The Dormition of the Virgin: Jerusalem or Ephesus?translated

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not just a historical event saved in church memory, but an event deeply connected to worship, the Patristic tradition and the self-awareness of the Church. The question of the place of the Dormition—Jerusalem or Ephesus—cannot be answered solely on the basis of later pious traditions. It is necessary to examine with a criterion the Catholic ecclesiastical testimony.

According to Orthodox tradition, the Virgin fell asleep in Jerusalem, her ancient body was taken and buried in Gethsemane and, after the third day, her tomb was found empty. This tradition is preserved in the liturgical life of the Church, in the speeches of the Fathers, in the synaxaries and in the constant honoring of the tomb of the Virgin Mary in the Josaphat valley.

Opposite to this testimony is the newer version of Ephesus, according to which the Virgin lived her last years near the Apostle John in Ephesus and fell asleep there. This view is mainly associated with the so-called "House of the Virgin" near Ephesus and with the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich in the 19th century. However, this connection does not have the weight of an ancient and universal ecclesiastical...