Visit the house of the Virgin Mary St. John’s Basilica & the Cave of the Seven Sleepers at Türkiye

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - DUBAI MEDIA CITY, UAE - Dec 24, 2022 - Türkiye is home to many historical sites that are important for many faiths. There are many significant Christian routes in Türkiye but the ones in the country’s Aegean region are specifically important for pilgrimage as they include the house of the Virgin Mary, St. John’s Basilica, the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, 7 Churches of Revelation and much more…

Journey to Ephesus in the footsteps of the Virgin Mary

According to legend, after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, John the Apostle brought Mary to Ephesus, a prominent coastal city in antiquity. As Ephesus was at that time under the rule of the Roman Empire, John took the Virgin Mary to a secluded site in a forest on the back slope of the Bülbül Mountain.

The discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary came about through the visions of a German nun, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. Although the nun died in 1824, the images she had described enabled Lazarist priests to determine the location of the house where the Virgin Mary spent her last days. In subsequent years, the site was accepted as a pilgrimage site and, in 1951, Pope Pius XII gave the House of the Virgin Mary the status of a Holy Place and a Catholic place of pilgrimage. Upon this declaration, an influx of visitors to the site – which was considered sacred and had been restored by Muslims – began. Pope Paul VI and his successor, Pope John Paul II, are among those who came to Ephesus to pay their respects to the Virgin Mary and visited the house.

In this sacred temple, ceremonies are traditionally held on August 15, which is considered the date of the ascension of the Virgin Mary to heaven. Christians who attend the rites, which attract great attention, are also considered pilgrims. The House of the Virgin Mary is in the Selçuk district of İzmir and, after its discovery, was converted into a cross-planned and domed church. In its garden, visitors are greeted by an impressive statue of the Virgin Mary and a large baptismal pool. In the centre of the altar inside the church is a cast statue of Mary. In the section called the “Chamber of Mary”, to the right of the altar, there is a depiction of Mary by the painter Ratislas Loukine. The House can be visited along with the adjacent Sacred Fountain (Kutsal Çeşme) and the historic Wish Wall (Dilek Duvarı). The drinkable water flowing from the Fountain is believed to have healing powers, and some visitors fill bottles with this water. The Wish Wall is adorned with napkins and papers on which visitors can write requests and prayers. It is thought that the Virgin Mary lived in this house on Mount Bülbül until she died at the age of 101 and that John buried the Virgin Mary somewhere on the mountain, in an undisclosed location.

Visit: www.goturkiye.com