Visit to the House of Virgin Mary

This is the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary was believed to have spent her last years together with St. John.

The House of Virgin Mary or Meryemana in Turkish is on top of a mountain in Kusadasi and about an hour away from the Ruins of Ephesus.
It’s entirely made of stone or clay. Part of it was rebuilt in 1897.
This site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims. Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II have both visited the place. Pope Benedict celebrated mass there 0n November 6, 2006.

The house sits on the highest part of the mountain and is surrounded by lush greenery.

There’s no water in what looks like a pool. I forgot what it was for.

There’s a statue of Mary that greets you as you start the uphill climb to the chapel.

One common question we had was, how did St. John find this remote place?

Mary’s house is small, approximately 5- 6 meters wide (3-4 meters inside) by 8- 10 meters deep (length).

This house was believed to have been built by John for Mary in the 1st century AD after the Resurrection of Christ. Archaelogists who examined the building confirmed its approximate age.

The house was discovered in 1812 by a German nun named Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, who never travelled because she couldn’t walk. She would go in a trance with visions of Mary and John traveling from Jerusalem to Ephesus. She described the house in detail which was recorded by a writer named Brentano. According to Brentano’s account, Sister Anne said Mary died at the age of 64 and her body was buried in a cave near her stone house.
The coffin was empty when it was found. The house was later turned into a chapel.
(reference: House of the Virgin, Ephesus by Holly Hayes)

There are white candles inside the chapel which you can light outside.

Parang I didn’t want to leave this place immediately. It’s so serene here. Maybe because I am a Catholic that’s why I am feeling a connection to this sacred place.

As we were about to leave, I noticed a priest sitting on the stone fence. He smiled at me. I approached him and asked his permission if we could have a photo together.
He’s Father Ezio (I hope I got his name right). He asked where we’re from. When he heard from the Philippines, he told Edmund and I that there’s a group of 30 Filipinos arriving that same afternoon and there’s going to be a Tagalog mass scheduled at 3:30 pm. This pilgrims are bringing their own Filipino priest.

He was so nice and he offered to bless me, right inside the chapel. I cannot describe the feeling. I called Edmund and my kids and we followed him into the chapel. He got his Holy Water and prayer book and he stood right beside the image of the Virgin Mary and he blessed us. I was right in front of him kaya when he sprinkled us with Holy Water, my face got wet. I felt so blessed.
Parang napawi ang mga pagod ko, pero naluha talaga ako. Hindi ko napigilan, naiyak ako.
I just felt so lucky. Parang he was sent to me from above. Thank you Lord. That was so sweet of you.

Father Ezio, thank you so much.