Lithuania의 성지-십자가의 언덕

Near the town of Siauliai in Lithuania is Hill of Crosses .

It is located in 12 km to the north of the city and is a mound , where in ancient times stood Samogitian pagan temple .

Samogitians , or as they are called in Russia Zhmud , were very militant and independent people .

Unfortunately no time appearance Mountains crosses , nor the reasons for its occurrence, no one can accurately be called .

Some researchers believe , that even before Lithuania's baptism ( in the 14th century ) on the hill was a pagan temple .

 After the baptism of a long time continued to exist remnants of paganism , which often were combined with Catholic precepts , forming the so-called "

popular religion " .

One example of this blending of pagan and Catholic rituals become tradition installation Catholic crosses on the former site of pagan rites .

If this theory is correct , then the Hill of crosses is the same age as the Lithuanian Catholicism .

One of confirmation this version is the fact , that the carvings of Lithuanian traditional crosses has very little in common with the Christian symbolism ,

 but very much with the symbols of pagan worship ( eg image of the Sun ).

According to another version of the Hill of Crosses came much later .

 The first crosses were put rebel relatives , who were executed by the tsarist authorities of the Russian Empire in 1831 ,

as a result of the uprising brutally suppressed .

In addition to the scientific explanation of the appearance of mountains crosses , there are also many legends .

One of them says , that a long time ago this place was a Catholic monastery .

Once he was gone , as though fell through the ground .

 At that time, one of the local people sick daughter that no one could be cured . and then my father decided to put an end to namolennye place

 and ask the Lord for healing . and the miracle happened - my daughter recovered .

The rumor of this miracle dispersed throughout Lithuania , people began to arrive , ask the Lord for help and set crosses .

 Thus was born the Mountain crosses .

In Soviet times, many attempts to destroy this place . However , each time , after a bulldozer bore crosses , they appeared on the mountain again .

Thus the residents of Lithuania expressed their disagreement with the authorities .
Today, on the hill delivered tens of thousands of crosses . Crosses and small , standing and hanging .

They were put in gratitude for the healing of the disease , the appearance of the long-awaited child , in memory of a deceased relative or loved one ,

about the people who died in the war , to protect against various ills . In the inscriptions on these crosses can learn geography .

Польша , Беларусь , Украина , Россия , Германия , Великобритания , Соединенные ... and of course Lithuania .

 There is also an Armenian cross-stone - a stone stele carved with a cross on it and a gold-plated Judaism symbol - Star of David .

In September 1993 took place the visit of Pope John Paul II to Lithuania .

 During the trip he visited the Hill of Crosses , spent worship and installed on it a crucifix .

This gave even more famous Hill of Crosses, and helped to increase the number of tourists and believers , who wish to visit this place .

Today it is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Lithuania .