Pilgrimage tour is a fast growing type of tourism in Lithuania. It includes both active travelling and visiting of pilgrim locations, historical and cultural heritage sites. Tourism experts agree unanimously that the potentials of pilgrimage tourism in Lithuania are enormous. The country has some landmarks which are famous in the world, for instance, the Hill of Crosses or Šiluva (the site of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary). They may become a very important site of attraction fascinating with its architectural and cultural history and interesting from a religious and spiritual perspective.
Why pilgrimage tourism?
The modern world, which is continuously changing and undergoing globalisation, is full of people who look for spiritual support, internal strength and hope. As a result, interest in pilgrim tours is growing as they are relevant not only to people of specific confessions but also to secular persons who simply look for peacefulness in spirit. The most common characteristic of pilgrimage is an inner journey or a person’s journey into his or her psyche by visiting certain sites which are distinct for their architecture or cultural history or which were/are spiritually and religiously important for the nation.
Private tours in Lithuania have become increasingly popular and have taken their market share in the tourism industry. A particular attention is often given to Šiluva, which is also called the centre of the pilgrimage / religious tourism in Lithuania. The town is known for the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – one of a few sites officially recognised by the Catholic Church. Not far from Šiluva, tourists can find a small but very cosy town of Tytuvėnai renowned for its cultural and historical heritage. Slightly further from Šiauliai, tourists can visit a unique site – the famous Hill of Crosses. There were numerous attempts to destroy the hill but it has survived and is now a symbol of our freedom and carries infinite implications. In 1993, Pope John Paul II stopped to pray on the Hill of Crosses; he later mentioned it in his speeches on numerous occasions and even has sent a rood cross to Lithuania. The hill with over a hundred thousand crosses also embodies a unique craft of cross-making which has survived the fiercest Soviet occupation times. In 2001, UNESCO recognised cross-crafting in Lithuania as masterpiece of the world’s intangible heritage. The tradition of placing crosses near crossroads and near private houses has survived to the present day serving both as a sign of the nation’s memory and as a symbol of faith.
Pilgrim tour: Šiluva, Tytuvėnai and the Hill of Crosses
- ŠILUVA
A small town in Raseiniai district surrounded by forests with the resident population standing at just 600 is one of the key sacred sites in Lithuania attracting pilgrims from all over the world. The apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Šiluva occurred in 1608. It is the oldest and one of five apparitions in Europe officially acknowledged by the Catholic Church. The height of the magnificent Chapel of the Apparition is 44 metres. Inside the chapel, there is an altar placed on the stone of the apparition. Above the altar, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands. Asking for God’s grace, favour and mercy, many worshippers crawl around the altar on their knees.
The present-day church of Šiluva or, more specifically, the Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was constructed in the period from 1760 to 1775. It is a monument of the late Baroque religious architecture with the preserved interior decoration which is over two hundred years old. It took 24 years for a sculptor Michael Podhajski (Mykolas Podhaiskis) to create it. The big altar of the church contains an image of the Virgin Mary which is famous for miracles. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the basilica. A monument to honour him was set up in the square nearby.
- TYTUVĖNAI
Tytuvėnai, which is found not far from Šiluva, is known for its spectacular scenery, numerous lakes and the ensemble of the Virgin Mary of the Angels Church and the Bernardine Monastery built in the 17th century. It is considered one of the most beautiful architectural landmarks of north-eastern Europe as it combines the styles of Baroque, Renaissance, Gothic and Rococo.
The township of Tytuvėnai is known as a resort found in the north-western Lithuania, 17 km to the east from Kelmė. It is surrounded by three lakes – Bridvaišis, Gilius and Epušis. The township is situated in the territory of Tytuvėnai Regional Park. Every year, this place sees pilgrim processions moving from Tytuvėnai to Šiluva. In 2004, an international art festival was organised in Tytuvėnai for the first time. It takes place on an annual basis. You can find Akmenų Rūža’s hiking trail, an observation tower, numerous mounds and other sightseeing objects in the surroundings of Tytuvėnai.
- THE HILL OF CROSSES
The start of placing crosses on the mound of Jurgaičiai dates back to mid–19th century. There are more than a hundred thousand crosses there now. Today, the Hill of Crosses is probably the best known religious object in Lithuania and is visited by pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. It is included in almost all top ten lists of sightseeing sites worth seeing in Lithuania compiled by foreign travel organisers or travellers. Most Lithuanians see this place as a symbol of religious and national freedom, faith, hope and pilgrimage (a cross is a symbol of Christianity). In fact, foreigners give the Hill of Crosses various meanings, for example, a few foreign publications included the Hill of Crosses in the list of most horrifying sites in the world. Most probably, the reason is that shadows of crosses in the evening or at night convey the feeling of mystery and fear. The Hill of Crosses also has an important aesthetical and artistic value. Part of crosses are protected and preserved as cultural monuments.
DiscoverLithuania – private pilgrimage tour in Lithuania
DiscoverLithuania invites you to take a private pilgrim tour which will help you open the door to religious history and rich architectural heritage of Lithuania while travelling from Vilnius to Šiluva, Tytuvėnai and the Hill of Crosses. Our aim is to create a tour full of unforgettable experiences and to help you find the objects for which Lithuania is known as well as discover spiritual treasures of the country. Our offered tours are designed for people who look for places suitable for concentration of thoughts and for peace of mind. Those who enjoy slow travelling will also find these tours fascinating as tourists are given time to spend on their own in peace and solitude, to walk around some of the most beautiful regions of Lithuania, to enjoy cultural objects that are more than one hundred years old and the picturesque natural landscape of Lithuania. For more on private pilgrim tours read here: