The famous Gates of Dawn (Lit. Ašmens vartai or Aušros Vartai) is the only remnant of Vilnius' ancient city fortifications preserved to the present day.

In the Middle Ages, the city was enclosed by a ring of massive walls with five city gates. The massive late-Gothic tower with almost two-metre-high walls was built along with the ring of defensive walls in 1503-1514 by virtue of the privilege of Alexander Jagiellonian of 6 September 1503, and rebuilt, raised and decorated in 1508 by Sigismund Jagiellonian. This is what J.I. Kraszewski and Władysław Syrokomla wrote about it in a study published in 1853:

"From the exit to the right a separate tower with loopholes at the top was erected just to the right, guarding the main entrance. It was named Ostry (Sharp) Gate after the suburb to which it opened. For a long time, however, it was more commonly called the Miednicka Gate, and in the description of many entrances we see it richly decorated to welcome the illustrious guests whom the city received, with a bow, a shout and a gift."

The old name refers to the now defunct fortress of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Medininkai, where the route from Vilnius led. The two-storey gate, divided by a ceiling, has in the ground floor a passage open to the north and south with a cross vault, while on the south façade there is a raised recess with a slot used to lower the grating, which additionally closes the entrance. The upper storey is decorated with a high attic with a relief frieze, and on the north and south walls there are two obelisk-covered aedicules connected by volutes, between which there is an oval medallion with griffins and a relief of a horseman in the Lithuanian Horseman's Coat. A guidebook published in 1862 in Vilnius by A.H. Kirkor reads that "this gate from the opposite side, that is, from the entrance through it to the city, still has its former defensive form; for one can see the loopholes in which cannons were probably once placed."

The Gate of Dawn was a bustling and populous place. Merchants' carts drove through it and people gathered to trade, distinguished visitors came to the town, and funeral processions to the Ross cemetery passed through from the mid-18th century. It was such a busy place that only three years after the Carmelites moved in, in 1629, the friars had to build a wall around their property because during the day the peace and quiet was disturbed by the constant pedestrian and horse traffic and trade, while at night one could hear the drunken shouts and laughter of "women of bad manners". It was the Carmelite friars who became promoters and propagators of the cult of the image of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate. Until then, the painting had no chapel or ornaments of its own, nor did it receive any special veneration from locals or visitors to the town. For it had neither a decent chapel nor a decent ornament for the Miraculous Image," we read in Fr Hilarion of St Gregory's Relation of 1761, "but only on the same spot where it is now, was it slightly recessed into the wall with shutters or doors not quite squarely made to hide the Image from snowy and rainy weather. In front of it was a very small porch with simple and narrow halls, barely accessible for pious people to light a lamp (if offered)". The painting was located deep inside the wall of the gate as was customary in many other Christian towns. Placing images of the saints in the gates allowed those returning to the city, those leaving it on business and visitors to recommend themselves to their care and take them as a guide or guide on their journey.

The establishment of the Carmelites at the Gates of Dawn and the construction of the monastery with St Theresa's Church were made possible by the intercession of the founders. Ignacy Dubovich, city councillor, donated 5,000 florins to the barefoot friars, and also bought two tenements to fund the church and monastery. In 1632, Stefan Krzysztof Pac, sub-chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, sought the construction of a new temple and helped the brothers to successfully carry out legal and official matters. As early as 25 September 1633, the cornerstone of St Theresa's Church was solemnly consecrated and the construction continued for more than 20 years. On 15 October 1654, the temple was consecrated by Vilnius Bishop Jerzy Tyszkiewicz, and in 1668, the Vilnius authorities gave the Carmelites custody of the Ostra Brama image and granted permission to build a chapel in the city gate, which Father Charles of the Holy Spirit had sought. Initially, the wooden chapel was consecrated on 12 April 1671 by the Bishop of Vilnius, Aleksander Sapieha, and it is possible that on the occasion of this event the image of the Virgin Mary was adorned with a silver robe with gilding. Shortly afterwards, in 1688, the chapel was visited by King John III Sobieski, who was received with great solemnity by the Vilnius magistrate. In addition to the keys to the city and the sum of one hundred red zlotys for the king, 50 zlotys were given to Prince James, and the royal courtiers received valuable gifts. It is worth mentioning that at the Coronation Sejm in 1678 Sobieski equated Vilnius in privileges with Krakow.

