Holiday event and its eortological dynamics
The Gospel says nothing about the earthly life of the Mother of God after the Ascension of the Savior. Information about her last days preserved church tradition, in particular such lengthy apocryphal tales as "The Word of John the Theologian on the Dormition of the Mother of God", "The Word of John, Archbishop of Thessalonica", as well as the most ancient holiday word on the Dormition of the Jerusalem Patriarch Modest (+ 632), the words of St. Andrew of Crete, Constantinople Patriarch Herman and three words of St. John of Damascus. All these sources date back to the 8th century.
If we summarize all the available information, the informativeness and reliability of which is not the same, we can say that by the time of Her blessed Assumption, the Blessed Virgin Mary again arrived in Jerusalem. Her glory as the Mother of God has already spread over the earth and armed many envious and proud people against Her, which caused attempts on Her life. But God kept her from enemies. She spent her days and nights in prayer. Often the Most Holy Theotokos came to the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, burned incense here and knelt down. More than once the enemies of the Savior tried to prevent Her from visiting Holy place and asked the high priests for guards to guard the Sepulcher of the Savior. But the Holy Virgin, not seen by anyone, continued to pray before him.
On one of these visits, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before Her and announced Her imminent migration from this life to an eternally blessed life. As a pledge, the archangel gave Her a palm branch. With heavenly news, the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three virgins who served Her (Sepphora, Evigei and Zoila).
Then She summoned the righteous Joseph of Arimathea and the disciples of the Lord, to whom she announced Her imminent Dormition. The Blessed Virgin also prayed that the Lord would send the Apostle John to Her. And the Holy Spirit snatched him up from Ephesus, placing him next to the place where the Mother of God reclined. After the prayer, the Blessed Virgin burned incense, and John heard a voice from heaven, concluding Her prayer with the word "Amen." The Mother of God noticed that this voice means the imminent arrival of the apostles and the incorporeal heavenly powers. The apostles, whose number cannot even be counted, flocked like eagles to serve the Mother of God. Seeing each other, the apostles rejoiced, but in perplexity they asked each other: why did the Lord gather them in one place?
Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with joyful tears, said that the time had come for the Mother of God to depart to the Lord.
Having entered to the Mother of God, they saw Her sitting magnificently on the couch, filled with spiritual joy. During the conversation, the Apostle Paul also miraculously appeared with his disciples: Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy and others from among the 70 apostles. All of them were gathered by the Holy Spirit so that they could be blessed with the blessings of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and arrange the burial of the Mother of the Lord more magnificently.
The 3rd hour arrived, when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to take place. Many candles were burning. The holy apostles with hymns surrounded the magnificently decorated bed, on which the Mother of God reclined. She prayed in anticipation of her departure and the coming of her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible light of Divine Glory shone, before which the blazing candles faded. Those who saw it were horrified. The top of the room, as it were, disappeared in the rays of an inexplicable light, and the King of Glory Himself descended - Christ, surrounded by many angels, archangels and other heavenly powers with the righteous souls of the forefathers and prophets, who once foreshadowed the Blessed Virgin. Without any bodily suffering, as if in a pleasant dream, the Blessed Virgin gave up her soul into the hands of Her Son and God.
Then there was a joyful angelic singing. Accompanying the pure soul of the Bride of God as the Queen of Heaven, the angels cried out with reverent fear: “Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee, blessed are You among women! Behold, the Queen, the Mother of God, come, take the gates, and this very peacefully raise the Eternal Mother of Light; Toya, for the sake of all-natural man, salvation was. We can’t look at Nyuzha, and we can’t pay that worthy honor to that one ”(verse of the holiday on Lord, call). Heaven's gates have risen to meet the soul Holy Mother of God, cherubim and seraphim glorified Her with joy. The blessed face of the Mother of God shone with the glory of Divine virginity, and a fragrance poured from her body.
Kissing the most pure body with reverence and fear, the apostles were sanctified from it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. For greater glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love touched the sacred bed.
After mourning their separation from the Mother of God on earth, the apostles proceeded to the burial. Peter, Paul, James, with others from among the 12 apostles, carried on their shoulders a bed on which the body of the Ever-Virgin lay. St. John the Theologian walked in front with a heavenly radiant branch, and other saints and many faithful accompanied the bed with candles and censers, singing sacred songs. This solemn procession began from Zion and followed through all of Jerusalem to Gethsemane.
The unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, struck by the extraordinary grandeur of the funeral procession and embittered by the honors given to the Mother of Jesus, reported this to the chief priests and scribes. Burning with envy and vengeance for everything that reminded them of Christ, they sent their servants to disperse those who accompanied them and burn the very body of the Mother of God. The excited people and the soldiers with fury rushed at the Christians, but the cloudy crown, which accompanied the procession through the air, descended to the ground and, as it were, protected it with a wall. The persecutors heard footsteps and singing, but they did not see any of those seeing them off. Many of the evildoers were stricken with blindness.
The Jewish priest Avfonios, out of envy and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth, wanted to overturn the bed on which the body of the Blessed Virgin lay. But an angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which touched the bed. Seeing such a miracle, Avfoniya repented and with faith confessed the greatness of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the host of those who accompanied the body of the Mother of God, becoming a zealous follower of Christ.
When the procession reached Gethsemane, there, with weeping and sobbing, the last kissing of the most pure body began. Only in the evening could the holy apostles put him in a coffin and close the entrance to the cave with a large stone. For three days they did not leave the place of burial, performing incessant prayers and psalmody.
In the evening, when the apostles gathered in the house to strengthen themselves with food, the Mother of God herself appeared to them and said: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days." This greatly rejoiced the apostles and all who were with them. They raised a portion of the bread supplied for a meal in memory of the Savior (“the portion of the Lord”) and exclaimed: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us.” This was the beginning of the rite of the offering of the panagia - the custom of offering a piece of bread in honor of the Mother of God, which is still observed in monasteries.
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It is not known for certain at what age the Mother of God reposed. You can argue like this. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite was present at Her burial. He was converted by the Apostle Paul in the year 52, traveled with him for three years, was in Jerusalem with the Mother of God, then lived in Athens, where he received the bishopric. Consequently, he could arrive at the burial of the Most Pure One no earlier than 57 years. It is believed that the Nativity of Christ followed in the 15th year of Mary's life. So, by the time of the Assumption, She was 72 years old.
Based on the foregoing, it becomes obvious that the feast in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin could not have arisen early.
The Church came to the idea of celebrating the day of the death of the martyrs much earlier than the Dormition. It is indicative that the Syrian chronology of the 3rd-4th centuries, in which every day of the year has the memory of a saint, does not contain a single feast of the Mother of God. The reason for this phenomenon is understandable: the martyrs suffered and died in front of everyone, and the days of death were imprinted in the hearts of Christians. As for the Mother of God, a later theological deepening into the dogma of the incarnation and the encroachment of heresies on Her dignity, which took place only in the 5th century, were necessary in order to draw the reverent attention of Christians to the person of the Mother of God.
The feasts of the Theotokos, or, more precisely, one such feast, which subsequently broke up into several, must have arisen in connection with the Nativity of Christ (or Theophany, which previously coincided with and even identified with the Nativity of Christ). Therefore, the current Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on December 26 is the eorthological prototype of the Feasts of the Mother of God.
So, the Nestorians have a holiday Holy Mary located in the calendar immediately after the Nativity of Christ. In the Coptic calendar of the 7th century, on January 16 (shortly after the giving of the Theophany), the birth of the Lady Mary falls, and in the ninth century calendar, January 16 is marked as “the death and resurrection of the Virgin.”
According to the ancient Armenian Lectionary, the “day of Mary the Mother of God” is celebrated on August 15 (cf. the documents of the VII Ecumenical Council of 787, which record that the Dormition is celebrated on August 15).
In a number of liturgical monuments for the Assumption, an extremely wide chronological amplitude has been established - between January and August. In the ancient Roman pseudo-Jerome Martyrology (7th century), January 18 is shown as depositio(decease) Beatae Mariae, a August 14 - how assumptio(taken to heaven). This division is significant. It demonstrates how the Church of that time looked at the death of the Mother of God: without denying the bodily death of the Mother of God, she believed that this death was followed by the resurrection, although, apparently, she thought that it did not happen as soon as later tradition suggests.
