Hill of Crosses - Lithuania
The hill with more crosses in the world? Maybe. It's origin it's still unknown but very intriguing, right? Located in Europe, just outside the northern city of Šiauliai in Lithuania,
thousands of metal and wooden crosses—placed here for nearly two
centuries—have found a home on the growing mound of religious fervor. Hundreds of thousands of crosses.
Legends and fables tell it's history. First mention in writing dates to
1850, but some think the crosses appeared earlier, left by mourning
relatives of the victims of revolts against the Russian regime in 1831,
and later in 1863. The tsar suppressed national identity by limiting
religious expression, so families were forbidden to honor the dead with
proper burial in cemeteries. Many 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.
The fact is that the tradition of carving religious icons has been handed down through generations, and now it's a national expression of the country. People would come here in the middle of the night, bringing new crosses. It's a symbol of heroic resistance to the suppression of religious freedom.
You don't have to be religious to be stunned about this kind of places. I'm no catholic and I know I would be amazed by this. Because it tells the story of hundreds of people that fight back, and that's enought for me to go visit it! Also, Lithuania is a really beautiful underrated country in Europe! I know a photographer from there and since I knew her for the first time I always wanted to go there :)
How to visit:
There is no entrance fee to visit. You have a car parking nearby, so you can rent a car in Lithuania or go by public transportation (it will take a lot of time this option but at least is cheap).
You can always go on a tour! Here are the links:
Happy journeys in Lithuania!
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