Death of the Virgin: Perception of the East & West
The death of the Virgin Mary, a profound and sacred moment in Christian theology, is a subject of deep reverence and theological reflection within both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Despite sharing a common Christian foundation, these traditions approach the end of Mary’s earthly life with different theological interpretations and artistic expressions, reflecting their unique spiritual perspectives.
The Eastern Orthodox Perspective: The Dormition of the Mother of God
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the end of Mary’s earthly life is referred to as the Dormition of the Mother of God (often referred to as the Theotokos, literally translated as the God-bearer) and is commemorated on August 15th with a profound sense of joy and solemnity. The Church views Mary’s Dormition not as an occasion for mourning but as her entry into eternal life and unity with her Son.
Orthodox tradition holds that Mary died a natural death without suffering, in a state of spiritual peace – a belief expressed by the term dormition, and the disciples of the Lord, who were preaching throughout the world, returned to Jerusalem to be with the Theotokos. All except the Apostle Thomas were gathered at her bedside. At the moment of her death, her soul was carried by Jesus Christ to heaven.
After her repose, the body of the Mother of God was taken in procession and placed in a tomb near the Garden of Gethsemane. Three days later, when the Apostle Thomas arrived and wished to see her body, the tomb was found empty. The bodily assumption of the Theotokos was affirmed by the message of an angel and by her appearance to the Apostles.
Thus, her soul was received by Christ, and her body was resurrected and taken to heaven.
In Orthodox iconography, the Dormition is depicted with a strong sense of liturgical solemnity and spiritual transcendence. These icons often depict Mary’s lifeless body on a bier surrounded by mourning apostles. Christ appears above her, holding her soul, sometimes as a child, emphasizing her passage into eternal life. These depictions are serene, focusing on the spiritual reality rather than the physical details of death.
Icon of the Dormition by Theophan the Greek, 1392. The Theotokos is depicted lying on a bier, surrounded by the Twelve Apostles. At center, Jesus Christ is shown in a mandorla, holding the soul of the Virgin Mary (a red seraph is shown above his head). To either side of him are depicted the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite and Ignatius of Antioch who, according to tradition, are responsible for transmitting the account of the dormition.
The Catholic Perspective: The Assumption of Mary
The Catholic Church celebrates the Assumption of Mary, also on August 15th, emphasizing that Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven. While the Catholic tradition does not explicitly define whether Mary died or not, it acknowledges that she was assumed into heaven at the end of her earthly life.
“By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”
Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 1950
Pope Pius XII, in the 1950 apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, declared the Assumption as a dogma, affirming Mary’s role in salvation history and her unique participation in Christ’s resurrection.
"The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catholic teachings on the Assumption focus on Mary’s sinlessness and her privileged destiny as the Mother of God.
Western artists, particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, explored the Virgin Mary’s death with dramatic realism and emotional depth. Caravaggio’s Death of the Virgin (1606), commissioned by the Carmelite Order for the church of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome, portrays Mary’s death with unidealized humanity, showing her lifeless body surrounded by mourners. The stark realism, coupled with a rumor that Caravaggio used his mistress as the model for Mary, sparked controversy and led to the painting's rejection by the order. Despite this, it remains one of the most famous and striking depictions of the Virgin’s death.
Death of the Virgin (1606) by Caravaggio. Today, it is part of the permanent collection of the Musée du Louvre, in Paris.
By contrast, depictions of the Assumption in Catholic art, such as Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin, focus on Mary’s glorification. These works often depict her ascending to heaven, bathed in divine light, surrounded by angels, emphasizing her triumph over death and her exalted role in heaven.
The Assumption of the Virgin or Frari Assumption by Titian, painted in 1515–1518.
The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159518
The Virgin Mary’s passing, whether understood as the Dormition or the Assumption, stands as a profound testament to her unique role in Christian theology and a divine gift bestowed upon the Mother of God. Both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions honor her as a a spiritual mother to all believers, and a model of faith and devotion. Her Assumption or Dormition is not only a singular grace given to Mary but also a promise of the same gift of eternal life and resurrection to all the faithful.