Knowra Dormition of the Mother of God Dormition of the Mother of God The Dormition is an Eastern Christian feast commemorating Mary’s death and her passage into heavenly glory. Its traditions portray the apostles gathering at her bedside and Christ receiving her soul.
Theotokos : A Greek title meaning “God-bearer,” used in Christianity for Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ. The feast honors Mary by the title central to Eastern Christian devotion to her.
Dormition of the Theotokos icon : A traditional Eastern Christian icon depicting Mary’s death, the apostles around her, and Christ holding her soul. Its central image summarizes the feast’s account of Mary’s death and heavenly reception.
Transitus Mariae : A group of early Christian narratives describing Mary’s departure from earthly life. These narratives supplied many details later associated with the Dormition.
Byzantine Rite : A family of Eastern Christian liturgical traditions rooted in the worship of Constantinople. Its services and calendar shape the feast’s most familiar observance.
Catholic Mariology : The Catholic Church’s theological teaching about Mary, including her role in salvation history and the dogmas concerning her life. Its formal teaching on Mary’s end differs in emphasis and definition from Eastern Dormition tradition.
Assumption of Mary : A Catholic dogma that Mary was taken, body and soul, into heavenly glory at the end of her earthly life. The related Western feast shares the belief in Mary’s glorification but differs in historical development and doctrine.
Dormition Fast : A period of fasting observed in Eastern Christianity before the feast of the Dormition. The fast prepares worshippers for the feast through prayer and abstinence.
Pseudo-John's Account of the Dormition : An early Christian narrative, attributed to John but written under a false name, describing Mary’s death and assumption. It is among the influential texts behind later Dormition traditions.
Orthodox Church : A communion of Eastern Christian churches sharing Orthodox doctrine, sacraments, and liturgical traditions. The feast is among the Orthodox Church’s major annual celebrations.
Immaculate Conception : The Catholic dogma that Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception. Unlike the Dormition, this dogma concerns Mary’s beginning rather than her death.
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