Dormition of the Virgin redirects here. For the El Greco painting of the same name, see Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco)

The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is celebrated on August 15 (August 28 Old Style) as the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the third Sunday of August. The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. ... Advent (from the Latin Adventus, implicitly coupled with Redemptoris, the coming of the Saviour) is a holy season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, also known as the season of Christmas. ... The Christmas season is a term that covers the time when two interconnected periods of celebration are held. ... The Wise Men (Magi) adoring the infant Jesus. ... In Western Christianity, Lent is the forty-day period (or season) lasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter[1] or Holy Saturday. ... Easter Triduum (or Paschal Triduum) is a term used by some Christian churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, to denote, collectively, the last three days before Easter Sunday. ... Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and continues until Pentecost in the Christian liturgical calendar, thus spanning a total of seven weeks. ... General understanding of the Christian doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven in the presence of his apostles, following his resurrection. ... Pentecost (Greek: [], pentekostē [hēmera], the fiftieth day) is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, which corresponds to the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. ... Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian (especially the Catholic) liturgical calendar. ... Kingdomtide is a liturgical season observed in the autumn by the United Methodist Church, particularly in the United States, and certain other Protestant denominations. ... It has been suggested that Crouchmas be merged into this article or section. ... The Nativity Fast, practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, is believed to enable participants to draw closer to God by denying the body of worldly pleasure in preparation for celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is held on December 25th (Julian Calendar). ... For the Nativity of Jesus, see Nativity of Jesus. ... Look up theophany in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. ... Pentecost (Greek: [], pentekostē [hēmera], the fiftieth day) is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, which corresponds to the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. ... The upper part of The Transfiguration (1520) by Raphael, depicting Christ miraculously discoursing with Moses and Elijah The word Transfiguration means a changing of appearance or form. ... The Intercession of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (Russian Pokrov, Покров) is one of the most important Russian Orthodoxy feasts (maybe the most important after the Twelve Great Feasts). ... El Greco (The Greek, 1541 – April 7, 1614) was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. ... The Dormition of the Virgin by El Greco was probably created near the end of the artists Cretan period (before 1567). ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Easter or Pascha, is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself as: the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles, having maintained unbroken the link between its clergy and the Apostles by means of Apostolic Succession. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... 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Dormition Fast

The Feast of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week fast, referred to as the Dormition Fast. From August 1 to August 14 (inclusive) Orthodox Christians fast from red meat, poultry, meat products, eggs, dairy products, fish, oil, and wine. The Dormition Fast is a stricter fast than either the Nativity Fast (Advent) or the Apostles' Fast, with only wine and oil (but no fish) allowed on weekends. As with the other Fasts of the Church year, there is a Great Feast that falls during the Fast; in this case, the Transfiguration (August 6). ... Red meat in culinary terminology, refers to meat which is red-colored when raw, while in nutritional terminology, it refers to meat from mammals. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dairy farm near Oxford, New York A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk (mostly from cows, sometimes from buffalo, sheep or goats) and other farm animals, for human consumption. ... The Nativity Fast, practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, is believed to enable participants to draw closer to God by denying the body of worldly pleasure in preparation for celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is held on December 25th (Julian Calendar). ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The word Transfiguration means a changing of appearance or form. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ...

In some places, the services on weekdays during the Fast are similar to the services during Great Lent (with some variations). Many churches and monasteries in the Russian tradition will perform the Lenten services on at least the first day of the Dormition Fast. During the Fast, either the Great Paraklesis (Supplicatory Canon) or the Small Paraklesis are celebrated every evening except Saturday evening and the Eves of the Transfiguration and the Dormition.^[1] Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services. ...

Significance of the Feast

Icon of the Dormition

In Orthodoxy, as in the language of scripture, death is often called a "sleeping" or "falling asleep" (Greek κοίμησις; whence κοιμητήριον > coemetērium > 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, having spent 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," or "Pascha of the Theotokos." 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. ImageMetadata File history File links Icon_03001_Uspenie_Presvyatoj_Bogorodicy. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Icon_03001_Uspenie_Presvyatoj_Bogorodicy. ... This article is about the mother of the Virgin Mary. ... Pentecost (Greek: [], pentekostÄ“ [hÄ“mera], the fiftieth day) is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, which corresponds to the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Jude Thomas. ... The Garden of Gethsemane. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Easter (also called Pascha) is generally accounted the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed March or April each year to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (after his death by crucifixion; see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year, almost two...

