Šiluva is a small town in north-central Lithuania. It is about 40 miles south of Šiauliai and 120 miles northwest of Vilnius.
This is where you will find the sanctuary of Our Lady of Šiluva.

Travel
There is no place to stay in Šiluva.
Most visitors to the shrine stay in either Vilnius or Šiauliai.
If you do not speak Lithuanian and are on your own, you will benefit more by having a local guide when you travel to Šiluva.

Šiauliai is an industrial city.
When the Soviets occupied Lithuania, they based large electronic, radio, and television factories in the city. Since independence, the presence of a huge, cheap workforce has led to the area being designated a Free Trade Zone. This has attracted foreign investment needed to keep the city afloat.
Although Šiauliai is the fourth largest city in the country, it has a small town feeling with interesting bars and restaurants, bizarre statues, and a collection of museums and galleries.

Highlights include:

• Hill of Crosses, a well known sacred place that is a symbol of the suffering, hope, and undefeated faith of the Lithuanians.

• Photography museum dedicated to equipment and the history of taking pictures in Lithuania. Changing exhibits feature mostly Lithuanian photographers.

• The cinema at Tilžes 136, one of the few Soviet relics in the city. The building is a squat, concrete pagoda, with a huge expanse of stained glass round three sides.

Travel
Šiauliai can be easily reached from other cities by train or bus.
Hill of Crosses is six miles north of Šiauliai.
Taxi service is one of the most convenient ways to see Hill of Crosses. Drivers will take you there, wait while you visit the site, and drive you back. Cost is minimal, but be sure to ask the cost before your trip.



Vilnius, founded in the 10th Century, is the capital of Lithuania. It is one of the largest, most beautiful old cities in Central and Eastern Europe and is included in the UNESCO Heritage List.
Here you will find a magnificent diversity of architectural styles and a rich kaleidoscope of religious communities.

Highlights include:

• Old Town. A charming district with numerous churches, narrow houses, and winding streets.

• Church of the Holy Spirit with the original painting of Divine Mercy. It can be found in Old Town.

• Pilies Gatvė(Castle Street). It is a wonderful walking tour. Within one mile, there are about 100 vendors offering souvenirs, handicrafts, and restaurants. Of special interest: the house where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1917 and a very interesting Russian Orthodox Church where the bodies of the first three Christian Martyrs are displayed.

• Monument of the Great Duke of Lithuania and the Gothic Castle.

• The University of Vilnius, founded by the Jesuits. It is the oldest university in Eastern Europe.

• The Church of St. John and the Library are of special interest.

• Cathedral of Vilnius where St. Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania, is buried.

• St. Peter and Paul’s Church, with plain facade and wonderful interior frescoes. It is a fourteenth century masterpiece. The main chandelier is a replica of a ship (the barque of St Peter).

• Shrine of the Three Crosses. It commemorates three Franciscan martyrs. Communists destroyed the shrine, but it has since been rebuilt.
  “Sanctus,” a wonderful store across from St. Theresa’s Church, recommended for religious souvenirs.

• Chapel of St. Theresa, built next to the Gate of Dawn, early Baroque style.
  Gate of Dawn with a chapel housing a holy image of the Virgin Mary. The entrance is from the side door of St. Theresa’s Church.

• Remnants of the Castle of Gediminas. The stairway to the top of the tower offers a wonderful view of Vilnius.

• St. Anne’s Church, a Gothic masterpiece.

• Statue of Adomas Mickevicius, next to St. Anne’s Church.

• Bernadine Church, now run by the Franciscans. It is mostly in ruins – a testament to the Communist legacy.

• Lithuanian National Museum, which features an extraordinary exhibit called Religious Art in Lithuania.
  

  
  While in Vilnius, visit Trakai. The former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is very dear to all Lithuanians.
  The town, which has a beautiful lakeside setting, is about an hour’s drive from Vilnius.

• The castle museum of the Trakai offers an exhibition on the Lithuanian Grand Dukes and prehistoric findings.
  

  Travel
  Vilnius is located in southern Lithuania.
  It is easily accessible by road or bus from many cities throughout Lithuania.

• Shrine of Our Lady of Šiluva
  


  
  Kaunas, is a pretty town situated at the confluence of two rivers – the Nemunas and the Neris. It is Lithuania's second largest city, a university town, and center for industry.
  Most of the significant old architectural monuments of the city are concentrated in the old town section. These monuments have been restored and adapted to modern day needs.
  

  Highlights include:

• Old Town with several antique stores and shops.

• Vytautas Church, built by Vytautas in the 1400's.

