Hill of Crosses

Coordinates: 56°00′55″N 23°25′00″E / 56.01528°N 23.41667°E / 56.01528; 23.41667
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Hill of Crosses

The Hill of Crosses (Lithuanian: Kryžių kalnas) is a Lithuanian site of pilgrimage. It is about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) north of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania.

No one knows when or why people started leaving crosses on the hill. It is believed that the first crosses were put up after the 1831 Uprising.[1] It was estimated that there were 55,000 crosses in 1990[2] and 100,000 in 2006.[3]

On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the site and declared it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.[4]

References[change | change source]

  1. "The Hill of Crosses". CNN iReport. Retrieved 2014-03-23.[permanent dead link]
  2. "The Hill of Crosses: A Pilgrimage Tour To the Peaceful Endurance of Catholicism". Goista. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  3. "'Hill of Crosses' built by Catholic pilgrims over two centuries draws in many". NBC News. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  4. Olsen, Brad. Sacred Places Europe: 108 Destinations. p. 150.

Other websites[change | change source]

56°00′55″N 23°25′00″E / 56.01528°N 23.41667°E / 56.01528; 23.41667