Learn about the Coat of Arms of Lithuania - Vytis

By National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Gothic tile with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Mid-15th Century) by UnknownNational Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Pagonia Litewska

The coat of arms of Lithuania, Vytis, has been with the nation for over six hundred years. It led Lithuanians into battlefields of Grunwald and Orsha. The galloping rider with a sword in his hand was called Pagonia Litewska in old historical literature in Polish

Gothic tile with the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Unknown, Mid-15th Century, From the collection of: National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

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In this fragment of a Gothic tile with Vytis - a shield with the Double Cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty (Jogailaičiai) can be seen very clearly. The design of the tile is highly stylized, but it is possible to recognize the shape of the sword and the helmet, known as a bascinet, which were typical for Western Europe

The coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (21st Century) by UnknownNational Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Decorative elements

Coats of arms were often used for decorating stove tiles, tapestries, they were seen on coins and many other objects.
One of the oldest state arms in all of Europe, Vytis, is a well-recognized symbol, have a look at coins from 19th and 21st centuries depicting it

Armorial Stove Tile with Janusz Radziwiłł Coat of Arms (Late 16th - early 17th century) by UnknownNational Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Here is another example of armorial stove tile - this one depicts the Janusz Radziwiłł Coat of Arms. It was discovered among other tiles during excavation in the territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, it could have been made in 1599-1618

Tapestry with the combined coat of arms of Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund Augustus (16th Century) by UnknownNational Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

Evolution of Vytis

It is believed that the rider, or cavalryman, was ultimately entrenched as the coat of arms of the Lithuanian ruler and state by Jogaila‘s cousin, Vytautas the Great. It was he who replaced the infantryman, in use up until then, with the image of the rider

Beaker (17th Century) by Unknown German masterNational Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

The final form

By the beginning of the 15th century the colors and composition of this coat of arms had become uniform – a silver armored rider with a sword raised above his head on a (usually) red background

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