Gates of Dawn (Chapel)
Aušros vartai (Gates of Dawn) are one of the symbols of Vilnius. Pilgrims from different areas come to see the dark face of the Vilnius Madonna hoping for consolation from the Mother of Compassion. The Gates of Dawn - Mother of Compassion painting is the only one of miraculous images in Lithuania that is so widely renowned for its healing power. The Gates of Dawn - Holy Virgin is considered the patron of Lithuania and a symbol of harmony. People of four nationalities and two religions worship her – Lithuanians, Poles, Byelorussians, Russians, Catholics and Orthodox.
The chapel is above the former Vilnius eastern gates. Now that the city has grown, the gates are in its center. St Teresa’s Church and the Holy Spirit Orthodox Monastery are nearby.
Residents of Vilnius began to worship the painting in 17th century during the war with the Russians. The saying is that an image of God’s Mother from the Gates of Dawn would appear in the sky at night. As an expression of gratitude, in 1671 the painting was covered with a rich silver coating made by Vilnius jewelers.
There are three different stories about the origin of the painting.
It is the only one of Lithuania’s five Holy Mary celebrated paintings where the Madonna is represented without the baby. The painting is 1.8x1.6m in size, painted in tempera on eight oaken boards. Later it was restored many times in oil color – the hands alone have been repainted eight times. During the 1927 restoration, 2,683 nail holes were discovered which were used to fasten the silver coating and votive amulets. The size of the painting suggests that it was to be viewed from a distance, thus it was painted for the city gates, just as it was done in Europe. The outer side of the Gates of Dawn had an image of the Savior.
Votive amulets are symbols of a person’s gratitude, a pledge or request put in a public place of worship when asking for help of the divine power. In Christian culture, votive amulets were especially popular as an expression of people’s piety. Amulets in the form of human body parts, e.g. eye, leg, hand, are known since the 5th century. They were often made from gold or silver and attached to images of special significance (miraculous paintings, statues) or in places where relics were placed (altars).
There are many votive amulets placed near miraculous paintings in Lithuania. In 1927 by the Gates of Dawn painting of the Holy Mary fourteen thousand amulets were found, and from the amulets on the Šiluva Holy Mary painting a gilded silver coating was made.

A Gift of the Pope
The Pope John Paul II showed a lot of attention to Lithuania since the very beginning of his pontificate.  He wanted to come in 1984 and 1987, but the political situation of Lithuania was unfavourable to the Pope.  As a sign of special attention, John Paul II gave a cardinal purple cassock as a gift. It is kept in the chapel of Vilnius Gate of Dawn Mother of Compassion until now.
In 1993, the Pope John Paul II visited Lithuania. It was the first time over the whole centuries of Christianity when the Holy Father stepped on the land of Lithuania.