Elektrėnai Tourism Information Center

Mitkiškės Boulder with the Footprints of Jesus, Virgin Mary and the Lamb

Mitkiškės Boulder lies about 0.15 km to the northwest from the confluence of the Neris and the Sukra and about 80 m to the northwest from the Vievis-Žasliai Bridge across the Sukra. The gray granite boulder is overgrown in moss. The stone measures 1.95 m in length, 1.6 m in width and 0.3 m in height from the surface of the earth. The western part of the boulder has natural indentations called footmarks. The largest indentation reminds of a human footprint of a right foot and is known as the Footprint of Mary the Mother of God (aka Holy Mother or simply Human). It measures 39 cm in length, 4-10 cm in width and 6 cm in depth. A smaller indentation of 36 cm in length, 8-15 cm in width and 5 cm in depth is seen next to the first one and is known as the Footprint of Jesus (aka Christ or simply Small Child). An even smaller dent called the Footprint of the Lamb is also seen near the first two. This indentation is slightly longer, 8x5 cm in size and 2.5 cm in depth. The boulder is deemed holy and miraculous. It was used as an altar for offerings, such as money, rings, beads, flowers, etc. A wooden cross stands tall to the south of the boulder. Mass has been held here since the 19th century. In 1935, an offering box was placed near the boulder and the collected offerings were given to the parish priest. After the mass held on the tenth Friday after Easter, people would come here to pray at the boulder and would walk on their knees around it. Many folk tales are told about the boulder. It is said that back in the ancient times stones used to be soft. Mary and her son Jesus Christ walked the earth and left their footprints in the boulder. Another folk tale says that Mitkiškės Boulder lies in the spot of a former church. When the locals were building a water mill on the Sukra, they tried to split the boulder but as soon as the stonebreaker started working, he went blind and the boulder started bleeding. Many of the legends speak of the miraculous healing powers of the boulder as many people have found a cure for their illnesses here. In 1971, the boulder was inspected by the Institute of History. It was examined repeatedly in 1975 and 1984. In 1998, the State Monument Protection Commission decided to enter the boulder into the Register of Immovable Cultural Valuables of the Republic of Lithuania. Mitkiškės Boulder is a mythological monument of national significance, protected by the State.

These days, Mitkiškės Boulder is easy to find. The surrounding trees and the nearby cross are clearly visible from the road. The old cross has been replaced with a new one, the place of the former wooden fence has been taken over by ever-green common box trees and the area around the boulder has been cleared of excess soil. The surroundings are looked after with great care.

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