At first glance it may seem that the Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) is a cemetery. But in fact, this place has nothing to do with any burials. There is a popular belief: luck and luck will always accompany those who put up a cross in this holy place. According to rough estimates, there are about one hundred thousand of them installed here.
A sacred place for believers
Mountain of Crosses (Lithuania) is a sacred place of pilgrimage for Catholics. On the hill there is a huge number of crosses of various sizes, materials and shapes. According to legend, the cross is a talisman against unclean forces. There are many reasons for installation, for example, the birth of a baby, laying the foundation of a house, as a prayer, repentance for sins, or a request for something.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II from the Vatican, while visiting Lithuania, also set up a crucifix on this cross hill and gave a blessing to the entire Christian world from here. After that Cross Hill in Lithuaniagained popularity among not only Catholics, but also adherents of other religions and faiths, which made it a popular place of pilgrimage, and also led to an increased number of tourists from all over the world.
Assumptions of researchers and archaeologists
Some scholars suggest that a long time ago, even before the baptism of Lithuania, there was a place on this hill for worshiping pagan gods. However, there is no exact data on the origin of the Cross Mountain. Many old crosses have images of the sun, which is more a pagan symbol than a Christian one.
After excavations in the 90s of the XX century, archaeologists and local historians concluded that it was the ancient settlement of Kule of the XIV century, which was razed to the ground by the knights of the Livonian Order in 1348. And those who desperately defended the wooden castle on the top of the hill, as well as the local population, were killed. Years and centuries after the brutal punitive operation, people began to worship this mountain.
There is another version, according to which the Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) appeared much later, after the uprising of the Lithuanians against the royal power in the middle of the 19th century, which was brutally suppressed, and the first crucifixes were erected on the site of the battle in honor of the dead. Later, a chapel was erected on this site, and crucifixes became more and more.
Legend of the Catholic Monastery
Legend says that there used to be a Catholic church on the site where the Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) is now located. Mysticism and anomaliesvarious kinds of haunted this shrine, such as the sudden disappearance of the monastery, which, according to rumors, fell into the ground.
After some time, a family from a neighboring village suffered a misfortune, the daughter of a villager fell ill with a serious illness. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to cure his daughter, the father decided to put a cross on the site, which is rumored to have the power of healing. And an unprecedented miracle happened - the girl recovered. The news of this incident spread throughout the neighborhood, and people began to come here more often and leave crucifixes.
Attempts to destroy the shrine
Since 1923, they began to organize a temple procession to the Hill of Crosses, every year there is a service of the Holy Mass and the consecration of crosses. When the Bolsheviks came to power and Soviet power was established in Lithuania, attempts to demolish the mountain became more frequent. Despite this, the crucifixes appeared again. You can tear down a mountain, but you can't destroy faith.
With the weakening of Soviet power, the Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) became a real open-air temple. People visit this place to pray, communicate with higher powers, tell their sorrows and sorrows, or thank God for something.
In 2006, 21 crucifixes were bent, twisted and scattered on the holy hill by vandals, and a few years later the urn for donations of believers was destroyed. After that, a decision was made to protect the mountain, but after one accident involving the murder of a police officer by one crazy fanatic, Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) is no longernot protected. After the blessing of the Pope, the church is protected by the priests of the Franciscan order.
Each cross has its own unique story
This is a sacred place for believers - the Hill of Crosses, the sacred energy of the hill attracts here not only the indigenous people of Lithuania, but also those Lithuanians who once emigrated to the USA and Europe. Israeli and Arab pilgrims come to leave the crucifix or pray. Among the crosses is a crucifix to the famous Russian theater and film actor Andrei Mironov, which was placed by his mother together with the artists of the local theater.
A review left by one of the tourists about this place (Mountain of Crosses) says that a very peculiar feeling visited the hill with his own eyes. Due to all sorts of attributes such as valentines, gnomes, ribbons with bells and other things that do not correspond to a holy place, there is no feeling that you are on sacred land, the object is more like a mysterious tourist attraction. But there is no smoke without fire, if this place is so popular, in fact, miracles happen here.
Sacred energy of the holy land
Researchers of energy anomalies agree that the land in this area near the cross mountain has an incredible aura, and earlier there was a giant pyramid built by ancient civilizations before the death of Atlantis. She was energetically associated with the Egyptian pyramids, as well as with those built by the Mayan tribes. This place is credited with a connection even with the stones of Stonehenge! There is something mysterious, mysterious and even mystical here. Researcher Andris Ansis Spats, who devoted himself to paranormal phenomena, believes that by building a mountain with crosses here, people blocked the energy flows of a place that is nearby and truly has an incredible by force. A surveyor from Latvia, Lyudmila Kartunova, believes that the earth is trembling not just from energy flows, but due to a break in this place of the tectonic plate, and therefore earthquakes are quite likely here.
The Hill of Crosses is a symbol of suffering, faith, tolerance and national identity, as well as a peaceful challenge against the numerous oppressions and persecutions of the Lithuanian people. This sight makes many tremble, some inspires fear and horror, only a few remain indifferent.
