Top of the World
Nowhere else in the world you will find such a place – where so many crosses are brought by people on the hill, embraced by legends, and fables. The Hill of Crosses is a unique sacral place, amazing and the only one of its size and history in the world.The Hill of Crosses near Siauliai was formed on Jurgaiciai mound, which was considered a holy place. It is believed that the first crosses were left on the Hill by the relatives of rebels killed in the uprising of 1831, but the Hill of Crosses is mentioned in written sources only since 1850. The erection of crosses on the hill in great numbers began in 1863, when the Tsarist authorities banned the installation of crosses not only by the roadsides, but also in cemeteries. The history also tells us that many crosses appeared in the end of the nineteenth century after the apparition of the Holy Virgin Mary with baby Jesus. It was she, they say, who encouraged people to build crosses in this place.
