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The original painting, face removed

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (Lithuanian: Aušros Vartų Dievo Motina, Polish: Matka Boska Ostrobramska, Belarusian: Маці Божая Вастрабрамская) is the prominent painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The original painting is 163 x 200 cm and was painted by an unknown artist on 8 oak planks around 1630 in Vilnius. The effigy was covered with silver and golden face around 1671 and on July 2, 1927 it was crowned with a double crown and entitled the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy. The painting is a visual copy of the similar painting by contemporary Flemish mannerist painter Marten de Vos.

Today this holy image is venerated by Roman Catholic and Orthodox faithful 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 devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Gate of Dawn as well as Lithuanian parishes in Montreal and Buenos Aires. On February 26, 2007 Our Lady of Vilnius parish (Aušros Vartų Parapija) was closed by the Archdiocese of New York. The sanctuary had featured an icon of Our Lady painted by the artist Tadas Sviderskis, which was commissioned in the 1980s. There is no longer a church devoted to Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn in the New York metropolitan area.

In Poland the biggest of the churches devoted to Our Lady of Ostra Brama is the Marian Basilica in Gdańsk. Other shrines of the holy icon are found in Białystok, Drogosze, Kętrzyn, Olsztyn, Skarżysko-Kamienna and Wrocław. There are also several Polish churches devoted to Our Lady of Ostra Brama in the United Kingdom (Kidderminster), USA (South River, NJ), Australia.

Gallery

The painting of The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy

The Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, the location of the original painting of the Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn

Chapel devoted to Our Lady of Ostra Brama in the St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk

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