Hill Of Crosses in Lithuania

The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage in northern Lithuania just outside the city of Siauliai. Standing upon a small hill are an estimated 100,000 crosses, crucifixes and rosaries that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression. In 1795 Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914 there were 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, declaring it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.