Dawn Gate

Dawn Gate (Lithuanian:Aušros Vartai, Polish: Ostra Brama, Belarusian: Вострая Брама, literally Pointed Gate) is the only gate left after the demolition of the city walls in Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania) between 1799-1805. It was built between 1503 and 1522 in Gothical style. In 1671 a mannerist style attic was added. After the gate lost its significance as a military target, it was turned into a chapel of the nearby St. Teresa's Church.

Holy Mother of Ostra Brama, a painting by unknown author, was placed in the chapel. Soon it became one of the symbols of the city and an object of praise of both Roman Catholic and Orthodox inhabitants. Inside of the chapel there are countless votive offerings and medallions offered by the believers throughout the ages. Among them is a silver plate donated by Józef Piłsudski. On July 2, 1927 cardinal Aleksander Kakowski crowned the effigy with a double crown, as a symbol that Holy Mary is both the queen of Heaven and Poland.

The name-sake for the gate was the borough of Ostry Koniec to which the gate initially led. It was alternatively referred to as the Miedniki Gate since it was situated on the road leading to the suburb of Miedniki Królewskie (Lithuanian: Medininkai). The gate itself became the name-sake for the Operation Ostra Brama, an assault on the city by the forces of Armia Krajowa in 1944 during the World War II.

After the World War II most of Polish inhabitants of Vilnius were expelled from the city. However, the cult of Our Lady of Ostra Brama prevailed and is continued in many shrines to the Virgin Mary in the world, most notably in Białystok, Drogosze, Kętrzyn, Olsztyn, Skarżysko-Kamienna and Wrocław. The biggest of the churches devoted to Our Lady of Ostra Brama is St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk.