For Easter: The Hill of Crosses

March 23, 2008 ·  

Bulldozed three times by the Soviet authorities, the Hill of Crosses in Northern Lithuania always came back. When I was there in August 2007, over 50,000 crosses of all sizes were at the site, spread over two hillocks 12km north of the city of Siauliai, Lithuania’s 4th largest city.The planting of crosses originally started in the 1860s, though the exact reason for this has been lost in clouds of incense and piety. I was told two stories about the origins of the cross-planting. The patriotic version says proud Lithuanians... [Read more]