The Popes Who Came to Mary’s House
Three popes have prayed at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus: Paul VI on 26 July 1967, John Paul II on 30 November 1979 and Benedict XVI on 29 November 2006. Before them, Pius X granted pilgrims a plenary indulgence in 1914 and Pius XII declared the house a Holy Place in 1951, a place in the heart of the Vatican few shrines outside Rome can claim.
Written by Hasan Gülday · the Gülday family, Ephesus
Which popes have visited the House of Virgin Mary?
Three popes have prayed at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus: Paul VI on 26 July 1967, John Paul II on 30 November 1979, and Benedict XVI on 29 November 2006. Benedict XVI celebrated an open-air Mass in the shrine’s garden.
Rome takes notice
News of the 1891 discovery traveled 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 favor 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 honored 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.
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.
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 honored 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
The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD — which proclaimed Mary Theotokos, “God-bearer” — met in a great church dedicated to Mary, just down the mountain from her house. It is one of the oldest Marian declarations in Christian history.
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
Matthew 16:18
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? ▾
Not by a dogmatic ruling, but it has honored the shrine for over a century. The Church has never issued a dogmatic pronouncement on its authenticity, but it has strongly favored 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.
Continue the story
The Discovery of the House
How two skeptical priests followed a book up a mountain in 1891 — and found the ruin it described.
Keep reading →
Restoration of the House
From a roofless ruin to a living shrine that welcomes a million pilgrims every year.
Keep reading →
Anne Catherine Emmerich
The bedridden nun whose visions found Mary’s house — without her ever leaving Germany.
Keep reading →Popes brought their prayers here. Bring yours.
You don’t need a papal journey — one short message is enough. We will place your prayer on the wishing wall at Mary’s house.
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