The House of the Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary's house on a hillside above Ephesus

Catholics and Muslims agree on the veneration of Mary. In fact, there is one small sect of Islam that believes that a pilgrimage to Mary's house outside of Ephesus is an acceptable substitute for women to a hajj (religious pilgrimage) to Mecca.

I'm Catholic so Mary's house was on my must-see list.

The House of the Virgin Mary is located on Bülbül Mountain, about six miles from Selçuk, but up a steep mountainside. It is on land maintained by the Forestry Service of Turkey. It is a national park.

There is a very legitimate claim for this being the House of the Virgin Mary or, at least, a structure reconstructed on the actual foundation of her house in Ephesus. The Apostle John lived in Ephesus after the crucifixion and resurrection. It is stated in scripture, John 19:26-27, that Jesus entrusted John to care for his mother. So it is believed that John brought Mary with him when he moved to Ephesus. It makes sense that Mary would be "evacuated" from Jerusalem -- notwithstanding the fact that some Christian scholars believe Mary lived out her days in Jerusalem and that her assumption took place in Jerusalem -- as the early Christians were being martyred in Jerusalem by the authorities. So fleeing to the safety of Ephesus would have made sense.

Pope John Paul II declared this site in Ephesus to be an official pilgrimage site for Catholics. There is no other site in Ephesus believed to have been the home of the Virgin Mary after the crucifixion.

However, most visitors to this site are not Catholics or even Christians. It is Moslems. 

There was a small crowd, but not anything like the tourist masses in Ephesus. And no photography was allowed inside the modest house. So exterior shots are all that I have.

The place does have that feeling. If I had to explain what I meant by "that feeling," you would not understand. And that's OK. I won't judge you and I ask you to return the favor to me.

There is an admission charge to enter the grounds, as the land is owned and maintained by the Turkish government. It's the same principle as the admission charge you pay to enter a national park in the United States. The house itself is maintained by the Catholic Church. There is no charge to enter the house, but a donation is requested.

You get a candle with your donation, no matter how modest the donation. Mine is the one in the center.

There also are faucets of spring water that are available to the visitors and pilgrims. The water is not drinkable for those with a sensitive American tummy, but is perfectly fine for a cool wash down on a hot day.

There also is a prayer wall, which seems to be used exclusively by the Moslem visitors.

You leave notes with your prayer-petition on the wall. It sounds to me like the Jewish tradition of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, but I could be over-simplifying things. 

And on the way down Bülbül Mountain, we passed a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Not part of the official "House of the Virgin Mary" tour package, of course, but a sign that a Moslem country can share the veneration of the mother of Jesus with us Catholics.