Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn

; the painting can be seen through the glass window The legend tells that in 1702, when Vilnius was captured by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn came to her people's rescue. At dawn, the heavy iron city gates fell, crushing and killing four Swedish soldiers. After this, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Army successfully counter-attacked near the gate. It is believed that the painting was commissioned by the government of Vilnius. In 1761, the monk Hilarion published Relacja o cudownym Obrazie Naijświętszej Marji Panny etc, the primary source for the painting's early history and also the first collection of various miracles attributed to it. In 1773 Pope Clement XIV granted an indulgence to the faithful, designating the chapel as a place of public worship, and established a charitable society. At the turn of the 19th century, Tsarist authorities demolished the city wall and all the city's gates, except the Gate of Dawn and its chapel. In 1829, the chapel underwent restoration and acquired elements of late Neoclassicism. Since the entrance to the chapel was from inside the Carmelite monastery, women could not go inside. Because of this, one female devotee sponsored the construction of a two-storey gallery on the side of the street in 1830. In 1927, major restoration works were completed under bishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski. With permission from Pope Pius XI, the painting was solemnly crowned Mother of Mercy on 2 July 1927 by the Archbishop of Warsaw Alexander Cardinal Kakowski. The ceremony was attended by President Ignacy Mościcki, First Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, Primate of Poland August Hlond, 28 other bishops, and other dignitaries. ==Painting==

Origin and inspiration The origin of the painting is not known. According to historian Teodor Narbutt (1784–1864), In 1993, on the occasion of pope's visit, the painting was restored and one of its planks was dated based on its tree-rings. The scientists concluded that the oak grew in 1434–1620. Sculptures of Mary's parents – St Joachim and St Anne – stand on both sides of the painting between the altar columns. ==Veneration==

Miracles and votive offerings In 1761, the monk Hilarion published a book enumerating 17 miracles attributed to the painting and the Virgin Mary. The first miracle he recorded occurred in 1671, the same year the first chapel was built. A two-year-old child fell from the second floor onto a stone pavement and was badly injured. The parents then prayed to Our Lady and the next day the child was healthy once again. Divine Mercy in Gdańsk The icon of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn has become associated with the messages of Divine Mercy. Eight years after the icon was conferred the title of Mother of Mercy, the first exposition of the Divine Mercy image, painted by Eugene Kazimierowski under the direction of Faustina Kowalska, took place at the chapel in April 1935. In her Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, she writes of a mystical experience involving the icon in the Gate of Dawn chapel. On 15 November 1935, Saint Faustina was at the Gate of Dawn chapel participating in the last day of the novena before the feast day of the icon, 16 November. She writes of seeing the icon taking on "a living appearance" and speaking to her, telling her "accept all that God asked of me like a little child, without questioning; otherwise it would not be pleasing to God." Shrines in other locations The image is venerated by Catholics, Greek Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians of many countries whose origins lie in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, including Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and their diasporas worldwide. In Lithuania itself there are 15 churches as well as Lithuanian parishes in Montreal and Buenos Aires devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Gate of Dawn. On 26 February 2007 the parish of Our Lady of Vilnius (Aušros Vartų Parapija) was closed by the Archdiocese of New York. Liturgical Commemoration Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is commemorated on November 16 in the Catholic Church and January 8 (December 26 O.S.) and April 27 (April 14 O.S.) in the Orthodox Church. Seraphim-Diveyevo "Tenderness" icon of the Mother of God The Seraphim-Diveyevo “Tenderness” icon belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov and was his cell icon, which he called “Joy of All Joys.” It is a variant copy of the icon of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn and not an Eleusa icon despite being called "Tenderness". The icon is kept currently in the Vladimirskaya Church at the Patriarchal Residence in Chisty Lane. ==Gallery==

File:Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn copy in Paris.jpg|A nineteenth-century copy in Paris, Saint-Séverin church, with the coats of arms of Lithuania and Poland File:Rokitno, kopia obrazu Matki Bożej Ostrobramskiej.JPG|An altar featuring the icon in Rokitno File:Kosciol sw Stanislawa Kosina Matka Boska Ostrobramska.jpg|Icon at Church of Saint Stanislaus in Kosina File:Maci Božaja Vastrabramskaja. Маці Божая Вастрабрамская (1850) (4).jpg|Lace decoration of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn File:Wayside memorial cross 2003 in Wolica 2 Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn.jpg|Wayside cross at Bukowsko, Poland File:Maci Božaja Vastrabramskaja. Маці Божая Вастрабрамская (1887).jpg|Belarusian icon ==See also==