VATICAN -
«Meryemana»: the House of Mary at Ephesus
Vatican City (Fides Service) - In the Gospels we read that shortly before he died on the cross Jesus entrusted his Mother Mary to the care of St John the evangelist. John is said to have taken the Blessed Virgin Mother with him to Ephesus in about the year 37 where she lived until the end of her life in a small house built for her, identified and known today as Maryemana evi on Bulbul Dagi Nightingale Hill, and a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims.
The Virgin Mary is the only women mentioned in the Koran the Muslim Holy Book. The authenticity of the shrine, a parish church with regular liturgical services, was recognized by Vatican. The modest house lies 8km from Selçuk, Ephesus and 25 km from Kusadasi. St Gregory of Tours, 538-597 the first to write about a “venerated chapel” on a hill near Ephesus in his "Liber Miraculorum".
The house of Mary was discovered in the 19th century by archaeologists on the basis of visions received by a German nun Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. Anne Catherine was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3 October 2004.
When popular belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was confirmed with the proclamation of a dogma in 1950, the Turkish government built a road to make Ephesus more accessible for visitors. And today it is visited by millions of believers Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, Anglicans, reformed Christians and others.
Here John is said to have written his Gospel and received the revelations which led him to write the Book of Revelation. The Seven Churches mentioned in the Book are all in this region. Here the Council of Ephesus in 431 declared Mary, Mother of God, Theotokos in Greek.
Pope Paul VI made a pilgrimage to the House of Mary 26 July 1967. John Paul II visited the Shrine on 30 November 1979. During his visit last year to Turkey Pope Benedict XVI celebrated an open air Mass at Meryemana evi, on 29 November.
(J.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/5/2007, righe 35, parole 513)
Links:
Excerpts of the Pope's homily and prayers
http://www.fides.org/ita
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