Kryžių kalnas
December 30, 2006
Today we went by Siauliai (about 5-7 miles north of it) to the Hill of Crosses (Kryžių kalnas), on the way there we stopped by to pick somebody up, who happened to be at a turkey farm! This farm is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
It was pretty cold walking around the hill, but it was quite interesting to see all these croses from all over the place. More below in the review…
The day before we got there, there was a fire destroying crosses in a section near the top of the hill. Most of that had been cleared away, and the barren area had already begun to become populated with new crosses, and of course some charred old ones that survived the fire too.
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Shuldu Buldu! (what turkeys say …
the cross I left
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
me in front of all the crosses
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Ieva
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
me
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Ieva
me
Ieva, me
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Me messing up Ieva's picture...
Much nicer now that I'm not in t…
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Litas (well centai anyway)
Ieva & me
aftermath of the fire
Aftermath of the fire
aftermath of the fire
charred crosses which survived t…
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of Crosses
This hill, which is close to the city of Siauliai, has become the destination for people on religious pilgrimages, all leaving a cross (or other type of religious icon). There are thousands of crosses here (according to Wikipedia, over 55,000). It has been around since the late 1800s, and it turned into a symbol of peaceful resistance against the Soviet Union during the years in which Lithuania was part of USSR. On at least two different occasions Soviet officials attempted to destroy the hill, to no avail.
From a non-religious perspective it’s quite interesting too, as a piece of folk art.
This hill, which is close to the city of Siauliai, has become the destination for people on religious pilgrimages, all leaving a cross (or other type of religious icon). There are thousands of crosses here (according to Wikipedia, over 55,000). It has been around since the late 1800s, and it turned into a symbol of peaceful resistance against the Soviet Union during the years in which Lithuania was part of USSR. On at least two different occasions Soviet officials attempted to destroy the hill, to no avail.
From a non-religious perspective it’s quite interesting too, as a piece of folk art.
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
Lots of coins
Kryžių kalnas – The Hill of …
A nearby Franciscan hermitage
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