• Liberty Square with the Lithuania Statue of Liberty and the Liberty bell donated by the American-Lithuanians.

• The adjacent War Museum that displays the sword presented by the Knights of Lithuania to General Žukauskas.

• 11th century Kaunas Castle – history museum.

• Vytautas Church – built by Grand Duke Vytautas in the 14th century.
  

  Pažaislis

• Drive to Pažaislis Monastery and Church of the Sisters of St. Casimirus. The Convent is a Baroque Venetian edifice with rich decoration and frescoes. The Sisters of St. Casimir from Chicago established a branch at Pažaislis after WW I. The sacristy is an outstanding example of hand carved woodwork. Above the main altar is a “miracle working” painting of Mary.
  Rumšiskes

• Also, visit Rumšiskes, fifteen miles from Kaunas, one of the largest open-air museums in Europe. It depicts the architecture and style of the four distinct regions of Lithuania. All building were dismembered, brought to Rumšiskes, and reassembled. On Sundays and holidays, folk groups perform and demonstrate weaving, woodcarving, and other crafts.
  


  PILGRIMAGES TO SHRINES

  
  
  Thousands of visitors make pilgrimages to the shrines in Lithuania every year.
Pope John Paul II visited Our Lady of Šiluva and other important shrines in Lithuania on his historical pastoral visit in 1993.
  
  Shrine of Our Lady of Šiluva
  Our Lady of Siluva receives several hundred thousand pilgrims each year. In 1993, Pope John Paul II prayed at the shrine on his historic trip to Lithuania.
  The chapel containing the image of Our Lady of Siluva is decorated with beautiful frescoes and paintings. The miraculous image is concealed behind a painting depicting the apparition of the Blessed Mother and is exposed only during public ceremonies. Visiting pilgrims can often see the painting by asking chapel custodians to unveil it for them.
  The shrine is open throughout the year.
  The greatest feast day at the shrine is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8. A week of celebrations and festivities follows and continues through September 15. This celebration is known as “šilines.”
  One of the most famous places of worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The brick church, in late Baroque style, was built in 1760-1786.
  
  Hill of Crosses Shrine
  The Hill of Crosses, near Siauliai, is an unforgettable, emotional site.
  It is located six miles north of Siauliai on the road to Meskuciai.
  Despite the Soviets attempt to destroy the site, thousands of crosses stand on this sacred spot. The crosses, with their handwritten messages, reveal much about the history of the Lithuania people.
  Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the site in 1993.
  It is a common tradition for visitors to leave behind a cross and a prayer. Sacred objects such as crucifixes or rosaries can be purchased at various souvenir stands.
  Easter week is one of the busiest weeks at the shrine.

  
  About The Hill Of Crosses
  The first crosses were placed on the Hill by relatives of the victims of an anti-Russian uprising in 1831. More crosses were put up in memory of those tragically killed in the peasant rebellion in 1863.
  It soon became a custom to place crosses on the hill and by the end of the nineteenth
Century, it became a place for Masses and devotion.
  After WW II, the Soviet government forbid the people from visiting the hill punishing those who defied them. Some were imprisoned, others killed or sent to Siberia.
  For almost two decades, the Communists struggled with Lithuania over the erection of the crosses and even bulldozed the area three times. But the Christians planted new crosses over and over again. The Communists leveled the hill for the last time in 1975.
  Since then, more than fifty thousand crosses have been planted on the hill – a testament to the spirit of the people.
  The crosses placed here tell us about personal and public misfortunes and catastrophes. Every year thousands of people visit the Hill.
  
  Gate of Dawn Shrine
  Our Lady Gate of Dawn sanctuary, in Vilnius, is one of Lithuania’s most celebrated pilgrimage sites. More than half a million people visit the shrine each year to see the portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary that lies within its walls.
  The Blessed Virgin Mary of Aušros Vartai (Lithuanian for Gate of Dawn) is considered the guardian of Lithuania.
  In 1993, Pope John Paul II prayed before the miraculous image.
  The shrine is located at Ausros Vartu 12 in Lithuania. Enter the sanctuary through the door on the east side of the street. Stairs, inside, lead to a small chapel where the icon is located. Visitors. come and go as they please.
  Religious celebrations take place between November 10 and November 16. The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy is on the 16th.
  

