Hill of Crosses, an old hill fort covered in over 100,000 crosses as a symbol of Lithuanian nationalism and beliefs

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2 years ago Ivan

We are just outside of the town of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania.
Kryžių Kalnas, the Hill of Crosses, is located on a low rise of ground once thought to have been a Domantai, a hill fort, and its exact origins remain a mystery.

Legends and several stories surround the history of the Hill of Crosses. First mention in writing dates to 1850, but some think the crosses appeared earlier.
The nearby city was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire during the 14th century, and actually It seems crosses have first appeared on the site during this time as a way of expressing the desire for Lithuanian independence.
They continued to be placed on the site throughout the medieval period by local Catholics and, during a peasant uprising against Russian control of the area in 1831, the practice of placing crosses in remembrance of missing and dead rebels began.
By 1895, it is recorded that there were 150 large crosses on the site, and this number grew to 400 by 1940.
During Soviet occupation of the area that lasted from 1944 to 1991, the Hill of Crosses became a symbol of defiance, as the tsar suppressed national identity by limiting religious expression, so families were forbidden to honor the dead with proper burial in cemeteries.
Three or four times during the Soviet occupation, also in April 1961 when the entire site was bulldozed and burned down by the authorities, the hill and its crosses were bulldozed but, despite these attempts to end the symbolism of the site, both locals and pilgrims once again begin erecting crosses.

Many even believe the crosses cropped up at the end of the 19th century, after an apparition of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus asked the believers to cover the holy place with these icons.
But, either way the tradition of carving religious icons has been handed down through generations and UNESCO recognizes cross-making as intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania, a “symbol of national and religious identity,” uniting the community in the face of adversity.
Since gaining independence in 1991, religion in Lithuania is practiced freely and openly.
It’s estimated that there are more than 100,000 crosses on the hill as of 2007, and thousands visit the site each year, with the most famous visit occurring in 1993 when Pope John Paul II came to dedicate the site.
A stone marker bearing 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 this land” now lies at the foot of the hill.
A hermitage has been erected nearby to assist visitors and the faithful are welcome to add their contribution, and no matter how many times the government tried to level it, as this unique pilgrimage site endures and still today welcomes tourists and not only, so they might better understand the local community’s difficult past, learn of its unshakable faith, and feel hope for the future.