As the lands of Lithuania faced raids by the Tatars and relations with Russia grew increasingly tense, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander, granted Vilnius a privilege in 1503 to construct stone fortifications around the entire city. It is said that the cornerstone of the wall was laid where the road led toward Medininkai, and further through Ashmyany toward Minsk. After the stone was blessed, the construction of the gate—later known as the Gate of Dawn—began. While the exact completion date of the stone walls is not known, it is recorded that by 1522, the entire city was encircled by the masonry.
The gate, which now houses the Chapel of the Mother of Mercy, was first mentioned in 1514 as the Medininkai Gate. The names Porta Acialis (Latin) and Ostra Brama (Polish), meaning the “Sharp Gate,” were first used in 1594. The exact reason why the gate came to be called this remains a mystery. Lithuanians from the surrounding areas of Vilnius used the name Ašmens vartai (The Gate of the Blade). Some associate this with the name of the town Ašmena (Ashmyany), which speakers of other languages interpreted literally (Latin acies – blade/edge) and translated into Latin and Polish. It is also not precisely known when and why it began to be called Aušros vartai (The Gate of Dawn) in Lithuanian. It is possible that this name emerged from the image of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary as the Star of the Dawn (Stella Matutina).
The Chapel did not enshrine the Icon of the Mother of Mercy immediately. Initially, the image of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary hung in a small niche on the inner side of the gate, serving as a pair to the Savior of the World (Salvator Mundi) hanging on the exterior. Both paintings were the property of the city. At that time, the Icon had neither a proper chapel nor the adornments befitting a miraculous image. This remained the case until 1626, when the Discalced Carmelites arrived in Vilnius. They were granted a plot of land near the Gate of Dawn to build their monastery and church.
The Carmelites consecrated the church only in 1654. The sanctuary was dedicated to the great Spanish mystic, Doctor of the Church, reformer of the Carmelite Order, and foundress of monasteries, St. Teresa of Avila. From the moment of their arrival, the Carmelites took care of the Icon hanging in the city gate. The monks held devotions before it, thereby encouraging the piety of the city’s inhabitants. In 1668, the city authorities entrusted the Carmelites with the protection of the image of the Mother of God, and in 1671, through the efforts of the Carmelite Father Charles of the Holy Spirit, a wooden chapel was built to protect the Icon. During construction, the Icon was kept in the Church of St. Teresa and later solemnly processed back to the chapel.
In 1702, after the Swedish occupation of Vilnius, public veneration of the Icon and gatherings in the street were forbidden. During the liberation of the gate, the image of the Mother of God was damaged—it was pierced by a bullet. After the wooden chapel burned down in 1711, a stone chapel was built between 1712 and 1715. This structure has survived to our day, acquiring its Late Classicist style in 1829. It was designed so that the faithful could pray before the Icon from the street, as the chapel was only accessible from the monastery garden, and laypeople—especially women—were not permitted to enter. During renovations in 1828–1829, the side windows were enlarged to floor level. In 1785, trading in the street was prohibited during services at the Gate of Dawn. All passers-by, regardless of their faith, were required to walk with their heads uncovered from the gate to the Pociej Chapel.
In 1844, after the Carmelites were expelled for assisting rebels, the monastery was handed over to the Orthodox Church, while the chapel was transferred to the diocesan clergy. From that time on, the entrance to the chapel became open to all. Even before the opening of the chapel, a gallery with internal stairs for pilgrims was built between 1789 and 1799 according to the design by Pietro di Rossi. This is a two-story Classical building with a closed upper gallery and an open lower gallery. Initially, the upper arcade was also open. During the 1830 renovations, the original wooden balustrades were replaced with stone parapets, the openings were glazed, and the stairs inside the gallery were rebuilt. Today, an organ is installed on the upper floor of the gallery (previously located on both sides of the altar), and the gallery itself is connected to the chapel.
In 2002, the gate and the chapel building were carefully restored, uncovering decorative details that had been painted over in the 19th century.