Friday , 29 March 2024
  • The exterior of Meryem Ana Evi, or “Mother Mary’s House”, near Ephesus in Turkey’s Izmir province. (Photo: Alvin I. Dacanay)

  • A roofed stand outside the Meryem Ana Evi featuring a framed photo of the interior of the shrine and framed passages from the Quran about Mary. (Photo: Alvin I. Dacanay)

  • The three springs on the Meryem Ana Evi grounds. (Photo: Alvin I. Dacanay)

  • Philippine Star columnist Wilson Lee Flores examines one of the petitions hanging from the Meryemana, or “Wall of Wishes”, at the Meryem Ana Evi grounds. (Photo: Alvin I. Dacanay)

Meryem Ana Evi: Mary’s holy, humble home

Alvin Dacanay Before I ForgetAsk Roman Catholics to name an important, globally known Marian shrine, and most of them would readily say the one at Lourdes in France or Fatima in Portugal. Some would add the one dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico; others, the one housing the reputed Nazareth home of the Holy Family at Loreto in Italy. None would probably mention the one in predominantly Muslim Turkey, called Meryem Ana Evi, or “Mother Mary’s House”. 

I wouldn’t, were it not for the visit I paid to the site as part of a media familiarization tour sponsored by the Turkish Flour, Yeast, and Ingredients Promotions Group (TFYI) in January. Found on the lovely, forested slopes of Mount Koressos (“Mount Nightingale”), near the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, and seven kilometers from Selçuk town in Turkey’s Izmir province, Meryem Ana Evi is believed to be the home Saint John the Evangelist brought the Virgin Mary to live in to escape persecution after the death and resurrection of Jesus, who had entrusted her to the apostle’s care. It is also believed that Mary spent her last years there before her assumption into Heaven.

Strengthening Meryem Ana Evi’s reputation is the significant role of Ephesus—or Efes, as modern-day Turks would call it—in the history of Marian belief. It is there that bishops established that the Virgin is the Theotokos, or “God-bearer” (Mother of God) during the ecumenical council held at the now-gone Church of Mary—the first in the world dedicated to her—in 431 A.D. It’s also in the city that the remains of the Basilica of Saint John—where the apostle is believed to have been buried—are located.

Despite its historical and religious significance, Meryem Ana Evi only became more widely known in the late 19th century, after Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey of the Daughters of Charity and Fathers Henri Jung and Eugine Poulin of the Congregation of the Mission used published descriptions of the house in the visions of German nun and mystic Anna Katharine Emmerick to locate it.

Since its discovery, several popes have looked favorably upon Meryem Ana Evi, which now functions as a chapel. In fact, three of them visited it during their pontificate: Blessed Paul VI in 1967, Saint John Paul II in 1979, and now-Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2006. And every August 15, believers would gather there to commemorate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.

For such a hallowed structure, Meryem Ana Evi doesn’t look like much. It somewhat surprised me at how modest and small the shrine is, built with gray and salmon-colored stones and bricks and on foundations that date back to the time of the Apostles. The house has been described as cross-shaped, but I personally couldn’t confirm it. In my view, it’s more like L-shaped.

Inside, where taking pictures are forbidden, there were two areas functioning as one room, carpeted and illuminated. It’s smaller than a typical adoration chapel. A draped, pre-Vatican II altar stood at the far end of the room, and just beyond it, an image of the Virgin, arms stretched downward and enshrined in a large niche. Slender candles flickered undisturbed; prayers were whispered or recited in silence. To the right of the altar was a small chamber that led visitors out of the shrine and to a stand that features framed passages from the Quran about Mary. Like Catholics, Muslims also hold her in high esteem. After all, she’s the mother of Jesus, whom they regard as one of their major prophets.

Though not as popular as Lourdes or Fatima, there’s no doubt that Meryem Ana Evi is cherished. I saw how much so on my way down from the shrine, upon reaching three springs whose waters—said to come from a well near the house—are reputed to have healing properties. The stones below their faucets have already darkened with use. Imagine the countless pilgrims who drank or filled their bottles with water from these springs through the years.

Then there’s the Meryemana, or “Wall of Wishes,” just beside the springs, where prayer intentions, written by both Catholics and Muslims on cloth, paper or plastic, are attached or inserted and left there, forming a textured and strangely lovely curtain. It said much about the strength of their faith. I’m sure a good number of those wishes must have been granted.

Meryem Ana Evi’s stature as a shrine may not be as great as those of the major Marian pilgrimate sites, but it is highly valued in its own right. More important, it holds one distinction that none of those sites could really claim: its ability to consistently draw believers from two of the world’s great monotheistic religions to honor a mother who’s “full of grace” and “blessed among women,” as the famous prayer goes.

In a month dedicated to her, it’s time, perhaps, to reflect on Mary not only as the virgin-mother of Christ and as queen of heaven, but also as a tireless gatherer and reconciler of peoples, regardless of their differences. In a time when more people seem to be more divided than united, that’s worth reflecting on.

For more information, visit www.meryemana.info.

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