Žemaičių Kalvarija

Samogitian Calvary is a small town ( miestelis ) and the center of the eponymous administrative district ( seniūnija ) the Rajongemeinde Plunge in the region of Lower Lithuania in the western part of Lithuania. It is a Catholic pilgrimage center.

Every July in Samogitian Calvary Church a big hard place ( Great Church Feast of Samogitian Calvary ). This attracts many tourists from all over Lithuania and other countries.

In the city there are several important Catholic churches in Lithuania.

History of the name

The place is mentioned in 1253 as a guard. In the 17th century, when the main church and the road of the Cross were built, people called it New Jerusalem. Later, the city was called Calvary; was crucified for the name of the mountain where Jesus. In the 20th century, the city was renamed in Samogitian Calvary, because there is another city in the south-western Lithuania named Calvary.

Between 1964 and 1989, during the time of the Soviet occupation, the city was renamed Varduva. In 1989, the city again received its historical name Samogitian Calvary.

The Great Church Feast of Samogitian Calvary

Every July the Great Church Feast of Samogitian Calvary ( Lithuanian: Didieji Žemaičių Kalvarijos atlaidai ) instead. The festival has its origins in the year 1742. In the city there are 21 Stations of the Cross, which are visited by the pilgrims.

During the festival a few days of youth are dedicated to be held for special exhibitions.

The festival attracts mainly tourists from low- Lithuania. Many Catholic churches in the country to start organizing for pilgrimages. Since 2004 the festival visited by many tourists and pilgrims from the EU, mainly from Poland, Ireland, Germany, and Spain.

See also: Basilica of Our Lady