November 16

OUR LADY OF OSTRA BRAMA (Poland and Lithuania)

Mother of Mercy

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn

Today in Lithuania all the faithful (who can) are pilgrimaging to Vilnius, to the Chapel where Our Lady of Mercy is enthroned. St. Faustina mentioned this holy place in her diary. Ostra Brama means East Gate. During those centuries when cities and towns were surrounded by walls and gates, at least in the East the gates had chapels built into them. This was a double protection one might say - to entrust to Jesus, Our Lady or one of the saints, the protection of the city.

Ostra Brama is one of the few remaining gates left in Vilnius because of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady, the patroness of Lithuania.

 

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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 venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Renaissance painting, completed possibly in the first half of the 17th century, is an unusual portrayal of Madonna as she is depicted without infant Jesus. The artwork soon became known as miraculous and inspired a cult. A dedicated chapel was built in 1671 by the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time, possibly borrowing from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the painting was covered in expensive and elaborate silver and gold clothes leaving only the face and hands visible. In the following centuries, the cult grew stronger and Our Lady became an important part of religious life in Vilnius. The cult inspired many copies in Lithuania, Poland, and diaspora communities worldwide. The chapel was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1993. It is a major site of pilgrimage in Vilnius and attracts many visitors, especially from Poland. - wiki

 

  Ave Maria!