15 August, Adormirea Maicii Domnului

 15 august, Adormirea Sfintei Fecioare Maria, Maica Domnului.

The Tomb of the Virgin Mary is situated near the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.

Visiting the tomb is a memorable experience: Visitors must go deep underground, down a staircase that was carved in the rock during the twelfth century. Immediately surrounding is a sparkling array of iconography, hanging from the ceiling and decorating the cave walls.
Medieval art, including a painting of the Madonna and Child, adorn this sanctuary.

The crypt is sheltered within a barrier, so that a visitor must bend forward in order to enter.
This forces people to bow and thereby demonstrate their respect for the sanctity of the site.
The tomb has been dated as early as the first century.
A church was built above the tomb during the same period that Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where  the tomb of Jesus is located.

A section of the cave has been set aside for Muslims to pray, because the Virgin Mary is revered in Islam.
Mary is mentioned more than any other woman in the Koran, and her virtue and chastity are exalted.
Since Islam regards Jesus as a prophet, his mother holds special significance.
Muslims also believe that during the Night Journey of Mohammed, he witnessed a light appear over the tomb of the Virgin Mary.
Today it is a place of peace, where pilgrims pray and light flickering candles that gently illuminate the cavern dimness.

Mihai Eminescu

Crăiasă alegându-te
Îngenunchem rugându-te,
Înalță-ne, ne mântuie
Din valul ce ne bântuie:
Fii scut de întărire
Și zid de mântuire,
Privirea-ți adorată
Asupră-ne coboară,
O, maică prea curată,
Și pururea fecioară,
       Marie!

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