Dormition: translation
According to Christian doctrine, the Virgin Mary did not die but rather fell asleep peacefully in the presence of the apostles and was carried by angels up to heaven (the Assumption), where she was crowned queen. Jacopo Torriti represented the Dormition of the Virgin (c. 1294) in his mosaic at Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. Fra Angelico combined the Dormition and Assumption (c. 1432) in an altarpiece now housed in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, and Hugo van der Goes' rendition of the subject (c. 1481; Bruges, Groeningemuseum) shows the Virgin experiencing a vision of her son who has come to receive her into heaven as she lies in her bed in her final moments on Earth. Finally, Caravaggio opted for a realistic rendition of death (1606; Paris, Louvre) by showing the Virgin as a bloated, decaying corpse.
See also Death of the Virgin.