Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Monday, November 1, 2010

My World - House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus

A day trip to the Virgin Mary’s house was an unintended visit, but glad we decided to go at the last minute. The House is a short distance away from the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey. On the way up to the Bulbus mountain is steep and winding but leads through the dense forest with the lush greenery everywhere.

This place is considered to be the last home of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is widely believed that she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in Ephesus to spread Christianity.

I found it fascinating that the house of Virgin Mary is also a sacred site for Muslims who recognised Mary as the mother of the Prophet Jesus and believe in the virgin birth. The house became a Catholic shrine in 1896.


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As you follow the cobbled path up to the house, you'll be greeted by the Statue of St Mary


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Empty pool near Mary's house


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a lovely path in front of her house


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Virgin Mary's humble House. The house has since been restored and has become a pilgrimage site.


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Interior of the House of the Virgin.


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It is claimed that St Mary lived her last days drinking the healing water of this fountain. Today it is still regarded as holy water and many claims that the spring water is believed to have healing properties.


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When I came upon this site, I was amazed by the wall of prayers, comprised of thousands of wishes written on pieces of cloth, each prayer note left there by a visitor. It is hard not to be moved by a site that many take devotion to Virgin Mary quite seriously.


A beautiful place to visit that reflects serenity and peace and pleases the eye with the wonderful greenery surrounding it.



44 comments:

  1. beautiful pics.

    http://jidhu.blogspot.com/
    http://jidhujose.blogspot.com/

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  2. wow, it must be so cool to visit the sacred place personally!

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  3. wow i so wanna go there to worship and drink the holy water :P

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  4. it's really incredible to be where such a holy person once lived! :)

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  5. Love the "Interior of the House of the Virgin" the concave structure with the tiles and stone slabs..huh very interesting to note that the Muslims there are so liberal. Great eye opener.

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  6. So this Virgin Mary's House is also in Turkey?

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  7. A sacred site for Muslims? Why is that? I don't understand. Meaning they also believe in virgin birth?

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  8. OMG! Ger humble house look very gorgeous. I simply love it. :D

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  9. I would love to visit it! Love the photos!! : )

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  10. ohhhh..soo beautiful..!!!

    i must come here more often.!!!.you have a wonderful blog!!

    thanx for visiting me..Peace and love..

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  11. What a beautiful and interesting post for the day! Your photos are marvelous! Such a lovely place and so much history! Thanks for sharing this! Have a lovely week!

    Sylvia

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  12. Thank you for the tour. I'm glad if Mary really got to travel a bit.
    Shalom to you from her other home.

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  13. Great history lesson. Thanks for sharing your photos and the history.

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  14. how did you manage to shoot without people and we were told no photography inside the house :)

    nice to see your shots of this place. for a catholic like me this is a must see.

    www.ewok1993.wordpress.com

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  15. I had not heard of the Ephesus home of the Virgin Mary, so I'm thankful to you for the information regarding it and the pictures you took.

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  16. Thanks for your kind comments everyone.

    Tekkaus,
    As far as i know, Muslims believe in the virgin birth of Jesus because it's stated in the Quran. There's a whole chapter in the Holy Quran titled by her wonderful great name.

    Lina,
    Nope. I'm not a Christian.

    Photo Cache,
    There weren't many people there when i visited the surroundings. despite no photography is permitted, it was difficult to resist. I guess lady luck was on my side as i managed to take a few shots of the shrine when there was no one in the house at that moment.

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  17. Your photos show the beauty of the peaceful place. Thanks for sharing.

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  18. Thanks for this first-time exposure for me to the Virgin Mary's house. It is quite an incredible place.

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  19. Thank you for finding my blog so I could see your good work!

    Very nice blog




    Aloha from Honolulu
    खुश दीपावली

    Comfort Spiral

    ><}}(°>

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  20. Wow! Unique!
    I too am knowing about this place for the first time.

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  21. Incredible...quite eager to visit this country soon

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  22. G' Day From Oz, I'm not a religious person but this sacred site in most humble. Great photos and information.

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  23. Lovely statures and the place has been restored and kept so well.
    Thanks for visiting it and showing us as well.

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  24. What a special feeling it must be to be able to visit the last home of Virgin Mary. The humble house and the garden looks really beautiful.

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  25. All those prayers on wisps of cloth look like feathers clinging to a wall of hope.

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  26. What a beautiful place and thanks for sharing. Your photos are just gorgeous.

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  27. it's great that this place is wonderfully preserved. beautiful photos.

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  28. Your lovely photos convey the sanctity and serenity of this beautiful place.

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  29. What an eye-opener to visit this sacred place. I seem to be overcome by a strong feeling of peace simply by looking at these photos.

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  30. thank for your visit on my blog, I discovered your page and I liked your beautiful photos !
    Your texts are also interresting, accompanying the visit of each post !
    I particulary liked the post on the city of "florence", I found the beautiful colors !
    I can only congratulate you for your good work and I'll will you follow with pleasure ! :))

    Bye Mahon**

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  31. Cool pictures and a very good description.Greetings Andrzej.

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  32. Unexpected visits can turn out to be truly amazing, just like yours.. thanks for a very interesting read.. :)

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  33. Have a wonderful day at work sweetie, can't wait for our 3-day weekend YAY! :D

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  34. great pics! hopefully I will be there myself next year.

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  35. wonderful shots, and thanks for the bio. I wish my grandmother was still with us, she would of so loved to see this & read your story. thanks for sharing :)
    Faythe @GMT

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  36. This is a beautiful place. I'm amazed by the messages posted on the wall.

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  37. What a beautiful bridge photo! I love the composition. You have a wonderful site full of great stories and photos, thanks for sharing. Also, thanks so much for your visit to my site and your valued comments! Linda

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  38. A very holy place indeed. It's amazing how clean and preserved it is.

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  39. Oh my this place is so beautiful and a place worth visiting. When I see the house of Mother Mary I have a goosebumps. You are blessed to see this place how I wish I could visit this place too. Thanks for sharing! So loving it!
    Looking at the sky

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