Abbey-Roads2

The death of Our Lady. 

Very early tradition has it that Our Lady fell asleep (died) on this day, and three days later was taken body and soul into Heaven.  Pius XII did not define whether or not the Mother of God died, simply that she had been taken body and soul into Heaven.

Early tradition has it that she was buried in a tomb in Gethsemane.  A 6th century document entitled, “The Letter of St. John the Theologian on the Dormition of the Virgin” contains interesting details concerning the “falling asleep” of the Mother of God.  Here is an excerpt:

“when this miracle had been done (the “falling asleep”), the apostles carried the couch, and laid down her precious and holy body in Gethsemane in a new tomb. And, behold, a perfume of sweet savour came forth out of the holy sepulchre of our Lady the mother of God; and for three days the voices of invisible angels were heard glorifying Christ our God, who had been born of her. And when the third day was ended, the voices were no longer heard; and from that time forth all knew that her spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise.

And after it had been transferred, behold, we see Elisabeth the mother of St. John the Baptist, and Anna the mother of the Lady, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and David, singing the Alleluiah, and all the choirs of the saints adoring the holy relics of the mother of the Lord, and the place full of light, than which light nothing could be more brilliant, and an abundance of perfume in that place to which her precious and holy body had been transferred in paradise, and the melody of those praising Him who had been born of her-sweet melody, of which there is no satiety, such as is given to virgins, and them only, to hear. We apostles, therefore, having beheld the sudden precious translation of her holy body, glorified God, who had shown us His wonders at the departure of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose prayers and good offices may we all be deemed worthy to receive. under her shelter, and support, and protection, both in the world that now is and in that which is to come, glorifying in every time and place her only-begotten Son, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.” - The Book of St. John 

Aside from earlier apocryphal writings - (though non-canonical, they nevertheless entered into tradition, especially amongst the Eastern Churches) - there is nothing in scripture directly revealing the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin.  Mystics such as Bl. Katherine Emmerich, Ven. Mary of Agreda, and I believe St. Bridget, may all have written accounts of the death of Mary in their revelations on the Life of Our Lady.

It seems reasonable to believe that Our Lady died a natural death, since Jesus also died.  (What other reason would there be that her body was placed in a tomb?)  Like her Son, three days later she was raised and assumed into Heaven - by her Divine Son.  It makes perfect sense to me. 

(Photo: Tomb of the Virgin, Gethsemane.)