The fifteenth of August is celebrated in the Christian world as the feast day of the physical taking up into heaven of Mary, the Mother of God (Christ). While the western sects believe she died and her body was assumed into heaven (hence the feast day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary), the eastern (Orthodox) believe she went to sleep and was taken to heaven (the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos) having never died. Once in heaven, Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven.

While traveling in my quest to visit and photograph cathedrals, on many occasions I encounter churches dedicated to this feast. On my most recent trip to Europe, there were cathedrals in Madeira, Corsica, southern Italy, Sicily, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, northern Italy, and mainland France. In fact, the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, one of the larger French cathedrals, has this dedication. It is constructed of black volcanic stone, and its two towers dominate the skyline.