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A grand ceremony will be held in Kretinga on Friday, attended by both the Minister of National Defense and the Commander of the Armed Forces. Here, in the basement of the Kretinga church, next to the buried S. Chodkevičienė and her two sons, a kenotaf dedicated to the memory of JK Chodkevičius will lie down, the so-called empty tomb.
It will contain capsules filled with lands that once housed a soldier: fought, walked, or died. The capsule will also contain oak acorns, which are over four hundred years old. It is said that it was after him that the soldier returning from battles liked to rest.
This great project in Kretinga is being implemented by various creators: the Kretinga Museum, the Lithuanian Army Motorized Infantry Brigade “Žemaitija”, as well as the Kretinga Church, Cultural Center and Municipal District of Kretinga.
A special person in the history of Kretinga.
JKChodkevičius is a special person in the history of the city of Kretinga. He is a man who founded this city, built a church, a monastery, committed to charity.
According to the deputy of the Kretinga Museum, the historian Julius Kanarskas, this man was at that time one of the greatest soldiers in Europe, participating in the battles against the Swedes, the Ottoman Empire. True, it was in the fight against the soldiers of this empire and perished in the present territory of Ukraine.
“His second wife buried him in what is now Ukraine, in the basement of a Jesuit church, and there he was buried. When the church was demolished in the 19th century, the burial site was still unknown. In his will, he asked to be buried in Kretinga, a church crypt, along with his first wife and son.
He had two sons and a daughter, both sons were buried in Kretinga, the minors died early, one baby, the other was raised. Daughter Ona Scholastika was married to Sapiega, she died at age 20 and it is unknown where she was buried, ”said J. Kanarskas.
In his will, he asked to be buried in Kretinga, a church crypt, along with his first wife and son.
The soldier lived with his first wife for about 30 years. After quitting anapilin, she married a second time about a year later, but soon died herself.
“Placing Kenotaf in a cemetery, in a crypt, is the fulfillment of his will, because we don’t know where his remains are. If it is found, we hope that it will be transported to Kretinga, ”said the deputy.
A monument has been erected in Kretinga to commemorate this outstanding historical figure.
The army contributed
The Armed Forces made a significant contribution to the implementation of this idea, namely the “Žemaitija” Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, which will soon acquire the name of soldier JK Chodkevičius, as it has taken over the traditions. Brigade insignia, griffin, taken from the warrior’s shield coat of arms. The arrows on the hats are also associated with this man.
Museum photo / Coat of arms of JK Chodkevičius
“The idea of Kenotaf, an empty tomb, was my personal idea that I carried with me for many years. Ten years ago it was loud, then everyone wagged a finger …
There were no people willing to implement this idea. I held my heart for a long time, and to commemorate the 450th anniversary of his birth, I spoke with the brigade commander, Colonel N. Stankevičius, director of the museum and received a lot of support, – said Nerijus Čapas, representative of the Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Lithuanian Armed Forces “Žemaitija”
– We gave birth to that idea for a year. There is a kenotaf, of course, it is a pity that the remains of JK Chodkevičius have not been found, there is no possibility of paying off the debt and fulfilling the will, because his will was to be next to his first, dear Sofia. Now we will try to pay off the moral debt by installing an empty tomb where it can be honored. “
On the way to Ukraine for other issues, the soldiers decided to take the opportunity and visited those places that were related to the army. The Chotin Fortress was also visited, where the last battle with the Ottoman Empire took place, during which JK Chodkevičius died.
Wikipedia.org nuotr./Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius
“They reburied him in seven places. We took land from the Chotin fortress and then headed to other places. The first temporary burial site was the Podolsk Kamenets Cathedral. A year later he was buried again in the parish of Ostrog, then in the church of the Jesuit College, then in Krakow, then in the church of Yaroslav, then he returned to Ostrog again.
The Cossacks hunted his remains for many years, because he hated him so much, because he had contributed to the suppression of the Cossack rebellion, he could not forgive him for that, “said N. Čapas, who is interested in the story.
The last burial of the soldier was recorded in 1722, 101 years after his death.
“We drove around all the places, the Ukrainians helped us get to all the museums, hanging a handful of dirt, which we will put up as a symbolic artifact reminiscent of JK Chodkevičius. The land of the connected places and the depth of the oak, which, according to legend, was seen by the standing JKChodkevičius, was laid by N. Čapas.
– We are trying to remove JK Chodkevičius from the margins of history, because, it must be admitted that he is one of the greatest and not only a military figure, he is a side, but also a patron of art and science, a man of culture, very wide bridge. My head was undeservedly pushed to the sidelines. I’m glad that the whole team that supported the idea has emerged and sees the light of day ”.
Memory scatter
According to Vida Kanapkienė, director of the Kretinga Museum, there was a lot of work to organize this significant ceremony: making several capsules into which the earth will be poured. The acorn is made of bronze, it will be placed on the dry oak bark. The kenotafa itself was made by the sculptor Vytautas Baranskas, the metal stand on which it will be placed – the folk artists A.Šeputis and G.Černiauskas.
The company “Medis” donated a wooden stretcher, with the help of which the honorary company would carry the kenotaph to the dungeons.
“The celebrations in Kretinga will begin at 10 am on Friday. In the museum, near the palace of the counts Tiškevičius, solemnly wearing the kenotaf. Relics will be presented, a deed will be signed, JK Chodkevičius will be sworn in, later this kenotaf , which will be carried by a company of honor, will be accompanied by members of the Motorized Infantry Brigade, the public, will travel to the Town Hall Square and his personality will be remembered V. Kanapkienė.
After the ceremony and the sacrificial mass, the kenotaf will rest in the basement of the church, together with his wife S. Chhodkevičienė.
“If you ever find any of his bones, there will be an opportunity to replenish the capsule by adding the remains,” said the director.
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