Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn and the Church of St. Theresa in Vilnius

In the 19th century, the image of the miraculous Gates of Dawn circulated mostly through pictures in prayer books. This chromolithograph was made by an unknown artist for this purpose. It depicts the miracle-working picture and its location. The picture, painted on oak boards, has been dated to the 16th century. It shows the Blessed Virgin Mary, with her hands crossed across her chest, and her gently modelled face radiating depth and peace. This lithograph shows the holy picture, surrounded by clouds and angels, rising above the street, with the Baroque Church of St Teresa and the Chapel of the Gates of Dawn in the background. It is a place for religious ceremonies: the crowd of people standing and kneeling in front of the church recalls the tradition of praying to the picture outdoors. For a Catholic, it was a sin to pass through the Gates of Dawn without making the sign of the cross. The perspective and the architectural proportions are irregular, but the rather naive, gentle and elaborate draughtsmanship conveys the aura of this exciting place of worship.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė, HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė)

In the 19th century, the image of the miraculous Gates of Dawn circulated mostly through pictures in prayer books. This chromolithograph was made by an unknown artist for this purpose. It depicts the miracle-working picture and its location. The picture, painted on oak boards, has been dated to the 16th century. It shows the Blessed Virgin Mary, with her hands crossed across her chest, and her gently modelled face radiating depth and peace. This lithograph shows the holy picture, surrounded by clouds and angels, rising above the street, with the Baroque Church of St Teresa and the Chapel of the Gates of Dawn in the background. It is a place for religious ceremonies: the crowd of people standing and kneeling in front of the church recalls the tradition of praying to the picture outdoors. For a Catholic, it was a sin to pass through the Gates of Dawn without making the sign of the cross. The perspective and the architectural proportions are irregular, but the rather naive, gentle and elaborate draughtsmanship conveys the aura of this exciting place of worship.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė, HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė)