The House of the Virgin Mary (Turkish: Meryem ana or Meryem Ana Evi, "Mother Mary's House") is a Catholic and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos (Turkish: Bülbüldağı, "Mount Nightingale") in the vicinity of Ephesus, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Selçuk in Turkey.
The house was discovered in the 19th century by following the descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary, which were published as a book by Clemens Brentano after her death.
The shrine itself is not extensively large, but may rather be described as a modest chapel. The preserved stones and construction date back into the Apostolic Age, as consistent with other preserved buildings from that time, but with minor additions such as garden landscapes and devotional additions outside the shrine. Upon entrance to the chapel, a pilgrim is met by one single large room where an altar along with a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is prominently displayed in the center.
On the right side, a smaller room lies----traditionally associated with the actual room where the Virgin Mary is believed to have slept. Marian tradition holds that some form of running water used to flow like a canal in the smaller room where the Virgin Mary slept and rested, leading to the present drinking fountain outside the building structure.
Outside the shrine is a particular "wishing wall" which pilgrims have used by tying their personal intentions on paper or fabric. Various types of florals and fruits are grown nearby, and additional lighting has been installed within the vicinity of the shrine for further monitoring of the site. A water fountain or well is also located nearby, believed by some pilgrims to have miraculous powers of healing or fertility.
There are dolmus departing from the Selcuk otogar to Pamucak and Sirince.
You can also go direct to Pamucak from Ephesus, there is an area
outside where the buses pass through. It cost 3.50TL to Pamucak from
Ephesus.
The beach is just a few metres walk from where the dolmus drops
passengers off. If I recall correctly, I think dolmus is every half
hour. Do check with the driver on time of last bus if you plan to be
there till evening.
The Temple of Artemis or Artemision
The temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. If you visit Ephesus today, you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum.
The oldest remaining found date back till the 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydia King, Kreisos, during the 6th century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period.
The new Artemis has been rebuilt in the 2nd century BC. Located on top of the previous one, it had tremendous dimensions: 127 columns of each 17,5 meters high. Unfortunately this one has also been destroyed by fire, reconstructed and again demolished by earthquakes, rebuilt and at last looted by Goths one year later.
The statue of many-breasted Artemis was the symbol of the temple but also of abundance, hunting and wild life. The genuine statue of Artemis, removed during the fire, is today exhibited in the Selcuk Museum. Many copies of this statue found during the latest excavations date back from the Roman period.
Mythological Info
Artemis was also called Cynthia, from her birth place, Mount Cynthus in Delos. She was Apollo's twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was one of the three maiden goddesses of Olympus: the pure maiden Vesta, gray-eyed Athena who cares but for war and the arts of the craftsmen, and Artemis, lover of woods and the wild chase over the mountain.
She was the Lady of Wild Things, Huntsman-in-chief to the gods, an odd office for a woman. As a huntress her favorite animal was the stag, because its swiftness gave the best opportunity for her method of capture, which was by her silver bow and arrows and speed of foot.
As Phoebus was the Sun, she was the Moon called Phoebe and Selene (Luna) representing the evening and night, carrying a torch, and clad in long heavy robes, with a veil covering the back of her head. Neither name originally belonged to her.
Phoebe was a Titan, one of the older gods. So too was Selene, a moon-goddess, indeed, but not connected with Apollo. She was the sister of Helios, the sun-god with whom Apollo was confused.
She was worshipped in Athens, Corinth, and Thebes as goddess of strict upbringing, of good fame, of upright mind, and of sensibility in the affairs of ordinary life. She chased and fired her arrows at all wild and unchecked creatures and actions.
In the later poets, Artemis is identified with Hecate. She is "the goddess with three forms", Selene in the sky, Artemis on earth, Hecate in the lower world and in the world above when it is wrapped in darkness. Hecate was the Goddess of the dark of the Moon, the black nights when the moon is hidden. She was associated with deeds of darkness, the Goddess of the Crossways, which were held to be ghostly places of evil magic.
Footnotes:
At Ephesus, where her great temple was one of the seven wonders of the world, Artemis was represented with a mural crown, with a disc behind the crown; on her breast, a garland of flowers, as a sign of her influence in spring time. Lions cling to her arms; as mother of wild beasts, she has many breasts; her legs are closely bandaged and ornamented with figures of bulls, stags, lions, and griffins; at the sides are flowers and bees. This figures may have resembled the original image of the goddess which had fallen from heaven.
Selene, (Luna) is represented as riding on a mule or a horse; on the pediment of the Parthenon it is a horse.
"Destroying the delusive image of the demon Artemis, Demeas has erected this symbol of Truth, the God that drives away idols, and the Cross of priests, deathless and victorious sign of Christ."
The assertion that the Ephesians thought that their cult image had fallen from the sky, though it was a familiar origin-myth at other sites, is only known at Ephesus from Acts 19:35:
"What man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the [image] which fell down from Jupiter?"
