Dormition of the Theotokos
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- Dormition of the Virgin redirects here. For the El Greco painting of the same name, see Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco)
In Orthodoxy, as in the language of scripture, death is often called a "sleeping" or "falling asleep" (Greek keimesis; whence "cemetery," a place of sleeping). A prominent example of this is the name of this feast; another is the Dormition of Anna, Mary's mother. The Orthodox believe that Mary, after spending her life after Pentecost supporting and serving the nascent Church, became ill. She was living in the house of the Apostle John, in Jerusalem, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to her that her repose would occur three days later. The apostles, scattered throughout the world, are said to have been miraculously transported to be at her side when she died. The sole exception was Thomas, who was characteristically late. He is said to have arrived three days after her death, and asked to see her grave so that he could bid her goodbye. Mary had been buried in Gethsemane, according to her request. When they arrived at the grave, her body was gone, leaving a sweet fragrance. An apparition is said to have confirmed that Christ had taken her body to heaven after her soul and reunited them, as a foretaste of the general resurrection to come. The Dormition of the Theotokos Mary is sometimes called the "summer pascha." This is because Mary's repose is linked with her passage to heaven in anticipation of the general resurrection and follows in the path created by Christ in his rising, and also because the Dormition fast that precedes the feast resembles that of Great Lent.
[edit] Dormition versus Assumption
The Dormition of the Theotokos is celebrated on August 15 (August 28 Old Style), the same calendar day as the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption of Mary. The Dormition and the Assumption are different names for the same event, Mary's departure from the earth, although the beliefs are not entirely the same. The Orthodox Church teaches, as a dogma, that Mary died, like any human being, and that she was taken up into heaven on the third day after her repose. The Roman Catholic teaching -- consistent with the name of the feast -- seems to suggest that she was "assumed" into heaven; the papal decree concerning the Assumption leaves open the question whether, in connection with her departure, Mary underwent death. Both churches agree that she was taken up into heaven bodily.
Eastern Rite Catholic observance tends to fall somewhere in the middle, but many Eastern Catholics celebrate the Dormition after a fashion, in keeping with both Catholic dogma and their Eastern predilection.
[edit] See also
- Assumption Cathedral - a number of Russian churches are dedicated to this feast
- Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral in Varna, Bulgaria
- Dormition Church in Jerusalem
