Popes at the House of Virgin Mary in Ephesus

Rome takes notice

News of the 1891 discovery travelled quickly from Izmir to Rome. Within a few years, Pope Leo XIII gave the pilgrimage his blessing, and in 1914 Pope Saint Pius X granted a plenary indulgence to pilgrims visiting the house — a mark of favour normally reserved for the great shrines of Christendom.

The strongest endorsement came in 1951, when Pope Pius XII declared the House of Virgin Mary a Holy Place of pilgrimage — a status Pope John XXIII later made permanent. The Church has never issued a final dogmatic ruling on the house’s authenticity; instead, pope after pope has done something simpler and warmer. They have come, and they have prayed.

Paul VI — 26 July 1967

Pope Paul VI was the first pope in history to stand inside the little chapel. During his visit to Ephesus in July 1967 he prayed at the house, drank from the sacred spring, and honoured the memory of the Council of Ephesus of 431 AD — the great council, held just down the mountain, that proclaimed Mary Theotokos, the God-bearer. It is no accident of history that this proclamation happened in Ephesus, of all cities: the early Church treasured this region’s bond with Mary.

John Paul II — 30 November 1979

Barely a year into his papacy, Pope John Paul II — whose personal motto, Totus Tuus, declared him “entirely yours” to the Virgin Mary — came to the house during his apostolic journey to Turkey and celebrated Mass for pilgrims. Of all the popes, perhaps none felt the pull of this place more personally. Twenty-five years later, in 2004, it was John Paul II who beatified Anne Catherine Emmerich, the visionary whose words had led the world to the house’s door.

Feast of the Assumption service at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus — The Feast of the Assumption at the House of Virgin Mary — celebrated on the mountain every 15th of August, as it has been for generations.

Benedict XVI — 29 November 2006

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated an open-air Mass in the garden of the house during his apostolic journey to Turkey, before pilgrims of many nations gathered under the pines. In his homily at the shrine he took as his motto the words “He, Christ, is our peace” — a description of this place every visitor understands the moment they arrive.

Three popes prayed here. Countless cardinals, bishops and pilgrims have followed. And yet the house has never stopped being what it always was: a small, quiet home, with room for every prayer — including yours.

A shrine for everyone

What moved the popes moves millions: the House of Virgin Mary belongs to no single nation and turns no one away. Christians and Muslims pray here side by side — Mary is deeply honoured in Islam as Meryem Ana — and the wishing wall in the lower garden gathers hopes written in every language on earth. That is the spirit our initiative carries on: the house was restored so that prayers could live there, and no prayer should be left behind for lack of a plane ticket.

Sources & further reading

Homily of Benedict XVI at the Shrine of Meryem Ana Evi, Ephesus — Vatican.va, 29 November 2006
Apostolic Journey of John Paul II to Turkey — Vatican.va, November 1979
Councils of Ephesus (431 AD) — Encyclopaedia Britannica
Ephesus — UNESCO World Heritage List — official listing

Questions & Answers

People often ask

Which popes have visited the House of Virgin Mary? ▾

Three popes have prayed at the house: Pope Paul VI on 26 July 1967, Pope John Paul II on 30 November 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI on 29 November 2006, who celebrated an open-air Mass in the shrine’s garden.

Has the Catholic Church officially recognized the house? ▾

The Church has never issued a dogmatic pronouncement on its authenticity, but it has strongly favoured the shrine: Leo XIII blessed the pilgrimage, Pius X granted a plenary indulgence in 1914, Pius XII declared it a Holy Place in 1951, and John XXIII made that status permanent.

Why is Ephesus so important for devotion to Mary? ▾

Ephesus is where the Ecumenical Council of 431 AD proclaimed Mary Theotokos — “God-bearer” — one of the most important Marian declarations in Christian history. Ancient tradition holds that Mary came to the region with Saint John the Evangelist and spent her final years in the house on Bülbül Mountain.

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