In the later Roman calendar (VIII century) there is already one holiday - the Assumption, on August 15 (cf. also the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius in the edition of the VII century). At the same time, the Gallic Church, according to the testimony of Gregory of Tours († 594), celebrated the Assumption in January (see the Gothic-Gallican and Luxovian missals of the 7th-8th centuries).
In the Greek Church, reliable information about the analyzed holiday is recorded only from the end of the 6th century. Nicephorus Kallistos claims that the celebration of the Assumption was established by the emperor Mauritius (592-602). However, numerous facts cast doubt on such a late dating. In Constantinople there were many churches in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, built by Constantine the Great, Pulcheria, which cannot but testify to the feast in honor of Her.
In all likelihood, even before Mauritius, the Assumption in the capital of Byzantium was a local and optional holiday. The emperor, in gratitude for the victory won over the Persians on August 15, made this celebration a church-wide one (see the testimonies of the Verse Prologue). This version acquires probative force if we recall the eorthological history of the Candlemas.
And in the West, the feast of the Assumption is ancient times was not common. It is remarkable that in the Papal Book of the 7th century, under August 15, the Greek name of the holiday is presented - the Assumption. In the Evangeliary of 740, an inscription is given: Sollemnita de pausatione sanctae Mariae(The Solemnity of the Repose of Saint Mary).
However, in the Sacramentary, which Pope Adrian I (772-775) sent to Charlemagne, a different name for the holiday is already used - the Acceptance of Mary into Heaven.
It is possible that such variability in naming is connected, among other things, with the following circumstance: at least until the 12th century, this holiday in the West was inferior in solemnity to the days of especially revered saints.
Feast in Orthodox worship
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Extremely detailed remarks in connection with the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos are given in the charter of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. In this, this celebration differs significantly from the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is only indicated.
According to the charter, on the eve of the holiday, everyone gathered in the church and from there with a litany they went to the square, where ordinary prayers were performed. Upon his return, the Divine Liturgy was served. Upon departure, the troparion was sung (tone 8) Bless you give birth to all, i.e. modern ipakoi.
There were three readings at Vespers. Next: troparion of the 1st tone At Christmas, you kept your virginity, litany of supplication, great Lord have mercy; Wisdom- and the reading began, and after it followed a memorial service, the rank of which has been lost.
The Prokeimenon, the Apostle and the Gospel at the liturgy are the same as now (only the second alliluary has changed: not Swear the Lord to David,a Remember your host).
Thus, instead of the current rich variety of festive hymnography, this charter contains only two songs. But he honors the holiday with a solemn litany ( procession around the city) the day before.
The modern Typicon has preserved something similar only for the holidays of the Presentation, the Annunciation and Easter. In addition, the charter of the Great Church allows us to consistently date the Assumption troparion and ipakoi - In Christmas virginity, We bless you all give birth.
The Sophia Rule of Constantinople appoints only one day for the feast of the Assumption, except for the fact that on the second day of the holiday a service is scheduled in the church of the Theotokos near Xirolof (similar to the cathedral of the Virgin in Blachernae being appointed on the second day of the Nativity of Christ).
The next structural-content step in the liturgical development of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos can be considered a brief charter of the Studian Monastery in Constantinople. In this typikon, the feast in question goes beyond one day for the first time.
In the charter of the Constantinopolitan Monastery of Evergetides with the practice of the 11th century (according to the manuscript of the 12th century), this line is continued. And for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the pre-feast and after-feast, equal to the modern one, that is, until August 23 (eight days), are already codified. However, both the pre-feast and the after-feast are distinguished by even less solemnity than at the present time. It is also indicative that the festive vigil did not consist of Vespers, which was always served separately, but of Pannikhis and Matins.
Separate consideration requires the Prologue to the Evergetid Typicon, where there is a chapter on the Assumption, which reads: "The Assumption should be celebrated with you lightly, lightly and solemnly, for this is a holiday of holidays and a triumph of celebrations." So, “on what (holiday) and distribution of food ( diadosin- Greek) in a pylon (colonnade, porch) we command to do as much as possible and how much your hand abounds. Similar recommendations contain other typicons of the type under consideration, for example, Nikolo-Kazolyansky.
