Description of the attraction
One of the landmarks of Vilnius is the Three Crosses - this is a monument that represents three white crosses directed into the sky. This monument is located at the very top of the hill in Kalnu Park, which also carries a symbolic and religious symbol of Vilnius. The peak located in the park is called the Three-Cross Mountain, and earlier it was famous as Crooked or Bald Mountain. The mountain is located on the right bank of the Vilnia.
As you know, Lithuania remained in the shadow of paganism longer than other European countries. The religion of Lithuania at that time resembled the cult of the Scandinavian Aezir with only few differences in the pantheon of gods. The official date of the adoption of Christianity in this country is 1387, because it was in this year that the prince of the Grand Duchy of Jagaila, as well as the heir to the Gediminovich dynasty, Prince Vytautas, decided to christen the country according to the customs and traditions of the Catholic Roman Church.
Attempts to convert Gentiles to the true faith have previously failed, as missionaries have always been executed. At the end of the 17th century, a legend was recorded according to which, in the absence of Prince Olgerd, as well as the governor of Gashtold, due to the war, the Vilna pagans attacked the Franciscan monks, whom Gastold settled in his house at the request of the Christian wife. Seven people were executed right on the market, and the rest of the seven managed to escape. The escaped monks were found on the banks of the Vilenka River - there they were thrown from Bald Mountain into the river. Some stories tell that the monks were tied at first, and then nailed to the crosses, and then thrown into Vilenka. Another legend narrated: four monks were thrown into the river, the three remaining were executed on crosses, and left them on Bald Mountain.
On the banks of the Vilna River in the 13th century, the Crooked Castle towered, but in 1390 it was burned by the Crusaders, and after that it was never rebuilt. On this very place, where the castle was previously located, three wooden crosses were erected in memory of the painful death of the Franciscan monks. In 1740 they were replaced with new ones due to dilapidation. In 1869, the crosses collapsed, but the authorities did not give permission to renew them.
In 1916 (during the First World War) Vilnius was taken by the Germans and then, on the initiative of Kazimir Mikhalkevich, money was collected for the construction of a monument, only from a more durable material. A considerable difficulty was the delivery of the necessary building materials to the hard-to-reach and high hill, which could only be brought by hand. The work took two months. The crosses were designed by Anthony Vivulsky. Unbeknownst to the German authorities, the crosses were illuminated by priest Kazimir. But as soon as the war ended, the Soviet authorities ordered the Three Crosses to be blown up; the same fate awaited numerous other religious monuments, which, after being destroyed, were simply buried or were removed in parts.
After these events, the hopes of the people did not fade, and after the campaign in 1989, the monument to the Three Crosses was nevertheless restored. Signatures were collected, as well as appeals to the authorities, before which the government simply could not resist. Thus, on the day of Sorrow and Hope, namely June 14, 1989, the religious monument of the Three Crosses was nevertheless restored. It took two weeks of work to restore the monument. The new monument carried the function of tribute and memory to all victims of Stalinism, because it was on the day of Sorrow and Hope that the authorities laid the foundation for Stalin's exiles.
The Three Crosses monument was designed according to the sketches of the architect Henrikas Šilingas, and the sculptor Stanislovas Kuzma took over the direct work. The new monument faithfully reproduces the earlier structure designed by Anthony Vivulsky, but 1.8 meters higher than the previous one and painted with a lighter white paint. The monument was consecrated by Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius. Until now, next to the new crosses lie the remains of long-blown up crosses, which serves as a kind of reminder of the tragic events in the history of this country, as well as a warning for future generations.
