The Dormition of Our Lady is one of the most important Theotokos feasts, as it holds tremendous theological, doctrinal and eschatological meaning. The Mother of God is the first human being to experience the Resurrection. Her love makes Her a living miracle and a symbol of faith for all Christians. Her Assumption is celebrated on the 15th of August, with special devotion and with the joy of the resurrection. In Mount Athos, where they adhere to the old calendar, the monks celebrate the Dormition 13 days later, that is, on the 28th of August.
The event of the Dormition
In the New Testament, there are no references to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Thus, we draw material from the writings of the great fathers of our church, such as Saint John the Theologian, Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, Saint John Damaskinos, etc.
According to patristic tradition, the Mother of God knew that the day of Her death was approaching. An angel of the Lord had descended three days earlier and informed Her of the impending event. During this time, Our Lady prayed unceasingly to her Son and God. She then ascended the Mount of Olives and begged Him to protect Her soul. Furthermore, She gave away Her possessions and took care of the widows who lived near the house of John the Evangelist, where She was staying.
That is where the event of the Dormition took place. The Blessed Virgin Mary offered her soul to the Lord, lying on Her deathbed. The Apostles were away from Jerusalem at that time, preaching the Gospel to the world. However, a cloud lifted them up and carried them close to the Blessed Virgin. The only one missing from the event of the Dormition was Thomas the Apostle.
While carrying Her body to burial, they were confronted by fanatical Jews who tried to attack the Virgin Mary. The grace of God intervened and blinded them, preventing any impious act, while an angel of the Lord cut off the hands of Jephone, one of the men who dared to touch the holy bed of Theotokos.
Her body was carried to the garden of Gethsemane, where It was buried. When, three days later, Thomas the Apostle managed to reach the tomb to venerate Theotokos, he saw that Her body was missing. The transfiguration and resurrection of Our Lady in the Kingdom of God was thus confirmed.
At the place where the burial took place, Saint Helen built a magnificent temple, which unfortunately was destroyed. However, the Emperor Marcian and his wife Pulcheria rebuilt the temple; to this day, this monument remains a place of worship of the Blessed Mother of God.
The theological meaning
The contradiction between the human death and the joyful resurrection of the Virgin Mary, highlights the miracle and the theological richness of the event. Theotokos laid dead on a bed, surrounded by the Apostles. Yet, She overcame decay, She conquered death, and Her burial, instead of sorrow, gave birth to happiness.
Thus, it is considered that the Assumption of the Theotokos holds great doctrinal and eschatological content, since it is through her transfiguration that the fate of all believers is determined.
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Indeed, the reception and interpretation of the resurrection is one of the most important differences between the Orthodox and the Catholic church. The latter supports the embodied ascension of the Virgin Mary, i.e., Her ascension to Heaven without the separation of soul and body. Orthodox theology, on the other hand, advocates the physical death of the Virgin Mary and Her miraculous resurrection. It is argued that the body and soul of Our Lady were separated, as happens during the death of every mortal human being, and reunited by Her ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Theotokos escaped corruption both during Her immaculate life and at Her death, since, as emphasized in Her Apolytikon, She was "departed to the source of life".
The iconography of the Dormition
As far as its iconographic type is concerned, Byzantine iconography depicts the sanctity of the event with particular elegance and expressive nobility. The Virgin Mary is depicted in the center of the icon, lying on a deathbed adorned with rich fabrics. Her eyes are closed and Her arms are folded.
The Apostles are standing around Her; sometimes there are also women depicted mourning Her Assumption. In the center, above the body of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ is depicted holding Her soul in His arms as an infant wrapped in white swaddling clothes. In the background, there can be seen the gate leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes, the open space and the area around the gate is adorned with a multitude of angels and cherubim. In some representations, the Virgin Mary is depicted at the top of the icon, in the hands of angels, as She passes into eternal life.
Thus, the physical death of the Blessed Virgin and Her transposition, Her reception by Jesus Christ himself and Her overcoming of the first judgment are pictorially depicted.
The "Easter of summer"
On this festive day, the whole Orthodox World celebrates the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her placement on Her heavenly throne as the "Mother of Heaven". Just as the sacrifice of the God-Man Christ brought about the Resurrection and determined the destiny of humanity, so the Assumption of His Holy Mother, together with Her Resurrection, determined the salvation of mankind. Theotokos, though mortal, overcame corruption. She even transcended the judgment that the soul receives at the event of death. Through Her "perfect love", She was able to banish the fear and terror of the separation of the soul from the body.
This day is solemnly celebrated and is known as the "Easter of summer", since it is attributed the same doctrinal value as Easter and the Lord's Resurrection.
Numerous believers flock to the temples to venerate the honorable and miraculous icons of the Mother of God. Furthermore, on many Greek islands, such as Tinos, Paros and Patmos, an epitaph is decorated and paraded in honor of Our Lady. In towns and villages, processions of the holy relics are held and festivals are organized for the joyful event.
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary on Mount Athos
Mount Athos especially honors the Mother of God and celebrates Her ascension. It is a solemn feast both for the Holy Monastery of Iviron and the Holy Monastery of Vatopαιdi. As mentioned by the blessed Elder Ephraim Katounakiotis:
"My Lady, if Mount Athos is Your orchard, Vatopaidi is Your throne"
The monks make litanies with the miraculous icons of Theotokos, celebrate a vigil and a great solemn Divine Liturgy. They also venerate the Holy Cincture of the Mother of God, which is kept in the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi. The Holy Cincture was miraculously deposited with the Thomas the Apostle when, three days after the death of the Mother of God, he arrived in Jerusalem.
Mount Athos, as the orchard of the Mother of God, celebrates the Assumption and rejoices for the patroness of this holy place and the guardian of the monastic life of its inhabitants.
Apolytikion
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
