Back To The Hill Of Crosses

It's in the top five tourist attraction places in Lithuania, so you can't just see the place once. Besides, people come every day and add crosses to the shrine. It's an ever-changing piece of folk art.

This visit, let's appreciate some of the details.

Time to "reflect."

Jesus in still life and looming sculpture.

Religious diorama.

On the right, a visitor from another land. How'd she get there? A testament to the worldwide attraction of the shrine.

Foreground crazy eyes.

Looking At The Crosses At The Hill Of Crosses

It looks like a hill, but it's all about the crosses. With so many to examine, the mind quickly starts to seek out the unique and unusual. It's a regular talent show, ready to be judged. We're all judged, right?

Maybe your cross plays up nationalistic or sports club pride.

Crosses on crosses, the more the better. A handful of crosses, the quickie basic model available at nearby vendors.

Getting crafty, both clay and paint.

A little needlepoint.



Traditional crosses; Russian Orthodox.

Modern twists, circuit boards or Gimp.

Lithuania's Hill Of Crosses

One of Lithuania's best-known tourist attractions is something called The Hill of Crosses. And that's exactly what it is, a lumpy hill in the middle of a field way up in the northern part of Lithuania. It's been around since about 1831 and has survived multiple wars, regime changes and upheavals. No one has jurisdiction over the shrine. The Soviets repeatedly cleared the site, but people with crosses always returned. Pope John Paul II visited in 1993.

People keep visiting and leaving crosses. How many crosses? Who knows, maybe more than 100,000. Taking a look at the layout, it's obvious that a true count would be impossible.

Heading up the Hill.

It's a folk art mashup, a mix of religious devotion and symbolic anarchy.

People have hauled substantial pieces to the Hill.



A table turned into a shrine and more crosses, hemming in dirt paths.

View from the side.

Jesus as super hero and Mary among the crosses.
Ready to start counting?