After lecturing in the city of Izmir, Turkey, I hoped to see a few of the holy places in what had been Asia Minor.

I wanted to make sure I saw the House of Mary Shrine in Ephesus — or Meryem Ana Evi, as it’s known in Turkish. Tradition teaches that St. John the Evangelist, heeding the Savior’s words, brought the Blessed Mother here to live after Christ’s resurrection.

For two millennia, the site has been considered the spot from which Mary was assumed into heaven. Both Christians and Muslims come here to honor her.

It was in Ephesus, in the year 431, that the Church proclaimed the Virgin Mary Theotokos (Mother of God).

There’s more history here, as well. On July 29, 1891, Father M.H. Jung, a Lazarist priest and professor at Smyrna’s Sacred Heart College, found the remains of an ancient house, spring and full immersion baptistery here. He’d come to check the veracity of the mystical visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824).

Atop the ruins, which neatly harmonized with the German Augustinian nun’s descriptions, Father Jung constructed a lovely cruciform shrine.

Later, Pope John XXIII would visit the shrine many times during his time as apostolic delegate to Turkey. Popes Paul VI and John Paul II would travel here as pilgrims, too.

And, as of press time, Pope Benedict XVI was planning to celebrate Mass here and deliver a homily during his Nov. 28-30 Turkish trip.

Barring a late change in plan, it will be the second time the shrine has made the news this year. In August, a devastating fire swept across the forest surrounding the site. All hope was lost as to saving the shrine. Those who responded to the conflagration were shocked to find that it had gone out four feet from the door of Mary’s last earthly home. It simply stopped burning on that spot. The Turkish press quickly labeled the event a miracle.

Hill of the Nightingale

I convinced Düzgün, a Turkish friend and a Muslim convert to Christianity, to come and see Mary’s House with me. I knew that, as a member of a Calvinist community, he had some serious misunderstandings about the Catholic faith. I believe he agreed to accompany me for the sake of our friendship rather than out of a sincere appreciation of the Virgin Mary. But, I thought, doesn’t God often accept what we deal him in order to deepen our conversion to Christ?

We made our way up Bulbul Dag (the Hill of the Nightingale), the site of Mary’s House. I was hot, I was tired and I had put up with a great deal in order to get to that point. When I finally got to the front gate, Düzgün told me that the fee to get into Mary’s House was U.S. $20 — hefty even by New York standards.

Apparently, only foreigners are charged this exorbitant fee. Düzgün was charged only a fraction of that amount. To add insult to injury, a second booth was set up at the clearing in front of Mary’s House asking for donations. Apparently the entrance fee goes directly to the Turkish government. No Christian churches or shrines in Turkey are allowed to receive funds from the government. (Mosques routinely receive such support.)

Düzgün and I got into the line, which slowly made its way toward the small brick shrine. Hundreds of people stood silent in the queue. When at last I stepped inside, I felt instantly humbled: overwhelmed by the thought that I was standing on a spot where the Blessed Mother and St. John the Evangelist walked, prayed, prepared meals and spoke of Jesus.

The building seemed suffused with the odor of sanctity that must have accompanied Mary throughout her life. A Franciscan nun greeted us at the door to the shrine. She was softly singing “Ave Maria.” (The shrine is administered by Franciscans.)

I was also struck by how the interior seemed to have more space than the exterior appeared to allow. Light from hundreds of candles diffused throughout the supernaturally peaceful room. A crucifix and an enormous Marian icon hung over a simple Tridentine altar against the front of the church.

A smaller but no less magnificent icon, this one of the Mother of Good Counsel, was displayed on a pedestal off to the left. This is often done in Uniate and Orthodox churches. Orthodox and Catholics alike waited their turn to venerate the icon with a kiss or a gentle touch.

And, of course, Jesus is really present here, as the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a tabernacle just like any other commissioned Catholic church and chapel in the world.

Mary Moves

Düzgün and I stood basking in the holiness of the home-shrine. Around us, people kindly made way for each other, smiles on their faces. Gentleness conquered chaos, I thought, in the same way Mary did when she accepted the hope of the world as her child.

When it came time to go, we made our way through a second door. I hadn’t seen it from outside. The vestibule to this door had an open Koran and, above it, large panels written in both Turkish and English. The hand-painted panels listed all of the instances Mary is mentioned in the Koran — a reminder to both Christians and Muslims that we are all children of the same God, and that the Virgin Mary gave birth to the Word of God, as Jesus is known in Islam.

Outside, I turned to Düzgün and saw a look of peaceful joy on his face.

So it is that I believe I witnessed a minor miracle there at Mary’s House. It came in the form of Düzgün’s growing appreciation of Mary’s place in Scripture, salvation history and in the lives of Christians down through 20 centuries — to our day and beyond.

“May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened,” St. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 1:18), “that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones.” At Mary’s house, those words live and breathe, ever ancient, yet ever new.

Angelo Stagnaro writes from

New York City.

Planning Your Visit

The eastern Mediterranean region is always warm and humid, with heavy rainfall except during the summer. All Marian feasts are celebrated with great to-do at Mary’s House. Daily Mass is celebrated at 7:15 a.m. Sunday Mass is at 10:30 a.m. Dress respectfully, modestly and appropriately. Photos are not allowed in the interior of the shrine.

Getting There

The nearest airport is in Izmir, which can serve as a base for exploring the other important sites in the area. Selçuk is 30 minutes away by bus. Ephesus is about 90 minutes away. Mary’s House is an additional nine kilometers from Selçuk and a little more than six kilometers from Ephesus. If you’re not on a tour, the best way to get there is by taxi, which will cost about U.S. $20 round-trip from either town. Turkish bus and train schedules aren’t so much laws as they are suggestions, so allow for flexibility in your schedule.