House of Mary in Ephesus

Many tourists to Ephesus visit what some believe to be the house of Mary, located on Mount Coressos, about four miles (7 km) from the town of Selçuk.

At the beginning of the 1800s, Anne Emmerich (1774–1824), a bedridden nun in Germany, reported that she had seen a series of visions referring to the life of Mary. Clemens Brentano interviewed Emmerich and wrote two books detailing her visions.

On October 18, 1881—relying on Brentano’s books—a French Roman Cath- olic priest from Smyrna (modern Izmir) claimed that he had discovered the house of Mary on Mount Coressos, near ancient Ephesus. In 1950, a small chapel was built at the site , which many visit today to honor Mary. They drink “healing water” from a spring under the house, burn candles, and leave their wishes on the “wishing wall,” wishes for many things, including good health, peace, happiness, long life, and money.

Each August 15, people make a special pilgrimage to the house. The Roman Catholic Church has never claimed that it is Mary’s house, although several Roman Catholic Popes have visited the house’s chapel in her honor.