Mary's Birth to Heaven

The dogmatic definition of the Assumption does not specify whether the Blessed Virgin died or fell asleep. There are actually two traditions on the matter.

The Tradition of Ephesus:

The Blessed Virgin spent the last years of her life in Ephesus, Turkey, together with St. John. They resided in a house known as the House of the Virgin Mary, which was rediscover in 1881 and transformed into a chapel. When her time came, she fell asleep and the angels brought her, body and soul, to the glory of Heaven it was August 15, later chosen by the Church to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The Ephesus theory is supported by the presence of Tomb of St. John nearby. This tradition is known as Dormitio Mariae, or "Falling Asleep of Mary".







The Tradition of Jerusalem:

At the end of her life of her life, Mary was Jerusalem together with John and other apostles. She actually died as was buried near the Garden of Olives, in the so called Tomb of Mary preserved till the present. Three days later, St. Thomas arrived and wanted to inspect the body of the Blessed Virgin. After removing the stone, they found the tomb completely empty and they realized that they realized that she was assumed body and soul to Paradise. This tradition underlines that the Virgin Mary should also be subjected to the general law of death, in conformity with the death of her Divine Son Jesus.