Hill of Crosses
Thousands of Crosses
As you begin walking toward the Hill of Crosses just outside the town of Šiauliai, Lithuania, you are awed by the magnificent display of crosses on what seems to be a random hill in the countryside. There is nothing else around. There seems to be no reason for this hill to be “the hill” where people have left crosses for centuries. The randomness of it draws you in.
You stop and try to take a picture. It’s a semi-circle. You need to take a panorama.
But then you step up to it and see that the crosses are hundreds thick. They have collapsed on each other. There are mounds of crosses atop crosses. Big, small, wooden, metal. Stone, engraved, handcrafted, broken.
You realize there is no possible way to capture this in pictures.
But you keep trying.
Origin of the Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai
So, why there? It’s an interesting unknown, though its protection as a sight for displays of religious worship and devotion as well as an act of defiance, is as mysterious and intriguing as wondering how it all began.
There are records dating back to 1850 that describe this Hill of Crosses, though it most likely existed before that. One story says that Lithuanian people who were not allowed to bury their dead according to Soviet rule, began leaving crosses here. There are also stories of Marian visions that prompted people to come to this hill and leave crosses. Pope John Paul II visited the site in 1993 and called it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.
Whatever the origin, the site itself has endured persecution again and again, but worshippers rebuild after each destruction. The site has been bulldozed, burned, and destroyed more than four times since 1961. And yet, there are hundreds of thousands of crosses erected there.
Visiting the Hill of Crosses
The day we went was cold and very windy. The wind whipped through and we hunched into our jackets while we tried to take in the incredible number of crosses we saw we each step we took in any direction.
Paths through the Hill of Crosses
You could get lost in the trails of never-ending crosses. It reminded me of the catacombs of Paris in the way that you walk along the rows of skulls in Paris / rows of crosses on one small hill in Lithuania, and think there can’t possibly be ANY MORE. And then there are.
Crosses stacked on top of each other
You can see the Hill of Crosses anytime by pulling to the side of the road. There hill is not lit, so when it’s dark, visibility would be severely limited.
We chose to pull into the pay parking lot by the Visitor Center. There’s a display that explains a little of the Hill of Crosses and there’s a gift shop. Oddly, there were not crosses to buy and add to the hill. There were mounted crucifixes, and perhaps some people have thought to leave one of those.
My daughter-in-law had whittled a small cross to leave there. She tucked it into a tree. She’d done her research before our trip and learned that cross-making is a part of Lithuania’s cultural heritage. She’d come more prepared than I had. Her tiny cross was added to the mass of offerings on that Hill.
Handmade cross for Hill of Crosses
I was completely awed by the evidence of all the thousands of people who have come here and erected cast iron crosses, granite headstones, marble, stone, and metal crosses carved with pictures and words. The Hill of Crosses has traversed time, politics, and religious persecution. No matter who has come and tried to destroy this devout display of freedom to worship, the Hill of Crosses remains.
Have you experienced this place, or another like it?
Browsing The Atlas 
Wow – I can imagine this place felt very sacred. How did you find out about it? Did you just stumble upon it or did your daughter in law find it? In any case, thank you for sharing. This is exactly the kind of place I like visiting on my travels.
I discovered this site when I began looking at what we might do in Lithuania. As soon as I saw a picture of it, I knew I needed to go there. It was more awe-inspiring than I would have ever imagined.
Wow, I’ve never heard of a place like this, I am not religious but find it quirkingly beautiful. I am sure my hubby would like to photograph it and as someone who loves macro shots – I would love it too!
It’s a photographer’s dream, I think. I’m not religious, but loved the spirituality I felt there.
I’ve never heard of this place or any like it. I’m not religious at all but I’d definitely visit this. It’s kind of beautiful and haunting at the same time. How cool that your daughter in law did the research and had a cross to leave. How did you find out about this place?
Before the trip I got a book from the library on the Baltic countries and what to see there. I do a TON of research before trips, but still try to get some of it a surprise. That’s how she knew about leaving a cross — I just found the site and knew I wanted to see it.
Cool place, never heard of this place.
Thanks. It was amazing!
Amazing, especially how it is constantly regenerating. It’s certainly a powerful place whether or not one is religious.
It amazes me, too, that anyone would try to remove it, and that it continues to be reborn again and again as a Hill of Crosses.
This is such an intriguing site. I think you describe it well, how as you enter you slowly realize that there are layer and layers of crosses, thousands of them representing thousands of prayers over the decades. Like you, I couldn’t stop taking pictures – there’s just no way to capture the feel of the place, the variety of crosses left here, or the sense of loss it represents. It’s beautiful, haunting, and deeply moving. Like your daughter, I thought about bringing a cross, but instead simply sent a few prayers into the wind to join all those that have gone before.
I couldn’t figure out how to describe it in words, Cindy, but I think you just did it beautifully!