| The hill of crosses |
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The small hills at Siauliai, north-west of Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, are eerie and arresting. They have been the site of crosses for many years, although no-one knows for sure who started erecting them here. The city of Siauliai (pronounced shoe-lay) dates from 1236, and it seems placing crosses in a prominent position has always been the Lithuanian way of showing resistance to foreign oppressors, beginning in the 14th century when the country was occupied by Teutonic Knights.
It is said that before 1991, while the Soviet Union was in power in Lithuania, authorities bulldozed the hillocks clear three times, covering the area with waste, but within weeks the crosses had returned, sprouting again as if by divine intent.
Huge crosses support smaller crosses, tiny plastic ones swing from slightly larger ones, a multitude of them, and then there are rosaries, holy pictures, badges and medals as well, a tribute to Christianity and national identity. Pope John Paul II, even visited the Hill of Crosses in September, 1993. Attempts have been made to count the crosses, but all failed. One person reached a million, then gave up, still far short of the total. Unique and haunting, still they hang, rattling in the wind, the number accumulating daily. |
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