THE MYSTERY OF THE HOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY
Selçuk area has been an attractive settling place for centuries with its abundant nature and history. Mount Bulbul and its surroundings are deemed holy by Christians. Every year, on 15th August, a great religious mass to honor the holy mother of God’s son is performed on Mount Bulbul and in the House of Virgin Mary.
Many Christian historians claim that Jesus commended his mom to his friend and apostle St John, just before he was crucified. After Jesus was raised to heaven, St John, decided that Jerusalem had become too dangerous for Mary, so he took her with him to Ephesus. He was also aiming to spread God’s word in Anatolia. He brought Mary secretly to this little house on the side of Mount Bulbul where she spent the rest of her days in peace.
The story of how this house was discovered is intriguing. In 19th century, a German nun named Catherine Emmerich, who had never been to Ephesus before, got sick and bedridden. She kept mumbling about Virgin Mary’s House in her delirious state, she gave such details about people, places and events that people got curious as she hadn’t ever been to those places or known those people. Even some intellectuals of the era were intrigued by this phenomenon. Clemens Brentano, a German poet of the romantic movement, acted as a secretary to Emmerich and wrote a book named “The Life of Virgin Mary” in 1818 based on the nun’s descriptions. The book created a big buzz in those years and religious clerks started discovery tours to the area mentioned in the book. According to the story, during one of those trips, the house sitting on the side of Mount Bulbul, 7 km to the city of Ephesus was discovered.
Teams were sent to the location to start excavations and the foundations of a house that belonged to 1st century AD were unearthed. The restoration work was done in the 50’s and Vatican proclaimed the house as a holy place. In 1967, Pope VI Paul, in 1979 Pope II Jean Paul and recently Pope XVI benedict made their pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary House.
Ephesus was amongst the most famous cities of the ancient times. Especially in the Roman period, Ephesus was the capitol of the Asia Minor, with its glamorous buildings and works of art. The source of this wealth is surely the port that enables trade to Rome and the proximity to the fertile Anatolian lands.
Due to its strategic geographical position, during the spreading of Christianity, Ephesus was one of the first seven churches established in Anatolia. The great ecclesiastic Hagios Paulos’ letter to Ephesians which is found in the new Testament was written after Paulos visited Ephesus twice. In the New Testament, Ephesus is referred to for 12 times and there are 5 chapters directly written to Ephesians, these prove the significance of the city in those times.
Alongside the little house known as the Virgin Mary House, there is a cistern, a holy spring and some surrounding walls are still standing. Although the little building is referred to as a house, it is a little chapel shaped like a cross. The walls show the characteristics of 6th or 7th century architecture. The oldest remains that were found were dated back to first century AD. The house itself got its final structure around 13th century. After a careful restoration in 1950’s to revive the original architecture, the house became a pilgrimage spot accredited by all Christian world with Vatican declaring it so.
The house hosts the grand mass in honor of Virgin Mary, every year on August 15th
SPRING WATER
The visit to Virgin Mary’s House ends on the right side of the house, down a few steps, where three fountains are located.
There is a small gift shop near the stairs, run by Virgin Mary Association, that was founded by Muslims and Christians of the area. The only revenue this association has is, through donations and the turnover of this little gift shop.
The water from the fountains is from the springs nearby and it is believed to have healing powers therefore visitors not only drink from those fountains but also fill their bottles to take home.
http://www.meryemana.info
