Thursday, October 24, 2013

Hill Of Crosses Lithuania

Author: Katie Brown
Photo of the hill from Sacred Sites

“The Hill of crosses is located in Northern Lithuania, and has been a site for pilgrimage for a very long time” (Daily mail Reporter). People from all over bring crosses and rosaries to this site in order to honor their loved ones. When the families lost their loved ones and didn’t have their body for account, they would take crosses and leave them on the hill in their remembrance. All different kinds of crosses are placed here. Wooden, metal, big, and small crosses are left by many people in grieving the loss of their loved ones (Simone Preuss). “When the Russians gained power over Lithuania, during the soviet period, religion was forbidden” (Daily Mail Reporter). The Hill was burnt down twice during this period, but pilgrims consistently would return to start filling up the hill with crosses again. Today the site has different reasons for visitors. Many people visit it as just a tourist spot. It is a very popular site to see in Lithuania. Some of the most respectable people have visited the Hill of Crosses, such as Pope Jon Paul. Others come to pray and use it as a place to connect with God. It is tradition for every person who visits this site to leave a cross. This is how it continues to keep growing. Today there are over 100,000 crosses on this HILL. Tradition will carry on in placing crosses here because it traces back to the Pilgrims of Lithuania, and their history.

Works Cited: 
Daily Mail Reporter. "Mysterious Hill of Crosses Where Pilgrims Actually Believe Christ Can Perform Miracles ." Mail Online. Mail Online, 15 Oct. 2013.
Preuss, Simone. "Lithuania's Haunting Hill of Crosses." Lithuania's Haunting Hill of Crosses. 15 Oct. 2013.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

This site goes into further detail on the meaning behind this hill.

This site shows what a famous place this hill is, and how important it is in Lithuania.


This site goes into detail on the religious meaning to the Hill of Crosses.

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