Assumption of Mary

Assumption of Mary
De hemelvaart van Maria, Rubens, circa A.D. 1626
Also called	The Assumption Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ
Observed by	Catholic Church (see calendar), Anglican Communion (see calendars), Eastern Orthodox Church (see calendar), Oriental Orthodox Churches
Type	Christian
Significance	the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven
Observances	Attending mass or service
Date	15 August
Next time	15 August 2017 (2017-08-15)
Frequency	annual

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven, often shortened to the Assumption and also known as the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the beliefs of the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of Anglicanism, was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

The Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory". This doctrine was dogmatically defined by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950, in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus by exercising papal infallibility. While the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church believe in the Dormition of the Theotokos, which is the same as the Assumption, whether Mary had a physical death has not been dogmatically defined.

In Munificentissimus Deus (item 39) Pope Pius XII pointed to the Book of Genesis () as scriptural support for the dogma in terms of Mary's victory over sin and death as also reflected in : "then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory".

In the churches that observe it, the Assumption is a major feast day, commonly celebrated on 15 August. In many countries, the feast is also marked as a Holy Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church and as a festival (under various names) in the Anglican Communion.