"A Trip Through The Gates Of Dawn" is more than a trip: it's a way to walk down memory lane and bring back memories of places I have been that left something meaningful inside of me and for the reader a chance to either re-live a good memory too or learn something new. Art, religion, spirituality, light, darkness, psychedelia, there is place for these and more subjects through this trip. So what a better way to start than walking through the... Gate Of Dawn in Vilnius?
The Aušros Vartai (Gate of Dawn), built in the first half of the 16th century, is located in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania, and is one of the most important religious monuments in the city. In the gate there is a Chapel containing an icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary Mother Of Mercy, said to have miraculous powers (there are several stories dating back from the 17th century to support this theory).
The cult of Our Lady Of The Gate Of Dawn continued along the centuries and was spread by Lithuanian and Polish communities worldwide (Lithuania and Poland bordering, there's always been a strong link - political and beyond - between the two countries). The largest of the churches devoted to it is in the beautiful city of Gdańsk, in Poland. The Chapel was also visited on 1993 by Pope John Paul II, who said Rosary in there.
I went to Vilnius in 2010 and after I entered the Old Town the impact of the gate was instantaneous. Whether you are a religious person or not it won't leave you indifferent. I also briefly assisted to a Mass held from the Chapel, obviously in Lithuanian. Being the end of the winter it was still a bit cold but I had the chance to enjoy the city in a way I couldn't have done in the summertime, as I was only one of the few tourists around and the general mood was relaxed and stress-free. It was also really easy to access a cultural site or to get a place in a restaurant and beside appreciating the Old Town and beyond, I had the time for a half-day excursion on the outskirts of Vilnius, to see Trakai and its famous Island Castle (Trakų salos pilis), located on an island in Lake Galvė that will be the subject of our second stage...
Photo: © Silvano Ruiz
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