Father Padilla's Cross - Lyons, Kansas
Posted by: Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
N 38° 20.853 W 098° 16.591
14S E 563219 N 4244625
Cross located along US Hwy 56 west of Lyons, Kansas.
Waymark Code: WMEKK8
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 06/09/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member adgorn
Views: 6
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The cross constructed of granite stands 26-foot tall.  It was placed in 1950 by the Knights of Columbus to honor Spanish missionary, Fray Juan de Padilla, who traveled with explorer Coronado to the area in 1541 and killed by Indians in 1542.
 
Text of plaque in front of cross:
 
Fray Juan de Padilla
 
This Cross is erected to the memory of Father Padilla, Franciscan Missionary, who stood with Coronado at the erection of the first Christian Cross on these prairies.  Father Padilla devoted his life to the service of the Cross and to the Indians of Quivira and suffered a martyr's death in that service in the year of our Lord 1542.
 
The symbol of the Cross is inscribed, Jesus Christ, Victor and expresses the victory of faith and sacrifice.  The square quartered by the Cross, denotes the four corners of the World brought into Christian unity when Father Padilla carried the Cross of Christianity to the center of the New World.
 
This monument is a gift to the People of Kansas by the Knights of Columbia of this State.  Erected 1950
TITLE: Father Padilla's Cross

ARTIST(S): Unknown sculptor

DATE: Installed 1950. Dedicated Oct. 15, 1950.

MEDIUM: Cross: white granite; Foundation: concrete with copper flashing.

CONTROL NUMBER: IAS KS000283

Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]

PHYSICAL LOCATION:
U.S. Highway 50, four miles west of Lyons Lyons, Kansas

DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
None noted
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.
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