The House of the Virgin Mary (Turkish: Meryemana Evi or Meryem Ana Evi) is a revered Catholic shrine located on Mt. Koressos (Bülbüldağı, or Mount Nightingale) near the ancient city of Ephesus, roughly 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Selçuk in Turkey. Pilgrims of both Christian and Muslim religions adore this location, believing it to be the final home of Mary, Jesus’ mother. The shrine attracts tourists looking for spiritual consolation, historical insight, and a peaceful, religious atmosphere.

The site’s beginnings are in the 19th century, when rediscovery of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824) a German Roman Catholic nun resulted from descriptions from her mystical visions. German poet and writer Clemens Brentano painstakingly copied Emmerich’s visions, then published them posthumously. These detailed descriptions of Mary’s residence fit the site ultimately determined as the House of the Virgin Mary.

The Catholic Church has accepted the site’s significance as a pilgrimage even though it has not quite confirmed its veracity. Pope John Paul II beatified Anne Catherine Emmerich on October 3, 2004, therefore confirming interest in her visions and their relationship to Marian dedication.

At the shrine, Christian and Muslim customs meet together. According to Christian view, Mary was escorted to this remote house, where she lived her last years, by Saint John, assigned by Jesus to look for her mother. Mary (Maryam) is also revered in Islamic teachings as one of the most exalted ladies, therefore supporting the spiritual relevance of the monument among Muslim pilgrims.

Maronite Catholic Archbishop Pietro Sfair underlined during the Second Vatican Council the value of Marian devotion as a link between Christianity and Islam. He underlined the respect early Muslims showed Mary and her part in the miracle birth of Jesus. The House of the Virgin Mary thus represents a special emblem of interfaith respect and shared religious legacy.

Among the several popes the shrine has seen, including Benedict XVI, John Paul II, and Paul VI, it has also gotten Apostolic Blessings. Their visits underlined the significance of the location inside Christendom and confirmed its holy character as a place of prayer and meditation.

Approaching the shrine, guests come upon a baptismal pool fashioned like a keyhole, thought to have been used for covert baptisms—hidden from Roman persecution—by early Christians. The House of the Virgin Mary itself is a little stone building with a modest decoration but a great spiritual ambiance.

Inside, the chapel is one room with an altar conspicuously showing a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Traditionally considered Mary’s sleeping quarters, a smaller chamber on the right reflects simplicity and respect. According to historical records, a tiny brook formerly ran through this room and produced a drinking fountain outside with apparently amazing powers.

At the Wishing Wall, just outside the shrine, pilgrims tie written prayers or wishes onto its surface in hope for divine intervention. Surrounding the shrine, rich vegetation and fruit-bearing trees accentuate the peace; surrounding fountains are sometimes connected with fertility and healing.

Bedridden Augustine nun Anne Catherine Emmerich of Germany became well-known as a mystic. Her thorough visions captured Mary’s life as well as Jesus’s last days. Among those fascinated by her stories were Clemens Brentano, who spent years recording her disclosures. One of these visions detailed Mary’s remote house near Ephesus, sparking the search that finally resulted in rediscovery of it.

Given Brentano’s copious notes including biblical apocrypha, maps, and historical references, some doubt about his impact on Emmerich’s stories has developed. Some academics speculate that these components might have either enhanced or changed Emmerich’s descriptions. Still, the legacy of the site revolves mostly on her visions.

Drawing on Emmerich’s accounts, French priest Abbé Julien Gouyet found a little stone building close to Ephesus on October 18, 1881. Although his discovery was first written off, Lazarist missionaries Fathers Poulin and Jung returned to the location in 1891 to verify its long-standing respect by Şirince, a nearby community calling it Panaya Kapulu (Doorway to the Virgin).

Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey was instrumental in obtaining and rehabilitating the site therefore guaranteeing its preservation. Her work resulted in official Catholic Church recognition, so giving pilgrims visiting the shrine complete indulgences.

The original building is split from later restorations by a red-painted demarcation line. There is ongoing debate on Mary’s historical authenticity in Ephesus since the custom developed just in the 12th century. Still, the existence of the Church of Mary in Ephesus from the fifth century gives some validity to the idea.

Early Christian writers such as Saint Epiphanius of Salamis cited the Assumption of Mary, basing their claims on John 19:18–30, in which Jesus hands Mary over to John’s care. Stronger historical evidence, however, supports the custom Mary followed in Jerusalem rather than Ephesus.

The Catholic Church has backed the site’s adoration consistently even if it has not made an official pronouncement on its legitimacy. Pope Leo XIII blessed the first pilgrimage in 1896; subsequently Pope Pius XII raised the site to a Holy Place. Every year on August 15, a serious liturgical ceremony honors Mary’s Assumption.

Pope Paul VI paid the House of the Virgin Mary a visit on July 26, 1967; Pope John Paul II came there on November 30, 1979; and Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit there November 29, 2006. Their visits confirmed the spiritual relevance of the location and strengthened its reputation as a pilgrimage site for Muslims and Christians both.

Drawing thousands of guests annually who yearn for connection with the holy past, the House of the Virgin Mary is still a living tribute to religion, history, and interreligious respect.