From the beginning, the chapel at the Gates of Dawn was to be public and services were held there for everyone, and it was maintained by donations thrown into treasuries at the entrance gate. On 27 May 1715, the chapel burnt down, but the painting was saved and moved to St Theresa's Church. Construction began on a new brick chapel, which was consecrated in 1726. On 5 April 1773, the brick and plastered chapel, on the plan of an elongated horizontal rectangle, was added to the north elevation of the gateway to the same width and height as the second storey of the tower. The façade is topped with a triangular tympanum and accentuated with three large semi-circular window openings, the central one being decorated with a medallion with the monogram of the Virgin Mary, while the side balustrades feature smaller medallions with the coats of arms of the Crown and Lithuania.

On 14 April 1718, Clement XIV issued the brief Cum sicut accepimus , in which he elevated the Dawn Gate chapel to the rank of "Capella publica" and approved the Confraternity of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary operating there, and granted its members plenary indulgences. The Gate of Dawn became a special place on the map of Vilnius, hosting important religious and secular ceremonies accompanied by an orchestra, and the ingress of Vilnius bishops and governors, such as the ingress of Governor Karol Radziwill in 1763 and Governor Michal Kozelsky-Ogiński two years later. Official greetings and commemorative speeches were held at the Gate of Dawn, as at the entrance to the city. The walls of the Gate of Dawn on both sides were beautifully decorated with carpets and greenery, as was the chapel itself and the painting. On 23 July 1785, by a decision of the Tribunal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ostra Bramska Street was to be given an exceptional status - trading was forbidden there during services, and Jews passing through the gate had to remove their caps. As late as the mid-19th century, according to many accounts, they preferred to avoid the Gates of Dawn altogether rather than comply with this regulation.

Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, in his Journeys of History in the Polish Lands between 1811 and 1828 , writes the following about the Gates of Dawn Chapel and the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary: "Its chapel is located above the gate itself, and is open to the street all day long. The people have great devotion to this image; day and night a multitude of people can be seen kneeling in the street before it." Fr . Hilarion of St Gregory, who had the sacristy and the staircase leading to it built thanks to his efforts, mentions 30 miracles performed through the intermediary of the Dawn Gate painting in his Report, the oldest one dating back to 1671 (restoring the life of a child who had fallen from the second floor onto the stone pavement). These include a famous legend from the time of the Swedish invasion. A Swedish soldier wanted to steal the jewels adorning the Virgin Mary's robe. He barely stretched out his hand, and then "some mighty force pushed him away", and he was lifted into the air and smashed against the wall of Vilnius Cathedral. This is also the time of the story of the repulsion of the Swedes by Antoni Novoselsky, who defended the fortification together with the chapel, for which he donated a silver votive offering with an image commemorating the event. In 1794, during the Lithuanian uprising led by Jakub Jasiński, battles were fought at the Gate of Dawn between Russian and Polish troops, during which the roof and window panes were destroyed. It was probably then that a Russian bullet pierced the right forearm of the image of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate. During the Napoleonic wars of 1812, Vilnius churches suffered severely, and the Church of St Theresa was turned into a military depot. The Ostra Brama image miraculously survived the turmoil of war.

In 1829-30, the chapel was restored in the classicist style, at that time the gallery with stairs was rebuilt, and an inscription of brass letters in Polish was placed on the chapel, the content of which was determined by Bishop of Vilnius Andrzej Benedykt Klagiewicz. In the tympanum, under the brass and gilded eye of providence, was placed the invocation: "MATKA MŁOSIERDZIA", and above the windows was the continuation: "POD TWOJĄ OBRONĘ" and "UCIEKAMY SIĘ". In 1834, Adam Mickiewicz published Pan Tadeusz, which contributed to the popularisation of the cult of the Virgin Mary of the Dawn Gate thanks to the famous invocation in which the lyrical subject asks for the return of emigrants to their country:

"Holy Virgin, co Jasna bronisz Czestochowa

And in the Gate of Dawn you shine! Thou who art the castle

You protect Novgorod with its faithful people!

