Hill Of Crosses History, Travel Information, Facts And More
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME
Hill Of Crosses
COUNTRY
Lithuania
ADDRESS
Jurgaiciai 81439, Lithuania
HILL OF CROSSES PICTURE
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About Hill Of Crosses
The Hill Of Crosses is a unique, interesting and supposedly a very haunted place in Lithuania. It is a unique pilgrimage site with an eerie surrounding and history. It is located on a small hill in the farmlands of the city of Siauliai in northern Lithuania. It is a sacred site attracting Christians from all over the world. Even today, it stands firm and proud a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Hill Of Crosses
- The act of placing crosses on the land began around 1850 as a symbol of respect for victims of the 1831 rebellion against the Tsarist government. It then soon became an act of resistance and a tradition of faith, against foreign invaders. The Soviet's saw this as an uproar against their rule as they suppressed all forms of religion.
- As a result, the site was demolished not once but multiple times. The crosses burnt and destroyed and even bulldozing the hill. But none of this interrupted the people and the act of placing crosses. There were new crosses to be seen everywhere and soon the number reached up to 500 crosses by the year 1973.
- After its independence, Lithuania became popular for its crosses-laden hill and on September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses.
- Today, there are almost as many as 100,000 crosses present on the hill! Bronze, wooden and almost any other metal is used here. Visitors can even place their own cross on the site. It stands today as a powerful testament to devotion.
- Not just crosses, rosaries, pictures of Jesus and the saints are there. Other things include photographs of Lithuanian patriots also decorate some of the larger crosses. A famous statue here is a figure of Jesus sitting under a roof, worshipping in secret. It is reflective of the times when religion was impermissible in the country.
- While it is a totally unique site offering a peaceful, introspective experience, it can also be seen as an extremely eerie location by many. It might be considered spooky or bizarre considering the unreal size and proportion of the area with crosses jammed into another and writings and statues of Jesus. It may be a bit aggressive for non-believers and the followers of occult but other than its visual appeal and its location, there's not a lot to support the claims of its haunting.
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