The House of the Virgin Mary
According to the oral tradition of local villagers of Sirince, Mary finished out her days in this house after migrating to Asia Minor with John. The location was "discovered" in the 19th century by Sister Anna Catherina Emmerich, a German invalid who had never left home. The discovery was in the form of a dream, from which the nun awoke with a stigmata. The site was later found as described and was visited by popes Paul VI and John Paul II, who both verified its authenticity. The validity of the site is also supported by the oral tradition of the villagers who inhabited the village in the 19th century, as they were descendants of the early Christian inhabitants.
The house is a church nowadays, with the main altar where the kitchen was situated; the right wing was the bedroom. The site, now a national park, is a requisite stop on the itineraries of Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike, and therefore always crowded. In fact, in their religious fervor, pilgrims won't think anything of elbowing you out of the way. If you get there early on Sundays you can participate in the morning Mass (7:30 and 10:30am); and every year on August 15 there is a Mass celebrating the Assumption. (Note: The admission fee goes to the Selçuk municipality, so donations to the church are welcome. There is no entrance fee when Mass is in progress.)
According to the oral tradition of local villagers of Sirince, Mary finished out her days in this house after migrating to Asia Minor with John. The location was "discovered" in the 19th century by Sister Anna Catherina Emmerich, a German invalid who had never left home. The discovery was in the form of a dream, from which the nun awoke with a stigmata. The site was later found as described and was visited by popes Paul VI and John Paul II, who both verified its authenticity. The validity of the site is also supported by the oral tradition of the villagers who inhabited the village in the 19th century, as they were descendants of the early Christian inhabitants.
The house is a church nowadays, with the main altar where the kitchen was situated; the right wing was the bedroom. The site, now a national park, is a requisite stop on the itineraries of Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike, and therefore always crowded. In fact, in their religious fervor, pilgrims won't think anything of elbowing you out of the way. If you get there early on Sundays you can participate in the morning Mass (7:30 and 10:30am); and every year on August 15 there is a Mass celebrating the Assumption. (Note: The admission fee goes to the Selçuk municipality, so donations to the church are welcome. There is no entrance fee when Mass is in progress.)
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