How you miraculously nursed me back to health, [...].

So you will miraculously return us to our homeland's bosom."

During this period (1843-1855), the famous Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko, who was connected with Vilnius, composed four " Ostrobramskie Litanies " for choir and orchestra. After the January Uprising in 1864, Father Piotr Żyliński, then parish priest of the Ostra Brama church, ordered the inscription to be changed to Latin for fear of reprisals from the Russians. Finally, in 1884, the Tsarist authorities abolished the Carmelite Order. When independence was regained, efforts began to crown Our Lady of the Dawn Gate, Queen of the Polish Crown (Mother of Mercy), which took place on 2 July 1927. Two crowns consecrated by Pope Pius XI were placed on Our Lady's head by Warsaw Metropolitan Archbishop Aleksander Kakowski in the presence of Cardinal August Hlond and 28 bishops, as well as the highest state authorities led by President Ignacy Mościcki and Marshal Józef Piłsudski. The Pope, wishing to preserve peace between the Polish and Lithuanian nations, objected to the image being given the title Queen of Poland at the coronation. After Poland regained Vilnius, the original words were placed in the tympanum in 1933, this time in gilded bronze, but after the Second World War they were removed again and replaced by a Latin inscription. As part of the restoration of the chapel in 1931, oak panelling was made and an artistic frieze with the invocations of the Litany of Loretto was added, which has been preserved to this day.

During the Second World War, the papal crowns of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate disappeared - they were probably hidden, but their whereabouts have not been revealed. On March 26, 1942, the Carmelite fathers were imprisoned in the German prison at Lukiszki, and then deported to the labour camp at Shaltup. After the war, the friars moved to Poland. In the post-war era, when the communists turned Lithuanian churches into warehouses and offices, the Ostra Brama Chapel still fulfilled its former function.

In 1993, another restoration of the Gate of Dawn chapel was carried out before the visit of Pope John Paul II. During his pilgrimage, the Pope offered a golden rose and a pica to Our Lady as a votive offering, which are kept in the treasury. In 2010, another renovation began, this time ending in a scandal and the appointment of a special commission from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture's Department for the Protection of Monuments to determine who had authorised the damage and oversee its repair. The next renovation started a few years ago and coincided with the visit of Pope Francis, who prayed in the chapel during his pilgrimage to Lithuania on 22 September 2018. A new golden crown of the Virgin Mary was made for the occasion from gold votives donated by the faithful, which the Pope consecrated. Special protective glass was installed on the image of the Virgin Mary.

The work, which lasted three years, made it possible, among other things, to The work, which lasted three years, made it possible, among other things, to renew the inner edges of the windows and shutters, the flooring, glass or armrests, renovate the façade of the gallery leading into the chapel, restore the organ and introduce a number of facilities for the disabled (including a lift in the reconstructed former arcade on the courtyard side), and open the treasury in a room behind the chapel, where votive gifts can be viewed, including priceless reliquaries, cups, candlesticks or monstrances, as well as jewellery, orders or mementos. Among them is a silver plaque from Jozef Pilsudski with the inscription 'Thank you, Mother for Vilnius'. Funding for the restoration work in the chapel and St Teresa's Church comes in part from the European Regional Development Fund, with the total value of the project estimated at almost €3 million.

"At the gates of Vilnius there is a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Virgin", wrote the Vilnius writer, politician and cultural activist Czesław Jankowski in 1928 in his work Vilnius in Legend , "a small chapel above the gates, and all human misery of several hundred years has flowed through it.... In fact, the entire history of Vilnius could be contained in the small gate chapel of Our Lady of Notre Dame de Vilno, shining with infinite ex-votos [...]". For centuries, the image of Our Lady of Mercy has guarded the northern borderlands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, being today an enclave of Polishness in Lithuanian Vilnius, combining the long, turbulent and difficult history of both nations.

Location: 14 Ostrobramska Street, Vilnius, Lithuania