Marian devotion
Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn
Mother of Mercy · Vilnius (Lithuania)
Above the only remaining gate of Vilnius's city walls, an icon of the Virgin without the Child blesses the city. It is the "Mother of Mercy" of Ostra Brama, linked to the spirituality of Divine Mercy.
Origin and history
The Gate of Dawn was one of Vilnius's main entrances. Above it, in the 17th century, was placed an icon of the Virgin Mary without the Child, depicted as the Mother of Mercy, who blesses those entering and leaving the city. It soon acquired a sacred character, and a chapel was built over the gate.
Over time, testimonies of the city's protection and the graces received multiplied, and the shrine became a center of pilgrimage for Lithuanian, Polish, and Belarusian Catholics. The icon is closely linked to the spirituality of Divine Mercy: Vilnius is one of the key places in the life of Saint Faustina Kowalska.
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