History
The Order of the Cross of Vytis was the first state decoration of the pre-war Lithuania reinstated on 15 January 1991. The first to receive the First Class Order of the Cross of Vytis in the re-established Independent State of Lithuania were the victims of the 1991 January Events in Vilnius and Medininkai.
The Order of the Cross of Vytis is conferred on persons for acts of bravery performed in defending the freedom and independence of the Republic of Lithuania. According to the Law of 3 July 1997 on the Legal Status of Persons Who Participated in the Resistance to Occupations of 1940-1990 and on the Recognition of the Ranks of Volunteer Militaries Equivalent to the Ranks of the Land and Air Force Servicemen, the renewed Order "is conferred on volunteer soldiers of the armed resistance and participants of non-violent resistance to occupations."
After the restoration of independence, the leaders and members of the Senior Committee for a Free Lithuania and other outstanding representatives of the world Lithuanian community were honoured with the Order of the Cross of Vytis for services to the cause of restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania. The Order of the Cross of Vytis was also awarded to the officers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces for contributing to the withdrawal of the foreign army from Lithuania, and on the Lithuanian policemen and prosecutors for distinction in the fight against organised crime.
November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. The cross of Vytis is basically of the shape of one of the varieties of the Cross of Lorraine, namely the Cross of Jagiellons.
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