In the late 1700s, a German nun named Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) said she had a vision of the Virgin Mary and her final home here on earth. The nun described the home in detail as well as the house’s location, even though she had never visited Ephesus, Turkey.
Sister Anne Catherine’s description of the home included being in the woods on a hill overlooking Ephesus. She also described a nearby spring, as well as the type of house and materials used. Years after she had passed, a priest by the name of Julien Gouyet used her descriptions to find the place that is now called “Meryem Ana Evi,” or “House of the Virgin Mary.”
During Jesus’ last moments on the cross, all of disciples fled but the Apostle John. As Jesus was dying, he looked down upon his mother and John, as told in John 19:26-7, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother. Woman! Behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his home.”
Since John was instructed to take care of Mary, it isn’t outside of reason that she joined him on his journey away from Jerusalem. Before John was sentenced to Patmos, a nearby island prison, church legends have John living for a short time in Ephesus. Ephesus had become a place where Christianity flourished after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD. However, we cannot say any of that for certain, because the New Testament does not offer information about John’s life between Christ’s death and his imprisonment on Patmos.
The stories of John in Ephesus were written at a later time, most notably by Irenaeus of Lyon, around 180 AD. Irenaeus wrote that John lived in Ephesus until Emperor Trajan rose to power in 98 AD. The writer said that he himself was an acquaintance of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, who knew John personally. He even stated that John wrote his Gospel while living in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Near the end of the 2nd century, Polycrates of Ephesus, who was the bishop of the city, also stated that John was a major religious figure while living in Ephesus.
Further putting John in Ephesus was an archaeological find on Ayasulak Hill, which overlooks Ancient Ephesus. A memorial associated with John’s burial was discovered, and Justinian I, a 6th-century emperor, had a church built on top of the burial site. Turkish archaeologists later agreed that the church was built upon John’s grave, although there is no way to know for sure if the body that was found beneath the church was indeed the apostle.
As I stood outside the home, I had to place my cynicism aside before I entered the house. The house is small, and it takes about 5 minutes to walk through. Visitors are not allowed to take photos inside, and I looked around as I slowly stepped through the building. Inside, people were having an emotional and religious moment, as well as outside where visitors lit candles and prayed. I felt guilty for having that initial cynical moment. A long wall with prayer requests was tied with scraps of fabric and bags. In that moment, I was humbled for meeting hope with my cynicism.
Whether or not you believe Mary, the Mother of Jesus, slept within the stone walls of the home, it is interesting to see a foundation that dates back to the first century. And if people believe the home belonged to the mother of the foundation for my beliefs, there’s no harm.
I don’t know if the home belonged to Mary, and I don’t think there is any way anyone can know for sure. My beliefs are not strengthened by a particular place or object, but I do have a love of history that longs for knowledge of people, places, and things. The House of the Virgin Mary had no impact on my spiritual walk, but it sparked my imagination as to what living in Ephesus was like during the first century.
I visited the House of the Virgin Mary on a tour with Turkey Adventure. If you are looking for a great tour in Ephesus, I recommend booking with them.
You might also like this story about visiting Göbekli Tepe.
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Thanks, Jason, good photos and interesting dialogue. It’s a good thing our hope is not in a building, but the resurrected Lord Jesus. However, I do realize objects, buildings, etc inspire people. History, even in Israel is varied and therefore we do not base our faith on those historic sites and objects, but on the truth of Scripture. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness.”