In different religions, a special place is occupied by the tombs of revered kings, people, saints. These sanctuaries were built as houses for the souls of the dead, in which they could return to remember their lives, observe and help their descendants in difficult situations. For Christians, the tomb of the Virgin, which is located in modern Israel, on the territory of Jerusalem, is considered one of the most ancient and highly revered shrines.
Who is the Virgin
The Virgin, she is the Virgin Mary, according to the Christian faith - a saint and a virgin who gave birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God Almighty, the coming of which the people of the whole world have been waiting for millennia. Her parents, known as St. Joachim and St. Anna, went through many trials prepared by the Lord to test the strength of their faith in God. The couple could not conceive a child for a long time. Such misfortune was also subjected to cruel ridicule from society. But the family did not lose faith in God and continued to serve him faithfully. Finally, God gave them the long-awaited daughter, whom Joachim and Anna called Mary. She became the Virgin.
Messenger of god
According to legend, once upon a time the Archangel Gabriel, the guardian of the divine treasury, descended to earth. God Himself entrusted him with an important mission: to speak with the chaste girl Mary, who since childhood had grown up surrounded by deeply religious people serving God. During a visit to the land, the Archangel had to ask Mary for permission if she agreed to bear and give birth to a divine child who would save humanity.
The girl at that time was engaged to Joseph - an elderly Christian who certainly believes in God. Joseph, asking her hands, promised to treat the girl as a daughter, not touching her integrity, understanding her choice of serving God and supporting her.
When Gabriel began to tell Mary about the divine plan, the girl listened to him silently and courageously accepted the offer of the Archangel, humbly, without fear and doubt, entrusting her fate in the hands of God. Thanks to the upbringing and genetics laid down in her by generations, she possessed an exceptional purity of thoughts. Having grown up in a family of saints and brought up according to biblical laws, and from the age of three living in a monastery, Mary did not overshadow her mind with pride due to the new status of the Virgin, she remained a sensible, pious, spiritual girl who raised her beautiful son Jesus with her husband Joseph - Savior.
Birth of a son of God
Ancient Jerusalem at that time was under the rule of the Roman Empire, led by Octavian. He suggested organizing a census. The closest settlement to Israel, where Joseph and Mary could be checked in for listing, was the blessed city of Bethlehem. When the couple finally got to the city, they could not find a single free room in the inn, hotel or in the inn. They had to get a night in a stable.
Maria was in her last month of pregnancy. A long way has done its job: the girl began to struggle, and the baby Jesus was born. Then an angel came down from heaven and announced to people that the son of God was born, and that he would save humanity from death.
The shepherds came first to bow to the newborn savior. Following them appeared the sages from the East, the magi, and brought their gifts. The sages found the child by the star that appeared directly above the birthplace of Jesus. They recognized in him the King, God and mortal man, and handed him the appropriate gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
First Martyrs for Jesus
Unfortunately, the first martyrs for the son of God were about 14 thousand innocent children. King Herod, ruling Judea at that time, was afraid of the news about the miracle child and ordered the extermination of all infants under the age of two years. Mary and Joseph managed to hide and save their son from death, and for a long time they protected him, hiding from the king.
Where is Maria buried?
Historical information dating back to the 4th century reports that Mary, after the execution of her son, lived in poverty and loneliness, and died in Jerusalem. Her body was buried by the apostles in the village of Gethsemane. The tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary was located next to the Mount of Olives in the east of the city, in the tomb of her holy parents. Later, the Temple of the Assumption was built over that place to glorify her name.
History of the foundation of the tomb of the Virgin
The city in which the tomb of the Virgin was founded - Jerusalem - the prosperous capital of Israel, with its rich culture and glorifying the three leading world religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Among the people, the capital is called the "city of three religions" for good reason, because there are many architectural monuments and attractions related to these three religions.
At the initiative of Empress Helena, ruling at the beginning of the 4th century, the Church of the Assumption was erected over the tomb of Mary's family. It was a small church where people in need of help came to ask for blessings. It is believed that through appeals to the Virgin, you can reach all the ruling and non-ruling celestials. If Mary, blessed among wives, hears prayers for help and asks God, Jesus, the archangels and other saints, they will surely alleviate the suffering of a needy person, heal him, give him a happy and healthy life, bless his family. Therefore, the temple was famous and praised by thousands of people.
Unfortunately, the church began to collapse from time to time. In the 21st century, the building was restored by order of Melisandra, the daughter of the then-reigning Baldwin II. The girl was actively engaged in decorating the temple. Thanks to her faith in the saint, initiative, the shrine seemed to have changed: the artists painted the walls with frescoes, and the tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary became suitable for visits and services. At the request of Melisandra, after death, the girl’s body was buried in the tomb of the Virgin.
The interior of the tomb of the 12th century
Thanks to the curiosity and education of the Russian hegumen Daniel, a description of the interior of the 12th-century tomb has survived to this day. The pilgrim described the decor in his own hand-written composition. He said that the church, built over the tomb of the Virgin, in Gethsemane, almost at the foot of the mountain, right above the tomb of the heavenly mother, was "devastated by the filthy."
The tomb itself looked like a kind of old chapel framed by marble. Inside it was a small cave, where on the usual bench rested the body of the Most Holy in a coffin.
Modern view of the tomb
On Mount of Olives, where the tomb of the Virgin is adjacent to the Church of the Assumption, it is always crowded. This place has been worshiped and tempted by thousands of girls, women, mothers for centuries. It is not necessary for those who wish to familiarize themselves with the shrine to come personally to the tomb of the Virgin. Photos from online sources will help you familiarize yourself with the contents of the cave.
You can enter the tomb of the Virgin from two entrances: the western and the northern. Schematically, the tomb is a cross. 50 steps go down from the entrance door, breaking through which, on the right, a view of the chapel of Mary opens. Here is an old
icon of the Mother of God, called the "Jerusalem". There is a legend that the
apostle Luke himself wrote it
. For better preservation, the icon is framed by pink marble.
Here is the tomb of the parents of the Blessed, Joachim and Anna. On the left side is the tomb of Mary’s husband, Joseph. In addition to the tomb are the thrones of the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox churches, the First Martyr Stephen and St. Nicholas.
The tomb of the Virgin Mary is of great importance in the development culture of the Orthodox Church. The shrine has a huge positive energy and is considered one of the most revered and most visited religious places in the world. She is worshiped and asked for protection and help by people who want to learn peace, establish a happy family life, protect relationships from satiety with a tedious family life, protect a child from troubles and illnesses, direct their thoughts to the true path, make them pure and pious.