Visit of the Three Crosses Hill. In the 14th century, at the time of the Duke Gediminas, seven Franciscan monks who arrived to convert Lithuanians to Christianity were hacked to pieces by the pagans that inhabited the present Vilnius at that time. The monks were buried on this hill and a chapel was built on the site, to be later replaced by crosses. These crosses stood at the top of the hill until 1869. The Tsarists Russians that then ruled over Lithuania impeached the reconstruction of the crosses. They were rebuilt clandestinely in 1916 and they were again destroyed in 1950, dynamited by order of the Soviet authorities. In 1989 were rebuilt again, and nowadays are considered as a national symbol. From the Three Crosses Hill you can also enjoy a beautiful view over the historical centre of Vilnius.