Turning now to the many varieties of the Studio Rite, and comparing them with the modern codification, the changes can be found chiefly in the ranking of the hymnography. different parts all-night vigil, as well as festive, pre-holiday and post-holiday chants.
A few words must be said about the Dormition Fast, which lasts from August 1 to August 14 and occupies the first place after Great Lent in terms of holiness (the degree of abstinence adopted for it), surpassing Christmas Lent. During it, it is forbidden to eat fish and vegetable oil(exceptions in the latter case are Saturdays and Sundays).
The Dormition fast, naturally, like the holiday itself, is characterized in comparison with other fasts by less antiquity.
The history of this fast is extremely instructive, since it was established without the assistance of such a powerful force of Tradition in the Church, but is based on a solid foundation of reverent love for the Mother of God.
Turning to church monuments, for the first time an indication (it must be said, very specific and not very intelligible) of the Assumption Fast can be found in the typikon of the southern Italian Nikolo-Kazolyansky monastery, that is, in the XII century. From now on, the need for fasting (in the Pilot's Book, in the writings of Anastasius of Caesarea in the 11th-12th centuries, etc.) is substantiated by references to the Patriarchs of Antioch. From their testimonies, it is concluded that the Dormition fast, being separated from the fast of the holy apostles, was observed even before Emperor Leo the Wise, that is, until the 9th century.
Nikon of Montenegro says about the Dormition Fast that those who do not observe it have no basis for themselves in antiquity, however, those who observe it are established not on the apostolic tradition, but on the custom of subsequent times.
So, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is currently the great twelfth feast, which has a stable calendar date and has one day of fore-feast (August 14) and eight days of after-feast (giving takes place on August 23).
Follow-up to the death of the Most Holy Theotokos
In order for the picture of the feast of the Assumption to be more complete, it is necessary to comment on the rite of the burial of the Mother of God - the Follow-up to the death of the Most Holy Theotokos. This service is established in Gethsemane. Here, at the burial place of the Virgin, a richly decorated basilica was built, the main focus of Assumption celebrations.
So, on the morning of August 14, from 9-10 o’clock, a special service for the burial of the Mother of God is performed, consisting of singing the 17th kathisma with refrains - praises similar to Great Saturday. Serves as a patriarch. After burning a bed with the shroud of the Mother of God in the cave of Her burial, after the usual start of the service ( Trisagion before Our Father), a bed with a shroud is brought to the middle of the temple under the chandelier. Behind the bed is the patriarch, and on its sides to the royal doors - bishops, archimandrites and hieromonks. The High Hierarch again enters the cave in order to start the incense of the entire temple from there, which is done while singing the 1st article of funeral praises: Life in a coffin is supposed. The article, as on Great Saturday, concludes with a litany with an exclamation of the patriarch. On the 2nd article - It is worthy to eat majesty Tya- censing (only a cave and a bed) and the oldest bishop utters an exclamation. Article 3 says: Give birth to all the song they bring to your burial, Virgin, and the second bishop censes. Article 3, as on Holy Saturday, turns into the singing of Sunday troparions: Angelic Cathedral. The litanies are followed by the exapostilary of the feast ( Apostles from the end of the earth), laudatory stichera and great doxology. On his Trisagion chanted at length, a cod with a shroud is taken out by the priests to top platform basilicas where the litany is pronounced. Further, the bed moves again to the middle of the temple while singing the exapostilary and stichera With thunder in the clouds, the Savior sends the apostles to the Nativity. Then the patriarch creates leave.
In Russia, the funeral rite for the Assumption was previously performed only in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the Kostroma Epiphany Monastery and in the Gethsemane Skete near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. At the same time, in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, he did not constitute a separate service, as in Gethsemane, but joined the polyeleos for the vigil on the feast itself.
At present, the following for the death of the Most Holy Theotokos is carried out everywhere.
In the Gethsemane skete, Saint Philaret (Drozdov) established, in addition to the Assumption, the feast of the resurrection and ascension of the Mother of God, which is celebrated on August 17. Being a liturgical custom, the celebration, however, is not supported by generally accepted statutory recommendations. On the eve, the rite of the burial of the Most Holy Theotokos is performed, and in the morning a liturgy is established with a procession and the icon of the Ascension of the Virgin.
