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Tomb of the Virgin Mary
After crossing the Brook of Kidron, the first monument we see on the
left at the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Church of the Assumption erected
upon the tomb that received the mortal remains of the Blessed Virgin. From this
Tomb she was taken into heaven, for not being subject to the yoke of sin she
bore not the consequences of sin, which are the corruption of the flesh.
Therefore, she only went through the tomb but did not delay there; her tomb
became the shrine of her glorious Assumption into Heaven.
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That Mary, at the end of her earthly existence, was assumed into heaven, was
defined as an article of faith, on Nov. 1, 1950.
About the death and assumption of Mary into heaven is described in the
apocryphal writing "The transition of the Virgin" or "Dormition" of Mary. The
author of this work gathers the traditions on the infant church since the
apostolic era. The book contains many symbolic references typical of the
Jewish-Christian community. It is for this reason that this book had for long
been discarded completely. But the book gives witness to the veneration since
the second century when the site was used transformed into a sanctuary.
The first church, a countryside chapel, was built some time about the beginning
of the fifth century and consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenal
(422-458) just after the Council of Calcedon (431). Thereafter a new
Church was built over the tomb of Mary which thus became the crypt in which was
venerated the Tomb of the Virgin.
The upper church was completely destroyed before the arrival of the Crusaders.
When the Crusaders arrived they found only a little edicule over the Tomb.
Godfrey de Bouillon built a monastery here, the well known Abbey of St. Mary of
the Valley of Jehoshaphat for the Benedictines of Cluny, to whose care he
entrusted the Church. The Crusaders rebuilt the Church about the year 1130.
This upper church was again destroyed together with the monastery by Saladin
after 1187. The Muslims respected the crypt for the veneration towards the
"Holy Mother of prophet Jesus" but nonetheless used the masonry of the upper church to build the walls of Jerusalem.
The ruin of the sacred monument would nonetheless have been inevitable, mainly
because of the floods that continuously damaged it, had not the Franciscans
entered into possession of the Church in the second half of the fourteenth
century. From that time the Franciscans saw to the upkeep of the building,
defraying the expenses of many important restorations. The Sons of St. Francis
had the exclusive and peaceful possession of the tomb of the Blessed Virgin for
more than two hundred years, until the seventeenth century, when began the
intrigues and violence to expel from this shrine the representatives of the
Catholic Church and those of the Latin rite. After various vicissitudes, the
definitive usurpation took place in 1757 and has never since been repaired. At
present Catholics, in protest, do not hold services in the Sanctuary where even
the Moslems have a special place for their prayers. The Latins in fact may celebrate officially in the sanctuary three times a year, including on 15th August, the feast of the Assumption. Since 1757 the Greek
Orthodox rite have enjoyed the possession of the venerable shrine which they
share with the Armenians. The Syrians, the Copts, and the Abyssinians have
The floods of 1972 made it possible for the archaeologists not only to clear
the area but also to have the area around the crypt excavated. These
excavations were carried out by the late Fr. Bellarmino Bagatti. He
concluded, from the excavations, that the tradition of Mary's tomb in the
valley of Johosaphat is clearly marked in a cemetery in use
during the first century. Furthermore the tomb itself, originally made up of three chambers, was dug out with the same
techniques used in tombs of the first century, like the Holy Sepulchre and the
Kings' tombs. The actual tomb was the inner chamber of the whole complex. These archaeological findings, corroborated by literary documents
(Palestinian, Syrian, Ethiopian and Greek) of the II-IV centuries together with
the constant liturgical devotion are witness to the belief about the tomb of
Mary next to Gethsemani since the beginning of the Christian era. It is from
these far away origins that comes the celebration of the feast of the Assumption
on August 15 since the infant Church, at this tomb, solemnly celebrated the
feast of the Assumption of Mary.
The actual façade of the edifice on Mary's tomb is the Crusader's austere and solemn construction. A long stairway, on whose flanks the wife of Baldwin III and the mother or Boemondo III (prince of Antioch) were buried, leads down towards the tomb of Mary. Here too was buried queen Melisanda, first daughter of Baldwin II, king of Jerusalem who was given in marriage to Folco d'Angiò. Suspected of adultery by her husband she had to suffer greatly. On the death of her husband she ruled the Latin Kingdom until the age of adulthood of her son Baldwin III whence she retired to Nablus dedicating her life in charitable deeds.
Stairs leading to the tomb
Doorway to the tomb
The Edicule on the tomb
The empty tomb
Plan of the area
THE FRIARS IN PILGRIMAGE AT THE SHRINE