Gate of Dawn (Ausros Vartai)

The Gates of Dawn is an ancient city gate in Vilnius that houses a magnificent chapel and a shrine to the Virgin Mary. Built between 1503 and 1522, the gates once defended the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In the city of Vilnius alone there are more than 85,000 Poles, who make up about 15% of the Lithuanian capital's population. Most Poles in Lithuania are Roman Catholic and speak Polish, although a minority of them speak Russian or Lithuanian as their first language.

Pilies Street is the oldest and most ornate street in the Old Town of Vilnius. The street formed in the place of the former road from Vilnius Castle to the south, towards Poland and Russia This was the main road to the castle, with its branches eventually turning into side streets.

At that time, the city's defensive wall had ten gates and the Gates of Dawn are the only ones which survived. Today it is associated worldwide by Catholics, Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox with worship and miracles caused by Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.