[6] In 1828, an inscription in Polish was placed on the chapel: "Matko Miłosierdzia, pod Twoją obronę uciekamy się" (lit.

The Feast of the Protection of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, celebrated in the second week of November, attracted large crowds, with its origins dating back to the early 18th century.

[7] After the suppression of the January Uprising, the governor of Vilnius, Mikhail Muravyov, planned to close the chapel and transfer the image to the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Spirit.

The Chapel in the Gate of Dawn contains an icon of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, said to have miraculous powers.

Historical study of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius recalls the story of Oboźny of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Antoni Nowosielski[11] as the defender of the Gate of Dawn and the commander of the troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the expansion of the Swedish state and the attack on the city by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War.

The Battle of Vilnius took place on 16 April 1702 prince Antoni Nowosielski commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy and defended the fortification with a chapel and a painting icon located in the Gate of Dawn complex.

Eventually, after this event, the cult of the holy image and the Gate of Dawn was popularized by the faithful, and the place itself became a national symbol.

After World War II the cult of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn prevailed in Lithuanian and Polish communities worldwide and is continued in many shrines to the Virgin Mary in Europe, and the Americas.

Church festival of the Blessed Virgin, Mary Mother of Mercy,—celebrated in the third week of November—is of great importance in the Vilnius Archdiocese.