Life Saving Cross

Life Saving Cross
Žūvančiųjų gelbėjimo kryžius
Awarded by President of Lithuania
TypeState
Established1930
CountryLithuania
Awarded forLife saving actions
Statistics
Total inductees46 (1930–1940)
2,075 (1992–2026)

Ribbon bar

The Life Saving Cross (Lithuanian: Žūvančiųjų gelbėjimo kryžius or previously Žūstančių gelbėjimo kryžius) is a state award of Lithuania awarded to those who rescue others despite danger to themselves. It is awarded by the President of Lithuania mainly to those who helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust in Lithuania.

History

The cross was established in 1930 in interwar Lithuania and discontinued after the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940. In the decade, it was awarded to 46 people, mostly those who rescued drowning persons.

The award was reestablished after Lithuania regained independence in 1990. The cross was first awarded on 23 September 1992 and it was initiated by Vytautas Landsbergis, chairman of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas, and Emanuelis Zingeris, director of the Jewish Museum. As of June 2026, it was awarded to 2,075 people.

Recipients

In 1992–2025, 1,729 people received the award for rescuing Jews during the Holocaust in Lithuania. The Holocaust award ceremony usually takes place in September as 23 September (the day of the liquidation of Vilna Ghetto) is the Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania.

Other people who received the award include persons who saved others from drowning, during fire or other disasters. For example, four local resident who alerted oncoming trains of the damaged bridge as a result of the Bražuolė bridge bombing received the cross in November 1994.

Design

The award consists of a golden cross covered in red vitreous enamel. The obverse depicts a white peace dove carrying a laurel branch and has the gold inscription SOS underneath. The reverse side depicts a stylized knight from the coat of arms of Lithuania surrounded by the inscription "žūvančiųjų gelbėtojui" (to the rescuer of dying people) in capital letters. If the person receives more than one Life Saving Cross, the additional awards are indicated with a golden star attached to the ribbon. The cross measures 36 millimetres (1.4 in). The ribbon is of dark red moiré with two wide and two narrow white stripes at the edges. It measures 32 millimetres (1.3 in) in width.

During the interwar, the cross was produced by Arthus-Bertrand in Paris. Since 1992, it is produced in Lithuania.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Žūvančiųjų gelbėjimo kryžius". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. 11 August 2022 [2018]. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Sakaitė, Viktorija (1998). "Žydų gelbėjimas". Genocidas ir Resistencija (in Lithuanian). 4. ISSN 1392-3463.
  3. ↑ "Apdovanotų asmenų duomenų bazė" (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidento kanceliarija. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Life Saviour's Cross Award". Rescued Lithuanian Jewish Child Tells about Shoah. Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Žūvančiųjų gelbėjimo kryžius" (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidento kanceliarija. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Chadasevičius, Saulius (6 November 2014). "20 metų po teroro akto: Bražuolės geležinkelio tilto sprogdintojai žinomi, bet nenuteisti" (in Lithuanian). 15min.lt. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "Žūvančiųjų gelbėjimo kryžius" (in Lithuanian). Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2026.