{{Short description|Stone cross set up where a murder or accident happened}} [[File:Smírčí kříž (Semonice).jpg|thumb|Conciliation cross near Jaroměř, the largest in the Czech Republic]] '''Conciliation cross''', also known as '''roadside cross''' or '''penitence cross''', is a stone cross, which was set up in a place where a murder or accident had happened. It occurs mainly in Central Europe.
==Purpose== In the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, the conciliation crosses were erected as a symbol of penance for crime, most often for murder. If the perpetrator of the murder was not punished according to the law, he concluded a contract with the family of the victim or with the town council, which included the obligation to erect a stone cross. The culprit usually had to create it by his own hands.<ref name=novinky>{{cite web |title=Poznejte příběh smírčích křížů|url=https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/cestovani-poznejte-pribeh-smircich-krizu-40155107|publisher=Novinky.cz|language=cs|date=2007-04-10|access-date=2023-12-08}}</ref><ref name=cro>{{cite web |title=Jeden z nejvyšších kamenných smírčích křížů v Čechách najdete na Libinách u Jaroměře|url=https://hradec.rozhlas.cz/jeden-z-nejvyssich-kamennych-smircich-krizu-v-cechach-najdete-na-libinach-u-8393996|publisher=Czech Radio|language=cs|date=2021-01-04|access-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>
Many of the conciliation crosses are associated with local legends. They are considered to be one of the oldest monuments of law in the Czech lands.<ref name=novinky/>
==Occurrence and research== In 1983, the Society for the Research of Stone Crosses was established under the auspices of the Aš Museum in the Czech Republic. The society created a register of stone crosses in the Czech Republic and takes care of their protection. The company registers 2,685 conciliation crosses in the Czech Republic and 273 in other countries, especially in Central Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kamenné kříže|url=https://www.muzeum-as.cz/kamenne-krize|publisher=Muzeum Aš|language=cs|access-date=2023-12-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Databáze kamenných křížů a křížových kamenů|url=https://www.smircikrize.cz/|publisher=Společnost pro výzkum kamenných křížů při Městském muzeu v Aši|language=cs|access-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>
The conciliation cross near Jaroměř is considered the largest in the Czech Republic.<ref name=cro/> It has a height of {{cvt|1.67|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Smírčí kříž|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/smirci-kriz-12742132|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> Smírčí kříž u silnice z Růžové do Nové Olešky.jpg|Conciliation cross close to Růžová, Czech Republic Kleinrettbach-Grabsleber-Kreuz-2.jpg|Conciliation cross close to Kleinrettbach, Germany Krzyż pokutny kijowice.JPG|Conciliation cross close to Kijowice, Poland </gallery>
==See also== *Wayside shrine *Roadside memorial
==References== {{reflist}}
{{commons category|Penitence crosses}}
{{Christian crosses}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Monumental crosses Category:Crosses by function Category:Stone crosses