Lynn LiDonnici observes that modern scholars are likely to be more concerned with origins of the Lady of Ephesus and her iconology than her adherents were at any point in time, and are prone to creating a synthetic account of the Lady of Ephesus by drawing together documentation that ranges over more than a millennium in its origins, creating a falsified, unitary picture, as of an unchanging icon.
Selcuk is a good starting place for many excursions and visits in the area.
- A major attraction is the Roman city of Ephesus which is located only 4km away from the center of the village. Entrance fee cost 30 TL per person (Oct 2014).
- The promenade will also take you to the The Temple of Artemis (Artemision). Although it was one of the "Seven Wonders" of the Ancient world, nowadays only a column is left.
- If walking West, one can detour left (15-20 minutes one-way walk) once on Efes Yolu to visit the Cave of the Seven Sleepers.
- The picturesque village of Şirince
is located 9km east to Selcuk up in the hills. It offers wonderful
views among olive and peach trees as well as several excellent country
hotels.
- House of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Evi), 10 km
south on the hills is claimed to have been the house where Virgin Mary
spend her last days in Ephesus. The Vatican declared this place as an
official Catholic pilgrimage site.
- Pamucak beach
- A nice day-tour can take one to the three archeological sites of Priene, Miletus and Dydima,
all Roman cities located a little bit south in the coast. Several
hotels and pensions offer this tour or you can also rent a van, with
driver or not, on your own.
In the city center there are other very interesting spots:
- The Byzantine citadel and the remains of St. John Basilica.
- The Aqueduct.
- The Museum of Ephesus. Contains objects found in the Ephesus excavation at the site.
Selçuk also has storks! The town is a favorite nesting-place for the leggy birds, who take up residence here on the pillars of the old Roman aqueduct, the disused minaret of a ruined mosque, the one remaining column of the Artemision, television aerials, and any other safe perch, from April into September.
In
April, the storks arrive
in Selçuk,
next to Ephesus,
to repair their nests, lay their
eggs, and raise their young until
September,
when they all fly away. In the meantime,
their presence brings good luck,
beauty, happiness, guano, and a lot
of bill-clattering to the town.
ANZ Guesthouse provides one of the cheapest options to make it a "Doable" but also pleasant day trip from Selcuk to Pamukkale, the "Cotton Castle".
Click here for details
on the travertine formations of Pamukkale,
the adjacent ancient city of Hierapolis,
and the nearby ancient city of Laodykia.
Useful details
-
Take a direct bus from Selcuk (and back).
Ask the staff for the schedule.
-
Selcuk to Pamukkale takes approximately 2-1/2 hours
each way.
-
Guided tours are also available.
-
Pamukkale and Aphrodisias can be combined as a day trip.
EPHESUS FROM IZMIR
If you like to use public transportation, as a first you have to learn the way to go to Izmir bus station from the hotel that you stay to arrange a bus ticket to Selcuk or Kusadasi. You can also catch a taxi to go to big terminal for buses in Izmir. When you arrive Selcuk bus station you should take another mini-bus to the entrance of Ephesus which takes about 10 minutes ride. If you don’t mind to walk you can request to driver to stop near the lower gate of Ephesus on the way of Selcuk.
EPHESUS FROM KUSADASI
If you like to use public transportation, as a first you have to learn the way to go to Friday Market Avenue or Kusadasi bus station from your hotel to catch a minibus to go to Selcuk. In Kusadasi there are white mini-buses, also called dolmuses which pass from almost each hotels’ front. Selcuk minibuses leave every half hour from Kusadasi and the ride takes about 30 minutes. When you arrive Selcuk bus station you should take another mini-bus to the entrance of Ephesus which takes about 10 minutes ride. If you don’t mind to walk you can request to driver to stop near the lower gate of Ephesus on the way of Selcuk.
EPHESUS FROM ISTANBUL
There are numerous flights to Izmir from Istanbul during the day and very reasonably priced. Izmir has the nearest airport to Ephesus and in 1 hour planes can arrive there from Istanbul. From Izmir airport you can take the train as public transport option to Selcuk. Some airlines provide free shuttle between Izmir airport and Selcuk. If you like to visit Ephesus by yourself from Selcuk you can catch a taxi to go to Ephesus or you can walk from town centre to Ephesus in 30 minutes.
There are no trains between Istanbul and Selcuk but there are intercity buses which are quite comfortable and frequent but it takes almost 10 hours. It is also possible to take a ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma, transfer to the train till Izmir and then take another train to Selcuk but both ways will be a very long and also exhausting day. It takes 20 minutes driving to Ephesus from Kusadasi port; 1 hour 15 minutes from Izmir port.Cruisers have limited time in ports so instead of spending all your day with waiting minibuses to arrive there, it’s better to arrange a private tour to Ephesus from local travel agencies before you come, latest one day ago.
.png)
