Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, Renaissance painting at the Gate of Dawn Chapel, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is a 17th-century painting in the chapel at the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The work shows Mary without child on canvas in oil and measures around 200 by 163 centimeters (79 by 64 inches).
The Carmelites built the chapel above the city gate in 1671 and installed the image there. Since then the shrine has drawn pilgrims from Poland, Lithuania and Belarus and became an important place for Catholics and Orthodox alike.
The depiction wears a silver and gold cover following Orthodox tradition, revealing only the face and hands of the Mother of God. Pilgrims light candles and kneel in prayer, showing the living devotion of believers from several Christian traditions.
The chapel opens daily early in the morning and stays accessible until evening. Visitors can view the painting from inside or look up from the street through the open window.
Pope John Paul II prayed before this image of Mary during his 1993 trip to Lithuania. The face of the Mother of God appears without any crown or other adornment, contrasting with many other depictions of Mary.
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