Žemaičių Kalvarija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitiu Kalvarėjė'', pl, Kalwaria Żmudzka, en, Samogitian Calvary) is a small town in

Plungė district municipality Plungė District Municipality ( lt, Plungės rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: ''Plongės rajuona savivaldībė'') is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Tourism and pilgrimage Major tourist attraction is Lake Plateliai and nearby town Platel ...

, Lithuania. It is known as a major site for Catholic pilgrimage. Every July the town hosts a large Church festival, known as the

Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival or The Great Samogitian Calvary Festival ( lt, Didieji Žemaičių Kalvarijos atlaidai) is a Roman Catholic festival dedicated to St. Mary. The festival is held annually and takes place every July in the sm ...

. It attracts many tourists from all over Lithuania and abroad. It is one of the few "must visit" locations for most Roman Catholics of Lithuania. The main church of the town boasts a sculpture of crucified Jesus and picture of St. Maria, which was brought to this town in middle of 17th century from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The picture is considered to be saintly.

History of the name

This place was mentioned in 1253 as ''Garde'' (Gardaí). In the 17th century, when the main church and road of cross was built, people started calling it the New

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, but after some time it was named Kalvarija after the name of the hill where Jesus was crucified. In the 20th century, the town was renamed to Žemaičių Kalvarija to avoid misunderstandings, because there is another town in south-west of Lithuania called Kalvarija. During the Soviet years, 1964–1989, the town was renamed to Varduva after

Varduva Varduva is a river in northwestern Lithuania. Its length is . It is a left tributary of Venta; their confluence is on the Lithuania–Latvia border. Its origins and upper reaches are located within the Žemaitija National Park. Its largest trib ...

river that flows near the town. At that time, people, who visited this place as pilgrims were persecuted by

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

. Only in 1989 town's name was restored back to its historic name Žemaičių Kalvarija.

The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Church Festival

The Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Church Festival ( lt, Didieji Žemaičių Kalvarijos atlaidai, Samogitian: ''Dėdlė̄jė Žemaitiu Kalvarėjės atlaidā'') takes place every June. There are 21 Stations of the Cross in this town. Undertaking the station of the cross is a very important procession for a Catholic, it should be done often. It is one of the most important pilgrimage routes for Roman Catholics. This festival dates back to 1742. The Pope is the main guardian and supporter of this festival. During the festival there are days dedicated to youth. Many events take place, which may serve spiritual needs of young people. There are special Masses held, dedicated to youth and children. The festival attracts many tourists from

Samogitia Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

and Lithuania, many Catholic churches in Lithuania organize trips for people. Since 2004 there were more tourists and pilgrims coming from the EU States, especially from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Transport

There are regular bus services to the town from

Klaipėda Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuania ...

and

Plungė Plungė (; Samogitian: ''Plongė'') is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plungė is known for Plungė Manor and its park, Samogitian Art Museum. In the Oginskiai manor park stands the Perkūnas oak a natural monument. The Lourdes o ...

. The Closest airports are

Palanga International Airport Palanga International Airport ( lt, Tarptautinis Palangos oro uostas) is a regional international airport located near the resort town Palanga at the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest airport in Lithuania and focuses on short and mid-range ...

(Lithuania),

Riga International Airport Riga International Airport ( lv, Starptautiskā lidosta "Rīga"; ) is the international airport of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and the largest airport in the Baltic states with direct flights to 76 destinations as of November 2019. It serves ...

, Kaunas Airport and

Liepāja International Airport Liepāja International Airport is a regional airport in western Latvia which is certified for international air traffic. Along with Riga International Airport and Ventspils Airport, it is one of the two major airports in Latvia. Overview Liep� ...

( Latvia).

External links

Žemaičių Kalvarija pictures

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zemaiciu Kalvarija Towns in Lithuania Towns in Telšiai County Catholic pilgrimage sites Pilgrimage routes Duchy of Samogitia Kovno Governorate Plungė District Municipality