The Gospels provide no information about the later life of the Virgin Mary after the Crucifixion of Christ. Some details can be found in apocryphal writings and church legends. One of these writings “The Tale of the Dormition of the Mother of God” inspired this icon from the museum collection.
According to these sources, at the end of her life, the Virgin Mary lived in Jerusalem and spent most of her days in prayer at the Golgotha Hill or the Holy Sepulcher, being invisible to the guards. During one of her prayers, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed that her death would occur three days later, “Your Son and our God… will receive You, His Mother, in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Having said that, the Archangel gave Mary a branch of a paradise tree (or a date palm, as specified by Dimitry of Rostov) that was to be carried in front of her coffin.
The first one to find out about that was Joseph of Arimathea, the Secret Disciple of Jesus, who took Christ’s body after the crucifixion and put it into a tomb he had built for himself. Then Mary prayed to see John Chrysostom and all the apostles one last time before her death. Although they were preaching in various countries throughout the world, the apostles were miraculously transported to be at her side by the Holy Spirit.
Having found out why God had brought them together and having received a blessing from the Virgin Mary, they prepared everything that was needed for an appropriate burial, surrounded her deathbed, and kept praying and singing psalms together with Mary. Then came the Third Hour, and the roof of the house disappeared. Christ came down through the roof, surrounded by the hosts of heaven, and the candles faded in the face of the Holy Light. To the singing of angels, the Virgin Mary fell asleep and died peacefully.
According to the legend, the funeral procession walked through the entire city of Jerusalem, from Mount Zion to Gethsemane, and some of the Twelve Apostles carried the bier with Mary, with John Chrysostom leading the way with a branch of a paradise tree. For three days, the apostles kept praying at the burial site until the Mother of God appeared to them saying, “Rejoice! I am with you every day!”
This icon used to belong to the Feast iconostasis of the Transfiguration Cathedral at the Monastery of Our Savior in Yaroslavl. The icons of the Feast tier were more likely created by two artists working in a similar manner: they both preferred contrast colors, the same hues, and gold.
The Dormition of the Mother of God is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.
According to these sources, at the end of her life, the Virgin Mary lived in Jerusalem and spent most of her days in prayer at the Golgotha Hill or the Holy Sepulcher, being invisible to the guards. During one of her prayers, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed that her death would occur three days later, “Your Son and our God… will receive You, His Mother, in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Having said that, the Archangel gave Mary a branch of a paradise tree (or a date palm, as specified by Dimitry of Rostov) that was to be carried in front of her coffin.
The first one to find out about that was Joseph of Arimathea, the Secret Disciple of Jesus, who took Christ’s body after the crucifixion and put it into a tomb he had built for himself. Then Mary prayed to see John Chrysostom and all the apostles one last time before her death. Although they were preaching in various countries throughout the world, the apostles were miraculously transported to be at her side by the Holy Spirit.
Having found out why God had brought them together and having received a blessing from the Virgin Mary, they prepared everything that was needed for an appropriate burial, surrounded her deathbed, and kept praying and singing psalms together with Mary. Then came the Third Hour, and the roof of the house disappeared. Christ came down through the roof, surrounded by the hosts of heaven, and the candles faded in the face of the Holy Light. To the singing of angels, the Virgin Mary fell asleep and died peacefully.
According to the legend, the funeral procession walked through the entire city of Jerusalem, from Mount Zion to Gethsemane, and some of the Twelve Apostles carried the bier with Mary, with John Chrysostom leading the way with a branch of a paradise tree. For three days, the apostles kept praying at the burial site until the Mother of God appeared to them saying, “Rejoice! I am with you every day!”
This icon used to belong to the Feast iconostasis of the Transfiguration Cathedral at the Monastery of Our Savior in Yaroslavl. The icons of the Feast tier were more likely created by two artists working in a similar manner: they both preferred contrast colors, the same hues, and gold.
The Dormition of the Mother of God is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.