Iconography of the holiday
The events of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary are also presented in detail in iconography, the full formation of which dates back to the post-iconoclastic era.By the end of the 10th century, two plates from Ivory- for the salary of the Gospel of Emperor Otto III from the Bavarian Library in Munich and a plaquette from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The general composition of the Assumption scene in both monuments will become traditional for the art of Byzantium and Ancient Russia. The Mother of God is depicted in the center on the couch, on either side of Her are the weeping apostles, behind the couch stands the Savior with the soul of the Mother of God, depicted as a swaddled baby.
The Dormition of the Mother of God, like the Resurrection of Christ, symbolized the trampling of death and the resurrection to the life of the next century. The images of the Assumption have a complex liturgical interpretation. So, the bed with the body of the Mother of God is visually likened to the throne in the temple, and the arrangement of the apostles in two groups, headed by Peter and Paul, on either side of it - to their presence at the Eucharist and communion under two kinds. Christ behind the bed was the image of a bishop at a meal. The image in some monuments of the Apostle Peter with a censer in his hand indicated, perhaps, the incense of the holy gifts in the liturgy, and the image of the Apostle John, falling to the bed of the Virgin Mary, indicated a priest kissing the throne. Often in the scene of the Assumption, two or four bishops were depicted, together with the apostles, the coming of the Mother of God. These images of Saints Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy of Ephesus and James, the brother of the Lord, who were present at the Assumption of the Mother of God, they symbolized the communion by the bishop of the priests in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The angels flying in the scenes of the Assumption to Christ with covered hands, as if to receive the holy gifts, seem to serve at the liturgy as deacons. According to tradition, the Assumption was portrayed as an event taking place in the house of John the Theologian in Jerusalem - in the Zion room, where the Holy Spirit had previously descended on the apostles.
From about the 11th century, an expanded version of the iconography of the Assumption - the so-called "cloud type" - became widespread. For example, a fresco from the Church of St. Sophia in Ohrid (Macedonia); icon early XIII century, originating from the Novgorod Tithes Monastery and so on.
Most often, one or more burning candles are depicted at the bed of the Virgin, symbolizing a prayer to the Lord. Quite often, a jug-stamna is placed at the bedside, inserted into the bowl: this is one of the poetic symbols of the Mother of God, found in Byzantine and ancient Russian hymnography.
In the 15th century, icons of the Assumption were widely distributed in Russia depicting the miracle of cutting off the hands of an angel by an angel in the foreground, in front of the bed. Perhaps the popularity of the plot at that time and in the 16th century was associated with the struggle against heretical movements. For the first time, this plot was recorded in a fresco in the church of Panagia Mavriotissa in Kastoria (the turn of the 12th-13th centuries).
In the 17th century, monumental temple icons of the Assumption appeared, accompanied by hallmarks, in which the “Legend of the Assumption” is illustrated. So, on the icon of 1658 from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the hallmarks depict the prayer of the Mother of God before her death, the farewell of the Mother of God with loved ones, the journey of the apostles, their conversation with the Mother of God and other scenes. Detailed story about the Assumption of the Virgin ends with the image of the Mother of God on a bed among garden of paradise. The same story about the Assumption is contained in the hallmarks of the icon of the Assumption of the end of the 17th century.
Information department of the Khabarovsk diocese
The Assumption of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is the twelfth feast dedicated to the memory of the death (assumption) of the Mother of God. According to church tradition, on this day the apostles, who preached in various countries, miraculously gathered in Jerusalem to say goodbye and perform the burial of the Virgin Mary.
The Most Holy Mother of God, after the ascension of Jesus, remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian. When King Herod persecuted Christians, the Mother of God withdrew with John to Ephesus and lived there in the house of his parents.
Here she constantly prayed that the Lord would take her to him as soon as possible. During one of these prayers, which the Mother of God performed at the site of the ascension of Christ, the archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that in three days her earthly life would end, and the Lord would take her to him.
