Ricardas Mikutavicius
Encyclopedia
Ričardas Mikutavičius was a Lithuania
n priest, theologist
, poet and one of the most famous collectors of art in Lithuania.
and he became a priest in 1958. He had been the member of the Union of Lithuanian writers since 1992. He was awarded the 3rd class Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
.
He was killed on June 30, 1998 during a robbery of his painting collection. His body was tossed into the Neman River
and he was later buried in Petrašiūnai cemetery
. Three defendants subsequently confessed to the murder and pointed to a fourth defendant as the mastermind of the crime. On November 29, 2001 the monument for his honour was built. Eighteen paintings from his collections are still missing. Seventeen paintings that were found were shown to the public during a special exhibition dedicated to his 70th birthday in 2005.
times. In 1989 he introduced his first book "Kad Lietuva neišsivaikščiotų" in Town Hall of Kaunas. Other books, "Poterių upė" (River of Prayers), "Šviesos spalvos" (Light Colors), "Žaizdos metafizika" (Metaphysics of Injury), "Spindintis virš mūsų" (Shining above Us) and "Mirties vilties veidai" (Death's Hope's Faces), were published in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999 respectively.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n priest, theologist
Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....
, poet and one of the most famous collectors of art in Lithuania.
Biography
He attended the 15th Kaunas elementary school and the 4th boy's gymnasium. In 1953 he entered Kaunas Priest SeminaryKaunas Priest Seminary
Kaunas Priest Seminary is the largest seminary in Lithuania serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas. It is part of the Faculty of Theology of Vytautas Magnus University. Its current rector is Aurelijus Žukauskas. As of 2007, the seminary had 35 students...
and he became a priest in 1958. He had been the member of the Union of Lithuanian writers since 1992. He was awarded the 3rd class Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke...
.
He was killed on June 30, 1998 during a robbery of his painting collection. His body was tossed into the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
and he was later buried in Petrašiūnai cemetery
Petrašiunai Cemetery
Petrašiūnai Cemetery is Lithuania's premiere last resting place formally designated for graves of people influential in national history, politics, arts, and science.- Location :...
. Three defendants subsequently confessed to the murder and pointed to a fourth defendant as the mastermind of the crime. On November 29, 2001 the monument for his honour was built. Eighteen paintings from his collections are still missing. Seventeen paintings that were found were shown to the public during a special exhibition dedicated to his 70th birthday in 2005.
Literary works
Although the fact that Mikutavičius was a poet and essayist was known, he didn't publish any of his poetry until the SąjūdisSajudis
Sąjūdis initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania, is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was established on June 3, 1988 and was led by Vytautas Landsbergis...
times. In 1989 he introduced his first book "Kad Lietuva neišsivaikščiotų" in Town Hall of Kaunas. Other books, "Poterių upė" (River of Prayers), "Šviesos spalvos" (Light Colors), "Žaizdos metafizika" (Metaphysics of Injury), "Spindintis virš mūsų" (Shining above Us) and "Mirties vilties veidai" (Death's Hope's Faces), were published in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999 respectively.