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| Icon of Mary (Theotokos) handing down her girdle to Thomas |
St Thomas receiving Our Lady’s Girdle.
The icon shows Mary’s Tomb covered in flowers.
According to an ancient tradition, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was buried by the apostles. Three days later, Saint Thomas, who had been delayed and unable to attend the funeral, arrived and asked to have one last look at the Virgin Mary. When he and the other apostles opened the tomb, they found that her body was missing. According to some accounts, all that remained in the tomb was our Lady’s girdle.
In a later tradition, Mary dropped her girdle down to Thomas from heaven, as proof of her assumption. In the fourteenth century, an expanded version of the story became popular in Europe. According to this version, all the apostles were miraculously transported back to Jerusalem so that they could be with Mary as her life drew to a close. All of them, that is, except Thomas. When Thomas eventually arrived, Peter rebuked him for his absence. He said to Thomas, “You were always unbelieving, and so the Lord has not allowed you to be at his mother’s burial.” Thomas struck his breast and said: ‘I know it. And I ask pardon of you all.” And they all prayed for him. Then Thomas said, “Where have you laid the body?” And they pointed to the tomb. But Thomas said: “She is not there.” Peter was angry and replied, “Formerly, you would not believe in the resurrection of the Lord before you touched him. So why should we care whether or not you believe us now?” Thomas went on saying, “She is not there.” So to prove to him this was the place they had buried the body, they took away the stone. To their amazement they found the tomb was empty. Then Thomas told them how he had been celebrating mass when suddenly he was transported to the Mount of Olives. There he alone had witnessed the assumption of Mary into heaven. He then showed them the girdle she had given him. They all rejoiced and begged Thomas to forgive them for having doubted him.