Before her death, the Blessed Virgin Mary wanted to see all the apostles, who by that time had gone to different places to preach Christian faith. Despite this, the desire of the Mother of God was fulfilled: the Holy Spirit miraculously gathered the apostles at the bed of the Most Holy Theotokos, on which she prayed and awaited her death. The savior himself, surrounded by angels, came down to her to take her soul with him. The Most Holy Theotokos turned to the Lord with a prayer of thanksgiving and asked to bless all those who honor Her memory. She also showed great humility: having achieved holiness that no other person can compare to, being the Most Honorable Cherubim and the Most Glorious Seraphim without comparison, she prayed to His Son to protect Her from the dark satanic power and from the ordeals that every soul goes through after death. Seeing the apostles, the Mother of God joyfully gave Her soul into the hands of the Lord, and immediately angelic singing was heard.
After her death, the coffin with the body of the Most Pure Virgin was taken by the apostles to Gethsemane and buried there in a cave, the entrance of which was blocked with a stone. After the funeral, the apostles remained at the cave for three more days and prayed. The Apostle Thomas, who was late for the burial, was so sad that he did not have time to bow to the ashes of the Mother of God, that the apostles allowed the entrance to the cave and the grave to be opened so that he could bow to the holy remains. Opening the coffin, they discovered that the body of the Mother of God was not there and, thus, they were convinced of her miraculous bodily ascension to Heaven. In the evening of the same day, the Mother of God Herself appeared to the apostles who had gathered for dinner and said: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days."
The Church calls the death of the Mother of God the Assumption, and not death, therefore the usual human death, when the body returns to the earth, and the spirit to God, did not touch the Gracious. “The laws of nature are defeated in You, Pure Virgin,” the Holy Church sings in the troparion of the holiday, “virginity is preserved in birth, and life is combined with death: remaining a Virgin after birth and Living after death, You always save, Mother of God, Your inheritance.”
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the twelve most significant holidays after Easter in the Orthodox liturgical calendar. The memory of the Mother of God glorifies this day and it falls on August 28 in a new style, and on the 15th in the old way. Before the celebration of this holy day, the Church commands all believers to fast from the 14th to the 27th of August in the name and following the example of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is in constant prayer and in the strictest fasting the days preceding Her Dormition.
It may seem absurd to many people to celebrate the day of the Assumption, i.e. death of the Mother of God, because for most of us death is associated only with heartache and longing, sorrow and the loss of the one whose life path ended forever.
Ever since ancient times to anyone common man it seemed that the phenomenon of death was the most incomprehensible and greatest of all the existing mysteries of being. Death at all times caused awe and fear in people, their complete confusion, panic and bewilderment.
However, deeply believing Orthodox Christians know and passionately believe that everything that exists in the Divine universe has acquired an unshakable and reliable life foundation for all eternity. It is not death that people need to be afraid of, but the image of that and the actions of those with which their earthly existence will be filled.
Thanks to such faith, every Christian perceives the phenomenon of death not as the complete completion of a person's life, but only as a difficult, but necessary test for eternal and true existence. In this regard, the Assumption of the Virgin causes joy among the Orthodox, because through death she received the opportunity to be with her Son again.
An atheist can live his entire earthly life under the yoke of a terrible expectation of his own death as a complete self-disintegration, while an Orthodox believer, even when preparing for death, can only prepare for a new life.
However, one should not assume that Christians rank death among the good and joyful phenomena. It, of course, is a direct violation and distortion of the order originally established in the human universe, the loss of which occurs due to the fall of man, his disobedience to the Divine will and violation of the Law of God.
According to the dogmatic teaching of the Orthodox Church, God did not want people to die, they independently doomed themselves to it because of their spiritual weakness and indomitable flesh. But even in this case Our Savior showed unspeakable mercy and grace to man, He turned earthly death into a path to the eternal cohabitation of man with His Creator.
The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God has been established since ancient times. Mentions of him can be found in the writings of Blessed Jerome, Gregory and Augustine, as well as in the writings of the Bishop of Tours.
In the 4th century, the Byzantine emperor Mauritius, in honor of his victory (August 15, 595) over the Persians, timed the celebration of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos to this day, defining this day and this event as one of the most important church holidays.
However, primarily in different places this holiday was celebrated at different times: in some places the celebration of the Holy Assumption took place in the month of January, and somewhere in August. For example, in the 7th century, in the Roman Church in the West, it was customary to celebrate on January 18 “the death of the Virgin Mary”, and at the same time, the 14th of August was determined as the day of “taking Her into the heavens of God”.
