Crosses are suns

n many nations and cultures, the sun is one of the oldest and most important symbols associated with fire and light. In a broad sense, the sun symbol is also often used as an equivalent of time, life, birth-death, divinity, kingship and power. In Christianity, the sun is associated with Jesus Christ and the Resurrection, and it is also found in some St. In the scenes of M. Mary and the Crucifixion.
Saulutės - a type of Lithuanian iron crosses, iron tops of sacred buildings, memorial monuments (crosses, chapel pillars, etc.) and decorative elements of interior decoration. During the interwar period, P. Galaunė stated that the wooden tops of memorial monuments - suns - had existed for a long time, only they had simpler forms, and it was the iron suns, as well as wooden monuments in the shape of the Latin cross, that became widespread in Lithuania no earlier than the 18th century. A little later, some researchers of Lithuanian culture put forward the idea of ​​the "baroque-Christian origin of Lithuanian metal suns".
The sun usually consists of flat iron crosses, which are connected in the center by a circle or a ring - a sun disk (rarely heart or leaf-shaped) and straight or wavy rays, crosses, etc., coming from it. The ends and rays of the crosses are often ornamental (geometric, stars, plant motifs) decoration. Additional decorative elements of the sun are a horizontally anchored crescent moon, sometimes a weathervane or a weathervane, less often the inscription "IHS" - the monogram of the name of Jesus.
The ethnographic collection of the Trakai History Museum currently holds over 20 examples of this old blacksmith craft dating back to the 19th century. late-20th century beginning Metal, mostly with flat crosses, in the middle - decorated with a "sun disk" or covered with circular metal plates. The decoration is dominated by plant ornaments, as well as a frequent crescent motif.
The sun is one of the most important natural objects, so it has been depicted in many world cultures since ancient times. In the old Lithuanian cross-stitch, it was depicted with the help of plants, ornaments of geometric shapes, originating from natural images, later they were combined with Christian symbols. It is a combination of elements of the old Lithuanian faith, which worshiped nature and its phenomena, and the Christian world.