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Lithuania |
The Hill of Crosses is a site of
pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in
northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving
crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the
first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaiciai or Domantai
hill fort after the 1831 Uprising. Over the generations, not only
crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots,
statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and
rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. The exact
number of crosses is unknown, but estimates put it at about
55,000 in 1990 and 100,000 in 2006.
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