Gate of Dawn

The Gate of Dawn is a city gate in Vilnius. It is a major site of Catholic pilgrimage in Lithuania. It was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications for the city of Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Of ten city gates, only the Gate of Dawn remains, while the others were destroyed by the order of the government at the end of the 18th century.

In the 16th century city gates often contained religious artifacts intended to guard the city against attacks and to bless travelers. The Chapel in the Gate of Dawn contains an icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, said to have miraculous powers.

There is a Vilnius' Gate of Dawn Mother of Mercy Chapel in the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It was consecrated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 and it is a place where Pope John Paul II had his first prayer after being elected as the Pope in 1978. Only Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Ireland have such chapels in the St. Peter's Basilica.Weiterlesen