St Mary's House

A holy shrine to the supposed death place of St. Mary, the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus is a standing testament to the home of the beloved mother of Jesus. Many believe that the house was indeed the place where she spent her final days, and today you can visit the restored stone house, which now serves as a chapel.

Serving as sacred territory for Christians and Muslims alike, the significance of the house has called hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims since its discovery in the 19th-century. Remnants of the chapel date as far back as the 6th-century, and serves as the place where its caretakers, the Lazarist Fathers, conduct mass every day. Despite the altar placed within, the house still contains a bedroom and kitchen, decorated with pictures of Mary and candles.

Many believe that the spring that runs beneath the house is blessed and possesses the power to heal, and once you enter the house, you can see left behind crutches and other apparatus’ that were apparently left behind amid miracles.

Practical Info

Once in Orman Yolu Park, there are plenty of signs available from both the upper and lower entrances that will guide you to the house, just follow the ones that say Meryemana, Turkish for House of the Virgin.