One of the places we visited on our way to the coast was a place called The Hill of Crosses. It started simply enough many years ago as a place where friends and families of fallen soldiers placed a cross in memory of their sacrifice. At that time it contained only some thirty crosses. When the Soviet occupation came, it was decided that this outward diplay of religion had to be removed. They used bulldozers to clear the hill. In defiance, the local people would sneak in at night and replace them at great risk to themselves as it was at times guarded by army troops. This happened repeatedly until the Soviets finally gave up. It has since become a symbol of solidarity and defiance and now contains innumerable crosses. These pictures show just how massive it has become. People from all over the world now come and place crosses here including the Pope. It still is a statement of faith in Jesus Christ and was completely overwhelming to me. (Russ) There are places where there are literally mounds of small wood crosses. (shown in the picture above) The hill itself is not particularly large or worthy of note but the tributes are beyond description. Not all of the crosses are wood. Some are metal and a few are crocheted or of strung beads.
One of the places we visited on our way to the coast was a place called The Hill of Crosses. It started simply enough many years ago as a place where friends and families of fallen soldiers placed a cross in memory of their sacrifice. At that time it contained only some thirty crosses. When the Soviet occupation came, it was decided that this outward diplay of religion had to be removed. They used bulldozers to clear the hill. In defiance, the local people would sneak in at night and replace them at great risk to themselves as it was at times guarded by army troops. This happened repeatedly until the Soviets finally gave up. It has since become a symbol of solidarity and defiance and now contains innumerable crosses. These pictures show just how massive it has become. People from all over the world now come and place crosses here including the Pope. It still is a statement of faith in Jesus Christ and was completely overwhelming to me. (Russ) There are places where there are literally mounds of small wood crosses. (shown in the picture above) The hill itself is not particularly large or worthy of note but the tributes are beyond description. Not all of the crosses are wood. Some are metal and a few are crocheted or of strung beads. 
2 comments:
That's pretty incredible Russ, it must have been a stirring sight to see! I'm glad that you're able to get these pictures on here, I'm really enjoying checking this blog everyday to get a glimpse of all the things you guys are experiencing.
Russ and Mary,
Wow, what an amazing place. We take our freedom to worship pretty casually here - and then to see this evidence of what people go through elsewhere for their faith. Thanks for sharing.
- Sue
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