A parishioner sent me a bookmark to this Wikipedia entry about Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn. The picture at left is the original icon that resides in the Dawn (Eastern) Gate of the Old City in Vilnius, Lithuania. This is the first time that I have seen the icon without its gold and silver "face," and I find it even more beautiful, though I do miss the crescent moon.The man who alerted me to this site found the icon especially beautiful. He also noted the following quote:
"In Lithuania itself there are 15 churches devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Gate of Dawn as well as Lithuanian parishes in New York, Montreal and Buenos Aires."
Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is missing and is missed in the Archdiocese of New York.
1 comment:
I am truly moved by the extraordinary beauty of the original icon of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn. The colors are wonderfully harmonious and the shading and drapery are a step removed from the frozen formality of many icons. This icon seems to bridge the gap between styles of eastern church and western church. The hues seem Renaissance-inspired. It is also true that many times icon covers of gold and silver conceal paintings that were not very well made or designed or, in some cases, have simply deterioated because of outside elements. This is a powerful icon with or without its traditional "face" of precious metal - but I also miss the crescent moon.
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