Skip to main content

Tomb of Mary: Location and Significance

Tomb of Mary: Location and Significance

Q: Where is the tomb of the Virgin Mary and what is its significance?

A: There are actually two traditions that claim Mary's grave. One is Jerusalem, the other is Ephesus. It is the latter which constitutes the Turkish connection, and is based on the assumption that Mary spent the last years of her earthly pilgrimage in the company of St. John -- to whom she was entrusted by Jesus -- in Ephesus. Neither of these two places may claim the honor of having and preserving her bodily remains. The Ephesus tradition is of recent date and does not have a historical and/or archeological foundation. We owe this tradition to the visions of Katharina Emmerich. The Jerusalem tradition is backed by several solid arguments: a much longer tradition (apocryphal), going back to the sixth century, and more recently (Bagotti, 505) some archeological vestiges of a possible Mary tomb. According to the apocryphal witness, Mary was assumed into heaven after resting three days in the tomb.

All About Mary includes a variety of content, much of which reflects the expertise, interpretations and opinions of the individual authors and not necessarily of the Marian Library or the University of Dayton. Please share feedback or suggestions with marianlibrary@udayton.edu.

CONTACT

Marian Library

Roesch Library
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 1390
937-229-4214
Website
Email

Study Mary

Study the theology and history of Mary at the University of Dayton.

Learn More

Keyword Search

Would you like to begin a new keyword search?

Get Started