cross will take place on June 23 this year in the village of Padusi. We invite you to participate and honor the memory of the fallen.
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– 2024-03-31 11:10:48
