Pilgrimage at The House of The Virgin Mary

 
The House of the Virgin Mary "Mother Mary's House" is a Christian and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos "Mount Nightingale" in the vicinity of Ephesus, in modern-day Selçuk Türkiye. The actual site is 7 km.(4.3miles) to the town of Selçuk, Izmir. Some believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine), or Dormition (according to Orthodox belief).

Discovery

On October 18, 1881, a French priest, the Abbé Julien Gouyet of Paris, discovered a small stone building on a mountain overlooking the Aegean Sea and the ruins of ancient Ephesus in Türkiye. He believed it was the house where the Virgin Mary had lived in the final years of her life on earth as described in the visions of the German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), published in detail in a book by Clemens Brentano. His discovery was not taken seriously.

Ten years later, urged by Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, DC two Lazarist missionaries, Father Poulin and Father Jung, from Smyrna rediscovered the building on July 29, 1891, using the same source for a guide. They learned that the four-walled, roofless ruin had been venerated for a long time by the members of a distant mountain village who were descended from the Christians of Ephesus. In Turkish the House is called Bakire Meryem Ana Evi ("House of virgin mother Mary). Every year pilgrims make a pilgrimage visit to the site on August 15th, the date on which most of the Christian world celebrated Mary's Dormition/Assumption. Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey had been named Foundress of Mary's House by the Catholic Church. She was responsible for acquiring, restoring and preserving Mary's House and surrounding areas of the mountain from 1891 until her death in 1915.

The discovery revived and strengthened a Christian tradition dating from the 12th century, 'the tradition of Ephesus', which has competed with the older 'Jerusalem tradition' about the place of the Blessed Virgin's dormition. Due to the actions of Pope Leo XIII in 1896 and Pope John XXIII in 1961, the Catholic Church first removed plenary indulgences from the Church of the Dormition in Jerusalem and then bestowed them for all time to pilgrims to Mary's House in Ephesus.

The Chapel

Some have expressed doubt about the site, as the tradition of Mary's association with Ephesus arose only in the 12th century, while the universal tradition among the Fathers of the Church places her residence, and thereby her Dormition, in Jerusalem. Supporters base their belief on two main points:

1. The presence of the Tomb of St. John and the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus: Jesus Christ, before dying on the cross, entrusted to St. John his mother (19:26-27). It is believed that after the crucifixion of Jesus, St. John left Jerusalem and came to Ephesus in order to convert its people to Christianity, as it was one of the biggest and safest non-christian cities of its time (capital of the Asia Minor province of the Roman Empire). He then built a small hut to care for Mary just outside Ephesus in order to protect her from the largely Artemis worshiping community of the region. (see Temple of Artemis)
2. The presence of the Church of Mary, the first basilica in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in Ephesus: In the early centuries of Christianity, places of worship were dedicated only to persons who lived or died in the area. It received a blessing of the first pilgrimage by Pope Leo XIII in 1896. Pope Pius XII, in 1951, following the definition of the dogma of the Assumption in 1950, elevated the house to the status of a Holy Place, a privilege later made permanent by Pope John XXIII. The site is venerated by Muslims as well as Christians, and pilgrims drink from a spring under the house which is believed to have healing properties. A liturgical ceremony is held here every year on August 15 to commemorate the Assumption of Mary.

Official visits by Popes

Pope Paul VI visited the shrine on July 26, 1967, and 'unofficially' confirmed its authenticity. Pope John Paul II also visited the shrine, on November 30, 1979. Pope Benedict XVI visited this shrine on November 29, 2006 during his four-day pastoral trip to Türkiye. The conclusion of his homily mentioned the martyrdom of Father Andrea Santoro in Trabzon (see The Black Sea Tour) which had taken place nine months prior to this visit.

Church of Mary

The Church of Mary (Turkish: Meryem Ana Kilisesi) is an ancient Christian cathedral dedicated to the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary), located in Ephesus, Türkiye. It is also known as the Church of the Councils because two councils of importance to the history of Early Christianity are assumed to have been held within. The church is located in the south stoa of the Olympieion (Temple of Hadrian Olympios) next to the harbor of Ephesus.

History- Building phases for the Church of Mary

The church is dated to the early 5th century, coinciding with the Council of Ephesus or the Third Ecumenical Council held in 431, suggesting that it may have been built specifically for the council, during which the title of Theotokos for the Mother of Christ was decided. The latest archaeological evidence suggests that the church was built on the ruins of an earlier Roman basilica-like building abandoned around the 3rd century. Around 500, the church was expanded into a monumental cathedral, whose apse and pillars partially still stand today on the site.

The church served as a cathedral and was the seat of the Bishop of Ephesus throughout Late Antiquity.


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1. In the Lonely Trail of St. Paul Tour Program Itinerary
   
2. Seven Churches of Asia Minor Tour Program Itinerary
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