Hill Of Crosses | Grabarka, Poland

By Edge of Humanity Magazine, October 31, 2021

A young Polish Orthodox boy plays hide and seek among the thousands of crosses left behind by pilgrims along the years during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

Photographer Gali Tibbon is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Grabarka – The Forest Of Thousand Of Crosses’. To see Gali ’s body of work, click on any image.

A Polish Orthodox worshiper crawls on his knees during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

Elder Polish Orthodox worshipers rest during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

A Polish Orthodox worshiper holds up his cross as he prays during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

A Polish Orthodox worshiper crawls on her knees as she carries her cross during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

Enclosed by two rivers, Grabarka is hidden in the deep woodland of rural Poland – considered a place of wonders and revelations.

Thousands of Polish Orthodox pilgrims from all over the predominant Catholic state flock the sacred hill every summer the same way for the past 300 years. Not just as an act of religious devotion but as a celebration of cultural identity.

Pilgrims seeking to clean their souls and gain absolution carry votive crosses as they fall to their knees and crawl in an act of penitence.

Atmosphere of mystery engulfs the place as the faithful leave their three-beamed crosses on the hill every year adding to the forest of crosses. The thousands of wooden crosses are left behind as testimonies of their pilgrimage. The crosses vary in size, according to tradition; the size of the cross depends on the size of one’s illness, suffering or thankfulness.

A Polish Orthodox priest and a worshiper pray by candle light during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

A young Polish Orthodox worshiper walks on her knees during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

A Polish Orthodox worshipper crawls on her knees as she carries her cross during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

Polish Orthodox worshipers pray on their knees as they circle the monastery during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

Dozens of Polish Orthodox worshiper crawl on their knees as they carry crosses during the annual pilgrimage on the Feast of the Transfiguration at the Hill of Thousands Crosses of Grabarka.

All images and text © Gali Tibbon