Only in the VII-IX centuries. The feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos began to be celebrated on August 15 in most Western and Eastern Churches. The purpose of this holiday was nothing more than the glorification and preservation of the memory of the Mother of God, and of Her reunion with her Son through the Dormition.
The stichera on the Dormition of the Theotokos appeared in the 5th century; they were written by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Then, in the 8th century, two canons dedicated to this holiday appeared, created by Saints John of Damascus and Cosmas of Maium.
According to the Holy Scriptures, after the death and Resurrection of the Savior of all, until the Great Persecution of Christians, the Mother of God was in Jerusalem. Then She, accompanied by John the Theologian, moved to Ephesus. She often visited the righteous Lazarus, who lives in Cyprus, and Mount Athos, which she later blessed as a Destiny for preaching the word of the Gospel.
Shortly before her death, the Mother of God again arrived in Jerusalem, which she had previously abandoned. Here She constantly remained in prayer and most often visited the places associated with the most important life events of Her Divine Son.
On one of the days of Her stay on the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her. He informed Her that in three days Her death would come, and She would leave the earth, ascending to heaven to Her Son. The Most Holy Theotokos shared what had happened with the Apostle John, who hastily announced the impending death of the Mother of God to the brother of the Lord, the Apostle James. He, in turn, is the entire Jerusalem Church, which subsequently preserved the tradition of the Assumption of the Virgin.
Before Her death, the Mother of God bequeathed all her modest property to the widows - Her servants. She ordered them to bury Herself next to Her righteous parents in Gethsemane after death.
On the day of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Jerusalem, almost all the apostles gathered to say goodbye to Her, wandering around the world preaching about the Word of God. Her departure was accompanied by an unspeakable light, at the appearance of which Christ Himself appeared before Her, surrounded by numerous angels. The Mother of God turned to Him with a prayer and a heartfelt request for the blessing of all those who honor Her memory. She also called in prayer to the Son 
To surround Her with the protection of God from the power of Satan and the ordeals of the air, and then, in joy and grace, she gave Her soul into the Lord's hands.
For three days and three nights the apostles stayed at the tomb of the Mother of God, singing psalms. And only on the third day did they receive perfect and complete consolation from the Great Image of the Mother of God and Her words, calling everyone to rejoice, for from now on She will be with everyone and all the days. After the Resurrection and a comforting saying, the body of the Mother of God left the earth and was raptured to heaven.
Great religious holiday- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated by all Catholics, Christians and believers. When is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in 2017? Assumption, as in those years, falls on August 28. On this significant day, all people honor the memory great woman- The Blessed Virgin Mary, or as she is also called - the Virgin Mary. Despite the fact that the word "assumption" means "death", it is customary to celebrate with a smile on your face and with good mood. Indeed, according to old beliefs, the Most Holy Theotokos did not die, but was reunited with the Lord in heaven.
About the church holiday
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017 is no different from the celebration of those years. It is considered the twelfth, especially important, church holiday. This is the last big holiday after Easter. This day ends great post and people celebrate it with numerous delicious meals on the tables, thereby honoring and thanking the Most Holy Theotokos for everything.
Be sure to go to church or to the temple in the morning and bow before the icon of the Mother of God. Thank for everything, put a candle for the repose of her soul, and then you can ask her for help. Someone asks for the recovery of children, someone for a fruitful harvest, or happiness in family life. Many believe that the Most Holy Theotokos will undoubtedly hear all prayers and will certainly help everyone who repented of their committed sins and let bright intentions into their souls.
A big church holiday has a certain meaning. He tells people that people should not be afraid of death, but meet it calmly and with dignity. After all, when dying, the soul of a person is reunited with the Lord and goes to a wonderful place where there is no lie and enmity. God protects everyone and gives the souls of the dead a second life in heaven.
On the eve of the celebration of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, all the clergy dress in light blue robes, thus showing their reunion with heaven. They bow before the Queen of Heaven and the Lord, showing their faith and obedience. On this day, it is believed that the Virgin Mary covers everyone with an invisible veil, giving her blessing.
History of the origin of the Virgin Mary
Her life on Earth was amazing from a very young age. She became the chosen one of God for the birth of the great Savior - Jesus Christ. The Lord saw in her a pure soul, not defiled by self-interest and evil intent, believing that it was she who should give Jesus life.
