The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It is one of the ecumenical feasts of Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the Passion and Pentecost. Following the account of Acts 1:3 that the risen Jesus appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter according to inclusive counting, although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called Ascension Sunday. The day of observance varies by ecclesiastical province in many Christian denominations, as with Methodists and Catholics, for example.
Christi Himmelfahrt by Gebhard Fugel, c. 1893
Liturgy during the Feast of the Ascension in a Mumbai Syriac Orthodox Church
The Ascension of Jesus is the Christian belief, reflected in the major Christian creeds and confessional statements, that Jesus ascended to Heaven after his resurrection, where he was exalted as Lord and Christ, sitting at the right hand of God.
Jesus' ascension to Heaven depicted by John Singleton Copley in Ascension (1775)
Ascension of Christ by Adriaen van Overbeke, c. 1510–1520
The Ascension edicule
Close-up of the Rock of the Ascension inside the Ascension edicule