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 that Mary died, like any human being, that her soul was received by Christ upon death, and that her body was resurrected on the third day after her repose, at which time she was taken up, soul and body, into heaven in anticipation of the general resurrection. 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. The Orthodox beliefs regarding the Mary's falling asleep are expressed in the liturgical service of the feast of the Dormition (celebrated August 15) which is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of Orthodoxy, and are believed by all pious Orthodox Christians; however, none of them has ever been formally defined as dogma by the Church or made a precondition of baptism. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... Old Style or O.S. is a designation indicating that a date conforms to the Julian calendar, formerly in use in many countries, rather than the Gregorian calendar, currently in use in most countries. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... The Assumption has been a subject of Christian art for centuries. ... Munificentissimus Deus (Latin for The most bountiful God) is the name of an Apostolic constitution written by Pope Pius XII. It defines ex cathedra the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. ...

Eastern Catholic observance corresponds to that of their Orthodox counterparts, whether Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox. The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ...

Liturgical Practices

It is customary in many places to bless fragrant herbage on the Feast of the Dormition.

In some places, the Rite of the "Burial of the Theotokos" is celebrated at the Dormition, during the All-Night Vigil. The order of the service is based on the service of the Burial of Christ on Great Saturday. An Epitaphios of the Theotokos, a richly embroidered cloth icon portraying her lying in state is used, together with specially composed hymns of lamentation which are sung with Psalm 118. The Epitaphios is placed on a bier, and carried in procession in the same way as the Epitaphios of Christ is during Holy Week. The All-Night Vigil (Russian: ), Opus 37, is an a cappella choral composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff, written and premiered in 1915. ... Holy Saturday is the day before Easter in the Christian calendar. ... Psalm 119 is the longest psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. ... Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomada Sancta) in Christianity is the last week of Lent. ...

This practice began in Jerusalem, and from there it was carried to Russia, where it was used in the Uspensky (Dormition) cathedral in Moscow. Its use has slowly spread among the Russian Orthodox, though it is not by any means a standard service in all parishes, or even most cathedrals or monasteries. In Jerusalem, the service is chanted during the Vigil of the Dormition. In some Russian churhes and monasteries, it is served on the third day after Dormition. Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim) (Standard) Yerushalayim or Yerushalaim Arabic commonly القـُدْس (Al-Quds); officially in Israel أورشليم القدس (Urshalim-Al-Quds) Name Meaning Hebrew: (see below), Arabic: The Holiness Government City District Jerusalem Population 724,000 (2006) Jurisdiction 123,000 dunams (123 km²) Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds, the Holiness)[2... Cathedral of the Dormition, Moscow, in winter The Cathedral of the Dormition or Cathedral of the Assumption (in Russian, Uspensky Sobor (Успенский Собор)) is the name of several cathedrals in the world. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ...

Notes

1. ^ Outside the Dormition Fast it is always the Small Supplicatory Canon which is chanted. During the Dormition Fast, however, the Typikon prescribes that the Small and Great Supplicatory Canons be chanted on alternate evenings: If August 1st falls on a Monday through Friday, the cycle begins with the Small Supplicatory Canon; if August 1st falls on a Sunday, the cycle begins with the Great Supplicatory Canon.

Typikon, Typicon. ...

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
• Apostles' Fast
• Nativity Fast
• Great Lent
• Coptic Lenten Seasons
• House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, believed by some to be the place of Dormition

Cathedral of the Dormition, Moscow, in winter The Cathedral of the Dormition or Cathedral of the Assumption (in Russian, Uspensky Sobor (Успенский Собор)) is the name of several cathedrals in the world. ... The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (Катедрален храм Успение Пресвятия Богородици or Катедрален храм Успение Богородично) is the largest and most famous Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Varna, officially opened on 30 August 1886. ... The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral in Varna The Stoyan Bachvarov Dramatic Theatre Varna (Bulgarian: ) is the largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and 79th-largest in the European Union, with a population of 357,752([1]). Varna, commonly referred... The Dormition Church, situated on Mount Zion outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, facing the Zion Gate, was built between 1906 and 1910, after Sultan Hamid gave this plot of land to Kaiser Wilhelm II as a gift. ... Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim) (Standard) Yerushalayim or Yerushalaim Arabic commonly القـُدْس (Al-Quds); officially in Israel أورشليم القدس (Urshalim-Al-Quds) Name Meaning Hebrew: (see below), Arabic: The Holiness Government City District Jerusalem Population 724,000 (2006) Jurisdiction 123,000 dunams (123 km²) Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds, the Holiness)[2... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Nativity Fast, practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, is believed to enable participants to draw closer to God by denying the body of worldly pleasure in preparation for celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is held on December 25th (Julian Calendar). ... Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... Pope John Paul II visited the House of the Virgin Mary in 1979. ...

External Links

• Childrens' Book on the Dormition
• Icons of the Feast of Dormition
• Icons of the Dormition
• Dormition article on the Orthodox Wiki
• Epitaphios of the Theotokos Russia
• Celebrating Dormition in the Holy Land Jerusalem