Hill of Crosses
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This is interesting and not well known.
The Hill of
Crosses, Kryziu Kalnas, in the city of Siauliai, Lithuania
stands on a small hill, about 10 meters tall. The
tradition of leaving crosses began after an uprising of the Polish and
Lithuanians against the Russian tsar was squelched in 1831. Relatives of the
dead rebels, with no bodies to bury, instead left crosses on this hill to
commemorate their fallen. Today there are about 200,000 crosses at the site,
excluding carvings and shrines, made out of everything from wood to metal.
During the Soviet occupation of Lithuania from 1944 to 1991, the Hill of
Crosses became a symbol of defiance against the Communist regime. Three times
the Soviets bulldozed the hill, but after each time both locals and pilgrims
once again would erect crosses on the hill.
Thousands of
people visit the site each year. Pope John Paul II visited in 1993 to dedicate
the site. A stone marker at the foot of the hills bears his words, "Thank You,
Lithuanians, for this hill of crosses which testifies to the nations of Europe
and to the whole world the faith of the people of the land." A hermitage has
been erected nearby to assist visitors and the faithful are welcome to add
their contribution to this unusual Hill.
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