The Hill Of Crosses in northern Lithuania has been a site of pilgrimage for hundreds of years.
Consisting of a hill bristling with hundreds of thousands of crosses of every size and design, it is a powerful testament to religious devotion - where pilgrims descend to plead with Jesus for miracles.
The tradition of leaving crosses began after an uprising against the Russian tsar was put down in 1831.
Bodiless grave: Relatives of the dead rebels, with no bodies to bury, instead left crosses on this hill to commemorate their fallen
Prayers: Vygandas Drazdauskas with a cross asking for helath for his father, success for his girlfriend for her exams, and a peaceful life
Plea for divine help: Some of the crosses bear messages to God
Modesta Vaisvilaite ties a cross to the hill: When the Russians again occupied Lithuania, during the soviet period, religion was forbidden
Struggle: Crosses appearing on the hill became a symbol of resistance to the communist regime and in response the KGB twice bulldozed the hill
Wood and metal: Today there are an estimated 200,000 crosses, carvings and shrines at the site made out of everything from wood to metal
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário