The international exhibition “The Crosses stand for virtue, the Arrow for victory...The Sapiehas – statesmen, art patrons and collectors” is dedicated to one of the most famous princely families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Sapieha princes. The focus is on the Sapiehas’ genealogy, their state activities, their patronage of the arts and sciences, their foundation work and collecting. The exhibition presents almost 100 portraits of representatives of the Sapieha family and twice as many unique documents, books and paintings that belonged to the Sapiehas, textiles, graphic art, gold art objects and other art works, weapons, and other historic reliquaries. The exhibition’s authentic 16th–19th century exhibits and iconographic material reveal the exceptional merits of this renowned family towards the artistic and cultural heritage of Lithuania, Poland and other Central European countries, and on the development of Lithuanian statehood. More than ten Lithuanian and Polish cultural heritage institutions have loaned exhibits for this exhibition, including museums, libraries, archives and churches. In recent years exhibitions dedicated to the most famous ruling dynasties, noble families and their artistic heritage have become very popular in Europe. This exhibition on the Rus’ origin princely family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Sapiehas, testifies to the centuries-old close political, cultural and artistic ties between Lithuania and other European countries.
The exhibition’s patron is the elder statesman of the Sapieha family, Prince Michel Sapieha. Circumstances allowing, the presidents of both Lithuania and Poland plan to participate in the opening of the exhibition, also planned to be broadcast by Lithuania’s national television.
Exhibition organizers and main exhibit lenders:
National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
Wawel Royal Castle – The National Art Collection (Zamek Królewski na Wawelu – Państwowe Zbiory Sztuki)
The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Vilnius University Library (Lithuania)
Lithuanian Art Museum
National Museum in Warsaw (Poland)
Lithuanian State Historical Archives
Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania
Church Heritage Museum (Lithuania)
The Polish Institute in Vilnius (Lithuania)
The Royal Castle in Warsaw – A Monument of Polish History and Culture (Poland)
National Museum in Krakow (Poland)
Samogitian Museum “Alka” (Lithuania)
Vytautas the Great War Museum (Lithuania)
Kaunas Archdiocese Curia (Lithuania)
Trakai History Museum (Lithuania)
Vilnius University Museum (Lithuania)
Exhibition curator:Dalius Avižinis, e-mail: d.avizinis@valdovurumai.lt, tel. + 370 5 212 1139
Coordinators:Birutė Verbiejūtė, e-mail: b.verbiejute@valdovurumai.lt, tel. + 370 5 212 7466
and Marijus Uzorka, e-mail: m.uzorka@valdovurumai.lt, tel. + 370 5 212 7466
