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Three Crosses

500px Photo ID: 121014055 - The historians suppose that in the 13th century before the conversion of Lithuania to Christianity on this hill seven Franciscan monks, that preached the new religion, were murdered. The monks were crucified and then four of them were tossed into the river to check whether a new god could work wonders and save his servants..In the 13th century the third Vilnius castle, the so called Crooked Castle, stood on the hill on the bank of the river Vilnia. In 1390 it was burnt to the ground by the sword-bearers and never rebuilt. On its spot, in 1613, the first crosses were erected to honor the monks that had died the death of martyrs. In 1916 the concrete crosses designed by the architect A. Vivulskis replaced the old wooden ones. In the postwar years at the behest of the Soviet Government the crosses, as well as many other religious monuments, were blown up and buried. The Three Crosses Monument was re-erected on the day of commemoration of the June massive exiles of the population in 1941 (June 14, 1989). The blasted crosses lie nearby the new ones to remind the contemporaries of the tragic Lithuanian history and to warn the posterity against the neglecting of the country's tradition..From the top of the hill one can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of Vilnius.

Jurijs Svecovs / 500px

Crosses were first erected in the 17th century, in memory of a group of monks martyred by pagans three centuries earlier. The current crosses replace three bulldozed by the Soviets; their twisted remains can be seen below the current set. Walk up the hill from T Kosciuskos gatvė, and enjoy fabulous views of the city, particularly good here at sunset.

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