At first glance, it may seem that Mount 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 an end to this holy place. According to rough estimates, about one hundred thousand are installed here.
Holy place for believers
Mount of Crosses (Lithuania) is a sacred pilgrimage site for Catholics. On the hill there are a huge number of crosses that are very different in size, material and shape. According to legend, the cross is a guard against unclean forces. There are many reasons for installation, for example, the birth of a baby, the laying of the foundation of a house, as a prayer, repentance of sins or a request for something.
In 1993, the Pope of Rome from the Vatican, John Paul II , while visiting Lithuania, also established a crucifix on this cross hill and gave a blessing to the whole Christian world. After that, Cross Mountain in Lithuania became famous 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 increase in the 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 worship of pagan gods. However, accurate data on the origin of the Cross Mountain does not exist. Many ancient crosses have images of the sun, and this is more a pagan symbol than a Christian.
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 wiped out 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 a 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 imperial authority in the middle of the 19th century, which was brutally suppressed, and the first crucifixes were erected at the scene of the battle in honor of the victims. Later, a chapel was erected at this place, and crucifixes became more and more.
The legend of the catholic monastery
Legend has it that there used to be a Catholic church on the site where the Hill of Crosses (Lithuania) is now located. Mystics and anomalies of various kinds pursued this shrine, for example, the sudden disappearance of a monastery, which, according to rumors, fell underground.
After some time, one family from a neighboring village suffered misfortune, the daughter of a peasant fell ill with a serious illness. After many unsuccessful attempts to cure his daughter, his father decided to put an end to the place where the rumor goes, as if it has 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 arrange a temple procession on the Hill of Crosses, the service of the Holy Mass and the consecration of crosses take place annually. When the Bolsheviks came to power and Soviet power was established in Lithuania, attempts to demolish the mountain became more frequent. Despite this, crucifixes appeared again. You can demolish a mountain, but destroy faith is impossible.
With the weakening of Soviet power, Mount of Crosses (Lithuania) became a real open-air temple. People visit this place to pray, to associate with higher powers, to tell their sorrows and sorrows, or to thank God for something.
In 2006, 21 crucifixes were bent, twisted and scattered on a holy hill by vandals, and a ballot box for donations from believers was ravaged several years later. After that, it was decided to protect the mountain, but after one accident related to the murder of a police officer by one abnormal fanatic, Mount Krestov (Lithuania) is no longer guarded. After the blessing of the Pope, the temple is protected by the priests of the Franciscan Order.
Each cross has its own unique story.
This sacred place for believers is the Hill of Crosses, the sacred energy of the hill attracts here not only the indigenous inhabitants of Lithuania, but also those Lithuanians who once emigrated to the United States and Europe. Israeli and Arab pilgrims come to leave the crucifix or pray. Among the crosses, a crucifix was installed for the famous Russian theater and film actor Andrei Mironov, who was staged by his mother together with the artists of the local theater.
A review left by one of the tourists about this place (Hill of Crosses) says that a person who saw the hill with his own eyes was visited by a very peculiar feeling. Due to all sorts of attributes such as valentines, gnomes, ribbons with bells and other things inappropriate to the 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 earth in this area near the Cross Mountain has an incredible aura, and before that there was a giant pyramid built by ancient civilizations before the death of Atlantis. She was energetically connected with the Egyptian pyramids, as well as with those that the Mayan tribes built. This place is credited with a connection even with the stones of Stonehenge! There is something mysterious, mysterious and even mystical.
Researcher Andris Ansis Spats, who devoted himself to paranormal phenomena, believes that, having built a mountain with crosses here, people blocked the energy flows of a place that is nearby and truly possesses incredible power. Surveyor from Latvia Lyudmila Kartunova believes that the earth is shaking not just from energy flows, but due to a rupture of a tectonic plate in this place, and therefore earthquakes are quite likely here.
The Mountain 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 spectacle makes many people tremble; some cause fear and horror, only a few remain indifferent.