Žemaičių Kalvarija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitiu Kalvarėjė'', ) is a town in

Plungė district municipality Plungė (; Samogitian: ''Plongė''; ) is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plunge is the capital of the Plungė District Municipality which has 33,251 inhabitants (2022). Two parts of the city are separated by the Babrungas River and ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. 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. 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 the crucified Jesus and a picture of St. Maria, which was brought to this town in the middle of 17th century from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. 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 were built, people started calling it the New

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, 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 (river), Venta; their confluence is on the Lithuania–Latvia border. Its origins and upper reaches are located within the Žemaitija National Park. Its ...

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

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

. 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 (, Samogitian: ''Dėdlė̄jė Žemaitiu Kalvarėjės atlaidā'') takes place every June. There are 21

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

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, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

and

, 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 extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Transport

There are regular bus services to the town from

Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

and

Plungė Plungė (; Samogitian: ''Plongė''; ) is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plunge is the capital of the Plungė District Municipality which has 33,251 inhabitants (2022). Two parts of the city are separated by the Babrungas River and ...

. The Closest airports are

Palanga International Airport Palanga International Airport ( ) 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 routes to European destinations. It ser ...

(Lithuania),

Riga International Airport RIX Riga Airport (; ) is the international airport of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and the largest airport in the Baltic states with direct flights to 107 destinations as of September 2024. It serves as a hub for airBaltic, SmartLynx Airlines a ...

(

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Kaunas Airport Kaunas Airport () is the second-busiest civil airport in Lithuania after Vilnius Airport and the fourth-busiest in the Baltic states. The airport is located in the central part of the country, northeast of the Kaunas city centre and west fr ...

(Lithuania) 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 three major airports in Latvia. Overview Lie ...

(Latvia).

External links

*
Former Dominican abbey

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zemaiciu Kalvarija Towns in Lithuania Towns in Telšiai County Catholic pilgrimage sites Plungė District Municipality