The Hill of Crosses is a famous pilgrimage site in northern Lithuania, near the city of Šiauliai. Whilst it’s one of the must-see sights, attracting pilgrims and tourists from around the world, we found it one of the most disappointing on our four-week itinerary of the Baltics.
We began at the nearby Bernardine (Franciscan) monastery where the surrounding wall was unusually low. This gave the monks unobstructed views of the hill through the huge window behind the simple altar. The chapel had two long rectangular panels of stained-glass windows. One told the story of the hill and the other the history of the Bernardine Monks. Following a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1993, a cross had been erected with the quote which translated as ‘Thank you, Lithuanian people, for this hill of testimony and love’.
A short walk took us to what I felt was a mound, rather than the hill I’d been anticipating. The tradition of placing crosses began in the 19th century as a symbol of faith and resistance, especially during times of oppression, including under Soviet rule when authorities repeatedly tried to remove the crosses. Having walked around the hill, a wooden staircase took us over and through the centre.
Anyone can place a cross on the site, and there are said to be around 500,000. Whilst there were huge crosses, most were small and wooden with many draped in rosaries.
Although the monks are said to regularly remove those that have not stood the test of time and weather, some areas resembled a pile of firewood. It was therefore no surprise to learn that there had been a huge fire here in 2017, although it was unclear whether it was accidental or deliberate.
