House of the Virgin Mary

High on Bülbül Mountain above Ephesus, a small stone chapel marks the place many believe to be the final home of the Virgin Mary — one of Turkey's most important Christian pilgrimage sites.

A place of pilgrimage

According to tradition, the Apostle John brought Mary to Ephesus, where she spent her last years. The house was identified in the 19th century following the visions of the German mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich, and has since been visited by three popes — Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Christians and Muslims alike come to pray here.

What to see

The modest cruciform chapel, a spring whose water is held to be holy, and a wishing wall where visitors tie written prayers. It's a calm, contemplative spot in cool pine forest, about 7 km above the Ephesus site.

Visiting

There's a modest entrance fee (roughly €10–14, subject to change) and a dress code appropriate to a holy site. It's included on most guided Ephesus tours.

On the map

Photos