As a little girl, with the blessing of the Lord, she entered the Temple in Jerusalem. She was received with honors, and she began to enter many secret rooms of the temple, where ancient relics were kept. Only one person could enter such rooms - the priest. It was allowed to enter the rooms only after the rite of purification and after praying for all the people.
At her young age, the Virgin Mary was accustomed to hard work, engaged in needlework and joyfully taught prayers. Temple she considered the best place on Earth, where you could unite with God and share your thoughts. She grew up as an unspoiled child with a pure and bright soul. She was always kind and merciful to people. She learned not to break the laws of God and praised him.
According to the laws of those times, she was married, while still a young girl, to the widower Joseph, who had two children from his first marriage. Joseph treated his new wife with respect, so he fulfilled her desire to live in celibacy. For her, he became the guardian and patron of her innocence and purity. The Most Holy Theotokos entered the family of a poor carpenter.
Birth of son Jesus
The most joyful and significant moment in the life of Mary was the birth of Jesus Christ. She became the mother of the incarnated Savior.
The Most Holy Theotokos always supported Jesus in all his affairs. She helped him, accompanied him wherever he went, protected and loved. Jesus performed the first miracle at a feast for the poor, turning water into delicious wine. The Virgin Mary carefully concealed the possibilities of her son and kept a vow of silence. But one day, she prayed to her son, asking to help poor people. Christ bestowed His mercy on people.
A woman with a kind and pure soul had to go through many more trials. The earthly lords began to persecute the mother and child in order to defend their rule. They were afraid that Jesus would take power away from them. The Virgin Mary and her son had no choice but to run. They went to Egypt, wandering in poverty and hunger.
But there is no comparison of these troubles worse than the pain that she still had to endure - the day of the execution of Jesus Christ. He was crucified on a cross in the middle of the crowd, who, with all their anger and hatred, demanded execution. Maria, with pain in her heart, swore that she would devote the rest of her life to the Lord, prayers and helping people.
After the execution of Christ, she becomes the Mother of God for the apostles and preaches with them in different places. Shares with them the dangers that lie in wait for them, shares a meal, goes on difficult trips. Churches all over the world knew about her and with admiration blessed her for all her good deeds. The Virgin Mary was modest and radiated love and mercy to all people.
Death of the Blessed Virgin
Mother of God in last years the apostle John protected her life. She often asked the Lord to take her to heaven to be reunited with her son. One fine day the Lord heard her prayers and sent the Archangel Gabriel to her land. He informed her that her suffering would end in three days and she would go to heaven. Maria was happy to meet her family soon. She realized that death should not be feared, because she will go to the Kingdom of Heaven, where she will immortal life. While waiting for her departure, she asked to gather all 12 apostles in order to say goodbye to them.
Before her death, the Most Holy Theotokos promised not to leave anyone, to hear the prayers of people and to help everyone who needs it. She asked to transfer her body to Gethsemane, where Jesus spent the last hours of his life. Three days after the funeral, the apostles looked into the cave and were stunned by what they saw. There was no body of the Virgin Mary, only the tissues in which she was buried remained. A miracle happened at the evening meal, the Virgin Mary appeared, surrounded by angels, saying that she would always be next to everyone.
Since then, Dormition has been celebrated with joy and sadness, because on the one hand the Virgin Mary died, and on the other hand, she found life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
When does Dormition Fast begin?
To cleanse the soul and heart before the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2017, you should turn Special attention on the . What date does it start? In 2017, the post falls on August 14 and ends on August 27. These days you should not eat livestock, but give preference to vegetables, fruits, grains. By fasting, a person cleanses his soul from evil intentions and anger.
What date should you go to church? The service in the church takes place on the night of August 27 and ends on the morning of August 28. At this time, prayers are read, sins are forgiven, icons are worshipped. After the service, they ask the Mother of God for help and beg forgiveness for their sins.
Dormition Mother of God is of great importance in the life of every person. You should not arrange quarrels on this day, do cleaning, or be in a bad mood. You need to let goodness into your heart, smile and rejoice. The Virgin Mary has always been good woman and, no matter what, she went to heaven with a smile on her face and kindness in her heart to every person.
