Šiauliai district is known in the world for the famous Hill of Crosses. The Hill of Crosses became famous when Pope John Paul II visited here on September 7, 1993. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of his visit to the Hill of Crosses, Pope John Paul II presented Lithuania with a man-sized crucifix created by the Italian sculptor Enrico Manzinis by special order. It is attached to a 3.8 meter high Lithuanian oak cross.
In the middle of the 19th century, crosses were built on the Jurgaičiai mound, called the Castle or Prayer Hill. Locals said the first crosses were built by God in prayer for health. According to other stories, the construction of the cross on the mountain began in memory of those who died in the uprising of 1863–1864.
The main objects of the Hill of Crosses: the sculpture of Christ, Mary on the hill, the chapel, the monastery. Sculpture of the Blessed Christ. congratulates and blesses all who come to the Hill of Crosses. People say that they wanted to demolish the Blessed Christ, but the sculpture withstood all the troubles and still stands today.
One of the legends of the Hill of Crosses tells that the beginning of the Hill of Crosses was associated with St. Mary's appearance to children in 1872. In this place stood the three Mary of the Cross. The first Mary stood on the Hill of Crosses from 1978 to 1993. The statue of Mary was called "the Blessed Virgin Mary, the divider of God's graces." On September 7, 1993, she was blessed by Pope John Paul II. The second Mary stood on the Hill of Crosses from 1994 to 2011. The third Mary was built on the Hill of Crosses in 2012, and it still stands today. Mary holds the baby Jesus, and she holds the Mother of God in her arms.
The Chapel of the Hill of Crosses, also known as the Chapel of the Pope, was built as a temporary building in 1993 in preparation for the visit of John Paul II. In the chapel, the Pope, together with the Lithuanian bishops, offered Holy Mass with the participation of a crowd of thousands of people. After the pope's visit, the chapel was to be demolished, but thanks to the efforts of the faithful, it was preserved and included in the list of Cultural Heritage sites.
In the autumn of 1993, a few weeks after his trip to Lithuania, Pope John Paul II, visiting Italy's Franciscan monastery on Mount La Verna, said that there were two special mountains in Europe: Mount La Verna and Mount of Crosses - and a bridge should be built between these mountains. . He urged the Franciscan brothers to build a monastery on the Hill of Crosses. On July 8, 2000, the Monastery of the Hill of Crosses in St. Casimir Province, Lithuania, of the Order of Younger Brothers was solemnly consecrated.
The Hill of Crosses is a symbol of our nation's suffering, hope, unbroken faith. We know more about the Hill of Crosses as a sacred place where people come to leave a piece of themselves forever. The Cross is a special figure, and when there are so many of them in one place, and everyone is surrounded by feelings, experiences, faith, the Hill of Crosses acquires an extraordinary value.
In the middle of the 19th century, crosses were built on the Jurgaičiai mound, called the Castle or Prayer Hill. Locals said the first crosses were built by God in prayer for health. According to other stories, the construction of the cross on the mountain began in memory of those who died in the uprising of 1863–1864.
The main objects of the Hill of Crosses: the sculpture of Christ, Mary on the hill, the chapel, the monastery. Sculpture of the Blessed Christ. congratulates and blesses all who come to the Hill of Crosses. People say that they wanted to demolish the Blessed Christ, but the sculpture withstood all the troubles and still stands today.
One of the legends of the Hill of Crosses tells that the beginning of the Hill of Crosses was associated with St. Mary's appearance to children in 1872. In this place stood the three Mary of the Cross. The first Mary stood on the Hill of Crosses from 1978 to 1993. The statue of Mary was called "the Blessed Virgin Mary, the divider of God's graces." On September 7, 1993, she was blessed by Pope John Paul II. The second Mary stood on the Hill of Crosses from 1994 to 2011. The third Mary was built on the Hill of Crosses in 2012, and it still stands today. Mary holds the baby Jesus, and she holds the Mother of God in her arms.
The Chapel of the Hill of Crosses, also known as the Chapel of the Pope, was built as a temporary building in 1993 in preparation for the visit of John Paul II. In the chapel, the Pope, together with the Lithuanian bishops, offered Holy Mass with the participation of a crowd of thousands of people. After the pope's visit, the chapel was to be demolished, but thanks to the efforts of the faithful, it was preserved and included in the list of Cultural Heritage sites.
In the autumn of 1993, a few weeks after his trip to Lithuania, Pope John Paul II, visiting Italy's Franciscan monastery on Mount La Verna, said that there were two special mountains in Europe: Mount La Verna and Mount of Crosses - and a bridge should be built between these mountains. . He urged the Franciscan brothers to build a monastery on the Hill of Crosses. On July 8, 2000, the Monastery of the Hill of Crosses in St. Casimir Province, Lithuania, of the Order of Younger Brothers was solemnly consecrated.
The Hill of Crosses is a symbol of our nation's suffering, hope, unbroken faith. We know more about the Hill of Crosses as a sacred place where people come to leave a piece of themselves forever. The Cross is a special figure, and when there are so many of them in one place, and everyone is surrounded by feelings, experiences, faith, the Hill of Crosses acquires an extraordinary value.
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