Hill of Crosses: The Shrine That Refused to Die

Government Intervention

The Soviet government did not take kindly to what it viewed as a subversive expression of Lithuanian nationalism. When Catholics began congregating there to make vows and hold feasts, local officials ordered the site demolished.

The so called “demolition period” began in 1958, when gravel digging commenced. In 1961 bulldozers tackled the Hill of Crosses, dislodging and crushing everything for easy removal. Broken wooden crosses were burned, stone ones ended up in the Kulpė Stream, and all tributes made of metal were lugged off to the junkyard.

Dezidor

To avoid a violent uprising, Soviet authorities limited the destruction to 500 crosses a year, saying that they only removed the ones that were badly degraded and/or had no artistic value. To prevent re-population, they even announced swine fever and rabies epidemics, and made it illegal to access the area.

To make sure that the place remained cross-free, police guards were stationed at the road to the hill and KGB officers infiltrated the surrounding forests, but it was a wasted effort. New crosses appeared on a nightly basis, and after each of the four demolitions in 1961, 1973, and 1975, the Hill of Crosses kept resurrecting. It simply refused to be eradicated: after each desecration, locals and even pilgrims from other parts of Lithuania replaced all the crosses that had been swept away. Finally, in 1985, the Soviet authorities left the place alone.

Kazimieras

Praying for Miracles

The hill’s reputation as a pilgrimage site shows no signs of slowing down. The steady stream of Christian visitors became a flood after Pope John Paul II visited the site in September 1993, most of them bearing crosses to add to the collection. Today there is an estimated 200,000 crucifixes adorning the hill, each one representing a tribute to a departed loved one or a prayer to Jesus for a miracle.

The sheer variety of crosses is nearly as stunning as their numbers. Some are plastic, others are shaped from metal or carved by hand from fine wood. In terms of size, they range from nearly ten feet tall to tiny, keychain-sized replicas that hang from their bigger counterparts. Interspersed among the crosses are rosaries, images of Jesus and different saints, and even photos of fallen Lithuanian heroes.

Those who have visited the Hill of Crosses on windy days swear that the breezes stirring the hanging rosaries make unforgettable music.

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