House of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana)

Despite its fame, the House of the Virgin Mary is a modest chapel, not a museum, and the visit inside lasts only about 15 minutes. People come for the setting and its meaning: a stone house shaded by olive and plane trees, on a hilltop 7 kilometres outside Selcuk, which Catholic and Orthodox Christians, along with many Muslims, revere as the last home of Mary, mother of Jesus. Admission in 2026 is 700 TL.

At a glance

How this house was identified

After the crucifixion, early Christian tradition says, John the apostle took Mary to Ephesus. Centuries later, in the 1800s, Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German nun who never travelled outside Germany, had visions in which she saw a house on a hillside near Ephesus. Using her account, Lazarist priests from Izmir combed the hills in 1891 and came upon the remains of a small stone building; its foundations may go back to the 1st century, and its walls are later Byzantine work. The Catholic Church has never formally confirmed that Mary lived here, yet Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1979) and Benedict XVI (2006) all came, and the house draws pilgrims. Mary is also revered in Islam, where the Quran calls her Maryam, and many Turkish families make the visit.

What you will find

• The chapel: a modest restored stone building with icons, an altar and a corner for candles. No photography inside, and visitors stay silent.
• The spring: taps in a row below the house, where pilgrims collect water they regard as blessed.
• The wishing wall: hung with paper and cloth notes that visitors tie on to ask for help or to give thanks.
• The gardens and outdoor altar: used for masses, especially for the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August, which draws big crowds.

When to go

Arrive early, before tour groups from the Kusadasi cruise ships start coming in around 09:30, or come in the late afternoon. Expect heavy crowds on 15 August. Being up on a hill, the site is cooler than Ephesus, so many tours stop here first and walk the ancient city afterwards.

The house is part of most of our Ephesus tours. Our private Ephesus shore tour from Kusadasi starts at the port, includes Mary's house and Ephesus, and gets you back to the ship within six to eight hours, guaranteed. The Bodrum port day trip to Ephesus and Mary's house takes eight to nine hours because of the longer drive. A full private day on our Ephesus highlights tour also includes the house.

Practical advice

• Pay by card; the gate does not take cash.
• If you would like spring water, carry an empty bottle.
• No shuttle runs from Selcuk. The easiest choice is a return taxi that waits for you.
• Candles and small religious souvenirs are on sale at the entrance; buying them is optional.
• Pilgrim groups have mass here on some days; keep back from the altar while a service is going on.
• The road up is narrow with many bends, which makes having a driver welcome.

For more sites in the area, see our Ephesus and Kusadasi guide.

Frequently Asked Questions