The crosses of Lemko-Rusins: A historical aspect

Abstract

The Lemko Region (Lemkivshchyna) is a region with many sights of sacred art, among which crosses hold a special place. The crosses testify to the belonging of the Lemko-Rusins to the church of the Eastern rite, which is very important, since it helped the Lemko-Rusins maintain their rite, customs, language and culture in a foreign confessional and foreign-language environment. Today, there are many tourist routes through the territory of Lemkivshchyna, and many of wooden and stone crosses need examination and restoration. After the division of the church, the Lemko-Rusins became part of the Eastern Rite. It was the Logos, the preaching of the Eastern Rite Cross, that played an important role in the historical preservation of Rusins from assimilation. Hand-made crosses were of a great importance for that. Carved hand-made crosses continued the medieval Eastern Church tradition of indoor sculpture of metal, stone, trees, bones, and ceramics. Typical handmade wooden crosses of the Eastern Rite church are septangular, sometimes octagonal, with a long jumper. They are decorated with images influenced by Byzantine iconography, as well as inscriptions in Cyrillic. A separate group consists of Lemko stone crosses. They are special, since they belong to the Eastern Rite and reflect the history and culture of Rusins. The Lemko-Rusins crosses are a separate understudied layer of history and world sacred culture. In the long run, it is worth studying the history and value of the cross in the history and church life of other ethno-cultural groups of Rusins: Hutsuls, Boykos, Podolyans, etc.