Come with us to visit the house that they say Virgin Mary died in. Believe it or not, this museum might well be worth checking during your visit to Ephesus!
It was the Epiphanies of Salamis as late as in in the 4th century AD where a legend was mentioned saying that Virgin Mary would have spent her last years in Ephesus. The Ephesians derived the argument from the fact that apostle John did stay in the city and that Jesus had instructed him to take care of his mother after his death. The Bible says that John left for Asia but does not say anything about Mary going with him. There are also later mentions about Mary being buried in Jerusalem. So, go and see - with us on a great visit!
Based on a vision that a certain Anne Catherine Emmerich, Augustinian sister had in the late 18th century, there is a house some seven kilometres from Ephesus that many consider to be the last home of Jesus' mother.
If you go the the fantastic open air museum of Ephesus first, you may see near the harbour the Church of Mary (check our review!) where the Third Ecumenical Council was held in 431 and another one in 449. Neither of these confirmed the status of Mary’s home but at the same time, three recent popes - including the current one - have visited the site… Thus, take advantage of your visit in the vicinity and check the House of the Virgin Mary, at least here with us!
Interestingly, when you come to the site, you will be astonished by the atmosphore as if you were at a market place. Didn’t Jesus throw these people out of the church? Another thing that we found a bit unpleasant was that there was an entrance fee to visit the house while probably more than a half of the visitors seemed to be on a pilgrimage tour, kneeling and praying at the altar in the house. Wasn't it Johann Tetzell who wrote: “as soon as the gold in the casket rings, the rescued soul to heaven springs”…
In any case, the site leaves one with mixed feelings.
There is a good loo, at least, and a small kiosk where you can buy a drink or some extraordinarily expensive pilgrimage gifts of no value to anybody. Hopefully at least some of the money goes to maintaining the historical site itself!
If you are in a wheelchair, you may wish to consider skipping this exercise, too much crowd in a very narrow space and too many stairs even if they claim to have an accessible loo.
Virgin Mary's House
Atatürk Mah. Mevki Küme Evleri 35922 Selçuk/İzmir
https://www.hzmeryemanaevi.com/en/
Comments