Impressive engraved silver plated brass metal shield and hand painted center of Our Lady of Ostrobramska with hanging chain.

For centuries Iconography has been a remarkable tool of inner peace and spirituality for people of all faiths and traditions.  Iconography is the most purest art form as it takes a lifetime to become proficient in Iconography.  It is believed that icons originated around the 6th century.  The word Icon (Eikon) means "Image" and combines bright colors, gold leaf and other ingredients on canvas and aged wood.  Iconography holds firm roots with the Greeks, who were considered the masters of Iconography, which later spread to Russia.

History - Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (Lithuanian: Aušros Vartų Dievo Motina, Polish: Matka Boska Ostrobramska, Belarusian: Маці Божая Вастрабрамская) is the prominent painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Renaissance painting, completed possibly in the first half of the 17th century, is an unusual portrayal of Madonna as she is depicted without infant Jesus. The artwork soon became known as miraculous and inspired a cult. A dedicated chapel was built in 1671 by the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time, possibly borrowing from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the painting was covered in expensive and elaborate silver and gold clothes leaving only the face and hands visible. In the following centuries, the cult grew stronger and Our Lady became an important part of religious life in Vilnius. The cult inspired many copies in Lithuania, Poland, and diaspora communities worldwide. The chapel was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1993. It is a major site of pilgrimage in Vilnius and attracts many visitors, especially from Poland.