Above the old East Gate of Vilnius (also known as Ausros Vartai or the Gates of Dawn), there is a small chapel that houses one of the holiest symbols of the city, a painting of the Madonna. When a service is being held in the chapel, the arched window is opened and the Madonna can be seen from the street below. Worshippers gather there and go about their devotions to the Madonna. Known as the Vilnius Gate of Dawn Mother of Compassion, the painting of the Madonna (represented here without the infant Christ) has been worshipped by Lithuanians since the 17th century. Parts of the painting are adorned by a silver coating, thought to have been provided by Vilnius jewellers in around 1670. People of four nations and two religions worship the Madonna; Lithuania, Belarus, Poland and Russia; Orthodox and Catholic.
The image above is of one of the many devotees gathered there when we were fortunate enough to visit the Gates of Dawn at the time that a service was being held. She was alone and stood by a square pillar of one of the nearby buildings. I watched her closely for some time and her expressions varied from sheer joy at some parts of the service to a very serious countenance at others. I知 sure I saw a tear in her eye at one point. I waited until the service had concluded before attempting to capture a shot; I was most intrigued by her wonderful, lived-in features as well as her range of facial expressions. She remained for a while after the service had finished as the quite large crowd dispersed, possibly in a silent prayer of her own, before turning smartly and marching off with great purpose in her stride.
Tags: Woman
Travel
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Lithuania
Vilnius
Worshipper
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