House of the Virgin Mary

Southeast of Bülbül Dagi, on Ala Dagi (the ancient Mount Solmissos, 420m/1,378ft), is a building known as the House of the Virgin Mary (Panaya Kapula), in which the Virgin is said to have lived and died. The building, the foundations of which date from the first century A.D., was restored in Byzantine times but thereafter was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Its association with the Virgin only dates from the 19th century following the visions of a German nun, Katharina Emmerich (1774-1824), who gave a precise description of the situation and appearance of a house at Ephesus in which she claimed the Virgin had lived and died. In 1891, on the basis of her account, Lazarists from Smyrna (Izmir) discovered on the south side of Bülbül Dagi the ruins of a small church which had evidently belonged to a monastery, and this is now revered as the Virgin's house. The pilgrimages which began after the finding of the house continued on an increased scale after the Second World War, and the Feast of the Assumption (August 15th) is celebrated here with particular ceremony. The house, beautifully situated and commanding an extensive view, has also become a major tourist attraction.

The road to the House of the Virgin branches off the main Selçuk-Aydin road. In 4.5km/3mi it passes close to the Eastern Gymnasium and the Magnesian Gate and then continues for another 3.5km/2mi round the east side of Bülbül Dagi to the site.