Assumption of Mary
the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life, dogma of the Catholic Church
The Assumption of Mary is a Catholic dogma that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was taken body and soul into heaven, defined by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. It is celebrated on 15 August.
It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was raised to eternal life without bodily death.
The equivalent belief in the Eastern Christianity is the Dormition of the Mother of God or the "Falling Asleep of the Mother of God". In the Lutheran Churches, 15 August is celebrated as the Feast of St. Mary. A number of Anglican denominations observe 15 August under various titles, including the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin or the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The word 'assumption' derives from the Latin word assūmptiō, meaning 'taking up'.
History
Some scholars argue that the Dormition and Assumption traditions can be traced early in church history in the apocryphal books, with Stephen J. Shoemaker noting about the dating:
For instance, Baldi, Masconi, and Cothenet analyzed the corpus of Dormition narratives using a rather different approach, governed primarily by language tradition rather than literary relations, and yet all agree that the Obsequies (i.e., the Liber Requiei Mariae) and the Six Books Dormition Apocryphon reflect the earliest traditions, locating their origins in the second or third century. Richard Bauckham too, through study...
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Assumption of Mary” is the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life, dogma of the Catholic Church. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Assumption, Mary and bodily, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life, dogma of the Catholic Church” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q162691. The Library of Congress control number is sh85081699. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1950.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Assumption of Mary”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Assumption of Mary primary sources, Assumption of Mary archive and Assumption research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Assumption of Mary”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Assumption of Mary” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.