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House Of The Virgin Mary. Photo by Erik Cleves Kristensen.

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about House Of The Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary’s House near Selcuk is near the Ephesus ancient city ruins in Turkey’s Izmir province. Despite its fame, many people do not make the detour to the suspected mountain house where Mother Mary lived and died. Although the Catholic Church has never confirmed the Virgin Mary’s home as the site of her ascension, three popes have visited.

The Catholic Church is in charge of running the house through donations and funding. The house of the Virgin Mary is a pilgrimage site for Christians, but the Muslim Quran mentions the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Evi), prompting Muslims to visit.

Whether this, the Virgin Mary’s holy place, is about belief or not, and any hard-core atheist would scoff, some Christians have reported feeling an intense divine presence that will last a lifetime.

1. For Muslims, the House of the Virgin Mary is a popular destination

Filled in well at the House of the Virgin Mary. Photo by shankar

For Muslims, the House of the Virgin Mary holds enormous significance because Mary was the mother of one of Islam’s greatest prophets, Jesus. Aside from the sacred spring, the main attraction for Muslim visitors from all over Turkey today is the so-called Quran Room, which is said to be Mary’s bedroom.

Since the 1980s, its interior walls have been adorned with Quranic verses and Islamic symbols, while the rest of the structure is dominated by Christian symbolism. According to many Muslims, including Turkish Muslims, the Qur’anic figure of Maryam is a sublime and sincere woman who can intercede with God.

Furthermore, it is customary in some parts of Turkey, particularly among the poor and women who are unable to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, to visit the House of Mary instead. This practice, however, is not part of mainstream Sunni doctrine, and some Islamic radicals condemn the visit to the sanctuary. As a result, the Turkish military has been stationed there around the clock in case of an incident.

2. On the way to the shrine, there is a keyhole Baptismal Pool

Visitors pass a key hole-shaped baptismal pool on their way to the shrine, which is larger than the one at the basilica in Ephesus. It is thought that an early Christian community lived or was baptized here in seclusion to avoid the nearby Romans.

3. House Of The Virgin Mary was discovered by the descriptions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich’s vision

The house was discovered in the nineteenth century by following descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary whose visions were published as a book after her death by Clemens Brentano.

On July 29, 1891, a group of priests led by Fr. Henri Jung set out on foot, compass in hand, using Emmerich’s writings as a surveyor’s map. When the “monastery” – a stone hut – was discovered, it was clearly an ancient ruin. Locals refer to the ruins as “Panaghia-Capouli, The Door of the Holiest.” The discovery resurrected and strengthened a 12th-century Christian tradition known as “the tradition of Ephesus,” which had competed with the older “Jerusalem tradition” over the location of the Blessed Virgin’s tomb.

4, During his pilgrimage in 1896, Pope Leo XIII was the first to bless the House of the Virgin Mary

This blessing gave the site an early boost as a pilgrimage site and signaled the Catholic Church’s favorable attitude toward it. Leo XIII planned to send a papal commission to Turkey to investigate the site in 1903, but his death put an end to that plan.

5. The shrine itself is not particularly large, it’s similar to a small chapel

House Of The Virgin Mary. Photo by Erik Cleves Kristensen.

The preserved stones and construction date from the Apostolic Age, as do other preserved buildings from that time period, but with minor additions such as garden landscapes and devotional additions outside the shrine.

A smaller room on the right side is traditionally associated with the actual room where the Virgin Mary is said to have slept. According to Marian tradition, running water used to flow like a canal in the smaller room where the Virgin Mary slept and rested, eventually leading to the current drinking fountain outside the building structure. It appears insignificant due to its humble appearance of plain stone bricks and small size.

6. The Roman Catholic Church has never ruled on the authenticity of the house

House Of The Virgin Mary. Photo by Judgefloro.

Due to a lack of scientifically acceptable evidence, the Roman Catholic Church has never ruled on the authenticity of the house. It has, however, taken a positive attitude toward the site since Pope Leo XIII blessed the first pilgrimage in 1896. Following the definition of the dogma of the Assumption in 1950 CE, Pope Pius XII elevated the house to the status of a Holy Place in 1951, a privilege later made permanent by Pope John XXIII. Muslims and Christians both visit and venerate the site.

7. Visitors are greeted by a massive golden statue of the Virgin Mary

Statue of the Virgin Mary. Photo by Josh Applegate.

A massive golden statue of the Virgin Mary greets visitors back down the mountain, near the Upper Gate of Ephesus, where the road to Meryemana/House of the Virgin Mary begins. This is a relatively new addition to the local landscape, installed by the Mayor of Selçuk, Zeynel Bakc, with the intention of drawing even more religious tourists’ attention to the existence of the House of St. Mary.

He even compared it to the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Aesthetically, the statue immediately draws attention with its gleaming exterior; it is also an excellent viewing point for Ephesus and Selçuk.

8. House of the Virgin Mary now serves as a chapel

A chapel. Photo by Jordan Graff.

Every August 15th, a solemn mass is held there to commemorate Mary’s ascension. Every day, from Monday to Saturday, at 5:15 p.m.  Sunday Mass is held at 10:30 a.m. (in English) and 5:15 p.m.

9. House of the Virgin Mary is constructed entirely of stones

A church combining her house and grave was built in the fourth century CE. The original two-story house had an anteroom, a bedroom and praying room, and a room with a fireplace. Only the central section and a room to the right of the altar are open to visitors today. From there, it is clear that this structure resembles a church rather than a house.

10. There are three fountains outside the house that have curative properties

One of the three fountains is known as the “Water of Mary,” a spring located near the church’s exit where rather salty water with purported curative properties can be drunk by all.