This is a place for fostering human devotion and spirituality. It is spotted with plenty of finely crafted wooden angel sculptures, wrought sun-like crosses, and life trees decorated with traditional national symbols. In 2009, Dominyka Dubauskaitė-Semionovė and Lolita Piličiauskaitė-Navickienė, initiators of the idea of the Hill of Angels, proposed the project in order to honor the celebration of Lithuania’s 1000th anniversary and the 600th anniversary of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Trakai. Plans were made to place ten angels on the Hill where each of them would represent a different century. The kindness and generosity of people interested in the idea surpassed all possible expectations of its initiators. As a result, 18 angel sculptures found a new home on the Hill! The Hill of Angels is today also referred to as the Path of the Millennium Signs.
Today, the area of 4.3 hectares hosts over 40 magnificent sky-greeting wooden angels of all sizes and the oak road crosses with sculptures of saints on them. Every angel on the Hill seems to embody one of the human truths, fundamental human or Christian values. The angels embody the notions of Life, Truth, Peace, Serenity of the Spirit, Empathy, Sacrifice, Love, Health, Joy, Gratitude, Hope, etc. The angels include those that are the patrons of families, science, spiritual tranquillity, the Baltic road, etc. Surely, your angel is on the Hill too, and you must pay him a visit.
Among the many wooden angel sculptures, there is one that is human height. It is the Angel of Kindness inviting everyone to embrace him and enjoy this lovely feeling.
The oak angel sculptures were created by Lithuanian and foreign artists and reflect traditional wood carving and cross-crafting. Angels created from other materials appearing on the Hill, too. In 2015, the Angel of Orphans was created with a head made of granite. In 2017, the Angel of Librarians, made out of metal, also joined the collection.
Sculptures give meaning to the ideas embraced by their donors and reflect the message carried by the angels. It is an ongoing project that aims to fulfill the spiritual needs of people. Everyone is invited to participate in its development by providing special meaning to his/her thoughts, prayers or important moral values.
The Hill of Angels is an open and free space that can be visited at any time of the day. It offers a magnificent view of a landscape filled with forests and lakes. The majestic Trakai Castle, the lakes surrounding Trakai, Trakai Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Orthodox St. Mary’s Nativity Church, and other historic, cultural, and natural gems are visible in the distance.
What else makes the Hill of Angels so special? If you take a bird’s eye view of the Galvė lakes, they look like an angel with their wings spread. The Angel’s legs and body are shaped by lakes Galvė, Totoriškės, and Luka (or Bernardinai), the spread wings – by lakes Skaistis and Akmena, and the Hill of Angels is Angel’s head!
The Legend of the Hill of Angels
When God was creating the region of Trakai, he was assisted by the Angel of Compassion. Prolonged rain filled the imprints of God’s fingers in the ground with water forming many lakes of different shapes. The Angel of Compassion was mesmerized by the beauty of the crystal-clear waters, the abundance of fish, and the breathtakingly colorful birds diving in the waves. He was flying above the lakes chasing dragonflies having forgotten all about his work.
The angel’s brothers became concerned and turned to God, thinking that the Angel of Compassion had lost his head because of these lakes and had forgotten about his daily duties. The Creator calmed them with a wave of his hand and said: in the spot where one is able to see three places where God is worshipped, the Angel of Compassion will regain his head! With that, the earth started trembling, the heavens started shaking, and suddenly a hill appeared in one spot. All the surrounding lakes joined it forming Angel’s body and wide-spread wings.
Centuries later, people climbed up the hill where the three places of God’s worship could be seen: the church, the Orthodox church, and the Island Castle. People really liked this hill, so they started bringing wooden angels here. As soon as the first angels appeared on the hill, the Angel of Compassion woke up and realized that the Hill of Angels was his lost head from God’s prophecy. The Hill symbolizes his lost head which was covered by a wooden angel’s wing. He admired the beauty of the Hill and as he was ready to return to God he said: “There will be more and more angels on the hill. They will protect Trakai and all of Lithuania, and Trakai will become a path to spread kindness and love!”
The Vision of the Hill of Angels
The Hill of Angels is an expression of civic engagement, through which the two authors sought to realize their two goals: to honor the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the first mention of the name of Lithuania and the 600th anniversary of Trakai Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today as the number of angels on the Hill continues to grow, this place will hopefully bring together and unite local people, families, professionals and other communities. A number of the angels on the Hill are the patrons of teachers, librarians, soldiers, special investigation service officers, journalists, and members of other communities as well as angels that remind people of their loved ones.
Each visitor will undoubtedly find his/her spirit at ease here while praying or enjoying time in a unique place of unity of art and soul.
Sacred Music Festival
‘Chants Resound on the Hill of Angels’ is a sacred music festival organized by the Hill of Angels community. Each year, the sounds of folk chants and songs ringing over the spectacular Trakai landscape rise to the sky encouraging people to pray and thank God for Hope, Peace, Love, Power of Spirit, and all other Christian values.
