|
The Virgin Mary House:
The resolutions of the council of 431 held that the Virgin Mary
came to Ephesos. According to them, she came here together with
Saint John, four to six years after the death of Christ. After
the proclamation of Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II came
to Ephesos and declared the House of Mary to be a place of
pilgrimage for Christians. The house on the top of Bülbüldağ is
believed to be the last home of the Virgin Mary. It is a world-famous
place of pilgrimage. The structure is a church that dates to the
seventh century, and was restored in 1951. The church was
supposedly built on top of the house in which the Virgin Mary
lived. The structure is cruciform, and has a domed roof. The
nave and its apse are accessible from the vestibule. The House
of Mary is a place of pilgrimage not only for Christians, but
also for Muslims. Muslims use the room to the south, which is
believed to be the bedroom of the Virgin Mary, as a prayer
chapel. Translations of the Quranic suras that mention Mary are
on display here. After the proclamation of Pope Paul VI in 1967,
John Paul II came here in 1979 and declared the House of Mary to
be a place of pilgrimage for Christians. The resolutions of the
council of 431 held that the Virgin Mary came to Ephesos.
According to them, she came here together with Saint John, four
to six years after the death of Christ. Excavations in this area
uncovered architectural components from the fırst to seventh
centuries. The first major Church of Mary and the tomb of Saint
John on Ayasuluk could be evidence of the resolutions of the
council.
This house, where the Virgin Mary is supposed to have lived
during her last days, and to have died with Johanna at her side,
is situated 7 km south of the antique city of Ephesus in İzmir.
The German Nun Katharina Emmerich (1774-1824) described the
surroundings of the house from a dream she had. Lazarist monks
in İzmir set out in 1891 to find the house based on sister
Emmerich's description. They found the remains and built a
chapel here. Pope John XXIII declared it a pilgrimage site in
1961.
Source: REPUBLIC OF TURKEY MINISTRY OF
CULTURE AND TOURISM
|