  About Our Lady Gate of Dawn
  In the sixteenth century, city officials built a stone wall around the city for protection. Two religious paintings were placed in its walls at one of the gates. Facing outward was the picture of the Savior, facing in toward the city, a picture of the Blessed Virgin.
  The local monks who built a monastery near the gate began to take care of the painting in 1626. They built a wooden chapel over the gate in 1671.
  The wall was destroyed, in 1795, during the years Russia occupied Lithuania. The only thing that remained standing was the Gate of Dawn shrine.
  In 1715 when a fire destroyed the wooden chapel, the image was rescued and placed in the church at the monastery until a new chapel was built on the original site in 1726.
  The shrine grew in popularity over the years, but in 1944, the Soviets put an end to religious services at the shrine.
  When Lithuania declared its independence, forty-five years later, services were resumed.
  
  The picture is one of the five crowned pictures of the Blessed Virgin in Lithuania. But it is the only one where Mary is depicted without a Baby Jesus.
  
  The miraculous painting of “The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy” is above the altar in the chapel built over the gate.
  
  Church of the Holy Spirit
  The Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius houses the original painting of Divine Mercy as revealed to Blessed Sister Faustina by Jesus.
  The church serves as the main center for the Catholic Polish-speaking community in Vilnius and is administered by the Dominicans. It is the only sanctuary in Vilnius where Mass is said only in Polish.
  The Church of the Holy Spirit has a splendid gold-and-white interior. A remarkable crucifix, “brought to life” by the incoming daylight, is above the main altar. The original painting of the Divine Mercy is enshrined above a side altar.
  Pope John Paul II visited the shrine and prayed before the sacred image in 1993.
  The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is traditionally said at three o'clock every day. In Jesus' revelations to Blessed Faustina, he asked for a daily remembrance of his Passion at the very hour that recalls his death on the cross.
  

  About The Original Painting of Divine Mercy
  Jesus appeared to Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska at her convent in Plock, Poland, on the first Sunday of Lent in 1931. Jesus instructed her, in a vision, to have a picture painted as she saw Him – with His right hand raised in blessing and His left hand slightly touching his chest and red and pale rays of light streaming from His Heart.
  But Sister Faustina did not confide in anyone until 1934, when she told her new spiritual director at a convent in Vilnius about the dream. After much hesitation, he found an artist from Vilnius to create the image. Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, the artist, completed the painting in 1934 according to Faustina’s instructions.
  Three years later Faustina's spiritual confessor consecrated the image and placed it near the high altar in his church. It remained here until 1948, when St. Michael's Church had to be closed. For the next thirty years, the painting was moved from place to place, until it arrived at the Church of the Holy Spirit in 1987.
  Today, millions around the world pray before a replica of the image as they say, “Jesus, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”
  The painting of the first image of Divine Mercy is enshrined above a side altar in the Church of the Holy Spirit.
  
  Cathedral of Vilnius
  The Cathedral of Vilnius, a massive Baroque church with beautiful works of art and sacred objects, is a Vilnius landmark.
  St. Casimir, Lithuania’s patron saint, is buried here in a silver coffin. His tomb is to the right of the high altar.
  Every year the faithful come to pray at his tomb and seek his powerful intercession. In 1993, the shrine received Pope John Paul II.
  The Cathedral of Vilnius, located at Arkikatedros Square, is open daily and receives pilgrims throughout the year. A gift shop is located in the cathedral.
  St. Casimir’s feast is celebrated on March 4.

  
  About St. Casimir
  St. Casimir (1458-1484) is the only canonized Lithuanian saint. He is the patron of Lithuania and Lithuanian youth.
  He was born of royalty, the second son of King Casimir IV and Elizabeth of Austria, but devoted himself at an early age to the service of the Lord. He was gifted, well-educated, and virtuous, and known for his devotion to Mary and his alms to the poor rather than his short political career.
  Casimir was loved and respected by both the Polish and Lithuanian people, even after his death in Vilnius in 1484.
  Numerous miracles were attributed to him through his intercession.
  The saint's gravesite became so popular that Pope Alexander VI granted an indulgence to the chapel in which Casimir had been buried.
  In 1620, Pope Paul V extended the feast day of Saint Casimir to the universal Church, authorizing a Mass and a proper Divine office.
  
  The domed Chapel of St. Casimir was added to the cathedral in 1623-1636. The saint’s remains are in a silver coffin, elevated above the altar.
  
  The Cathedral of Vilnius was built in 1604-1618. Ruined by fires in the 17th and 18th centuries, the twin-towered Baroque church was modified during restoration in the mid-18th Century.
  

  
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  Guidebooks

  
  In Your Pocket guidebooks are available for major cities in Lithuania. These books provide up-to-date information on tourist agencies, local travel, places to stay, restaurants, points of interest, and other essential information to make your trip more convenient.

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  Another helpful site: Catholic Church in Lithuania at www.lcn.lt