Catholic Pilgrimage to Turkey in 2027: Paul, Ephesus and Mary's House

A Catholic parish pilgrimage to Turkey works best as 7 to 10 days built around Ephesus, where St Paul spent about three years (Acts 19 and 20) and where Catholic tradition places the last home of the Virgin Mary. Mass is said daily at the House of the Virgin Mary, and most groups add Istanbul and Nicaea for the councils, plus one or two of Paul's other cities. For a ready-made route, our 7-day Seven Churches tour with Ephesus and Istanbul starts from $2,050 per person.

Below, for parish priests and group leaders: Paul's places a group can really reach, Mass at the shrine, three route lengths and the 2027 dates. For the wider Protestant and Orthodox picture, see Christian tours of Turkey.

Why Turkey belongs on a Catholic pilgrimage

Much of the Acts of the Apostles happened in today's Turkey. Paul was born in Tarsus, preached his first missionary sermons in Anatolian towns and wrote to the Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians, all communities in this country. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26), today's Antakya, and St John is remembered at Ephesus.

The first seven ecumenical councils also met here. Nicaea (325) gave the Church the core of the Creed, Constantinople (381) completed it, Ephesus (431) proclaimed Mary Theotokos, the Mother of God, and Chalcedon (451), now Kadıköy in Istanbul, defined the two natures of Christ.

On 28 November 2025 Pope Leo XIV flew by helicopter from Istanbul to İznik, ancient Nicaea, to pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew beside the excavated basilica of St Neophytos, marking 1,700 years since the council. The next day he celebrated Mass for Istanbul's Catholics.

St Paul in Turkey: what a group can really reach

Paul crossed Anatolia on all three missionary journeys, but his towns are spread over a country larger than France, so the table groups them by how they fit a route.

St Paul's Church in Tarsus is a memorial museum, and Mass there has needed special permission. In Antakya the cave Church of St Peter survived the February 2023 earthquakes, but the city is still rebuilding, so we plan it only on request.

Ephesus for a Catholic group

Ephesus is the most important day of the pilgrimage. Allow a full day for the ancient city and Selçuk, and a second morning if you want unhurried prayer.

The Church of Mary. Near the harbour end of the site stands the long ruined basilica where the Council of Ephesus met in 431. General tours often skip it; ask your guide to stop. It is the natural place for a reading from Luke 1 or a decade of the rosary.

The Great Theatre. Acts 19 describes the silversmith Demetrius stirring up a crowd that rushed into the theatre shouting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians". The theatre still rises at the end of the Arcadian Way.

The Library of Celsus and the Terrace Houses. The library was built in the early 2nd century, after Paul's time; the roofed Terrace Houses show how wealthy Ephesians lived.

The Basilica of St John. On Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, Justinian's basilica stands over the traditional tomb of the Apostle John, marked inside the ruins.

When we checked, the ministry listed the ancient city as open daily from 08:00, and the foreign-visitor ticket was €40. A new tariff starts on 1 April 2027; under it the MuseumPass Aegean costs €105 and covers state sites in İzmir, Aydın, Muğla and Denizli provinces for seven days, including Ephesus, St John's Basilica, Miletus and Hierapolis. Our private Ephesus tour, from $300 per person, gives a group its own licensed guide and vehicle. See the Ephesus ancient city guide for the layout.

The House of the Virgin Mary: Mass, prayer and timing

The House of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Evi) is a small stone chapel on the wooded slopes of Bülbüldağı above Ephesus. Lazarist priests from İzmir identified it in 1891, guided by the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich. The Church has never ruled on the historical claim, but three popes have prayed there: Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2006.

Mass. Mass is celebrated at the shrine every day. Several independent sources list Sunday Mass at 10:30 and a weekday evening Mass whose time moves with the season. As the shrine does not publish one fixed timetable, we confirm times for your dates before fixing the day. The main annual celebration is the Assumption on 15 August, a Sunday in 2027; expect large crowds and summer heat.

If you travel with your own priest. Groups regularly celebrate at the shrine's outdoor altar area, but slots are agreed with the chaplains and cannot be promised in advance. Send your preferred date and time early, and ask your priest to carry his celebret, the letter from his bishop, as churches abroad may ask for it.

On the visit. A sloping path leads to the house; the chapel is small, so groups enter in turns. Below are the spring taps and the wall where visitors tie written prayers. The shrine charges its own entrance fee at the gate, separate from the Ephesus ticket. Plan 60 to 90 minutes, longer with Mass.

Visit the shrine first, while it is cool and quiet, then the ancient city, then St John's Basilica. For a base, our hotels near Ephesus page compares Selçuk and Kuşadası.

Nicaea and Istanbul: the councils and the living Church

Nicaea (İznik). About two hours from Istanbul by road, İznik is a quiet lakeside town inside its Roman and Byzantine walls. The basilica remains in the lake shallows, found in 2014 and visible from the shore when the water is clear, are where the 2025 papal prayer took place. In the town centre stands the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, where the Second Council met in 787. Our Nicaea day tour from Istanbul starts from $450 per person.

Catholic Istanbul. The Basilica of St Anthony of Padua on İstiklal Avenue is the city's largest Catholic church and holds Masses in several languages. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Harbiye has a statue of Pope John XXIII, who served in Istanbul as apostolic delegate from 1935 to 1944.

The Byzantine city. Hagia Sophia (a mosque since 2020) and the Chora Church, with its mosaics of the life of Mary, are visited outside prayer times. Our Istanbul churches tour, from $180 per person, visits working churches of several traditions with a private guide, and the Christian heritage tour of Istanbul page has a fuller list.

Three route lengths for a parish

Check each tour page for its exact daily programme; where the House of the Virgin Mary or St John's Basilica is not already included, we add it on request.

We suggest nine days for most Catholic groups: a Mass day at the shrine without rushing the ancient city, plus Nicaea, which few general tours include.

For a southern Pauline extension, fly to Antalya for Perga and Attalia, where Paul and Barnabas preached, and Myra, where Paul changed ships for Rome and St Nicholas was later bishop; our Demre, Myra and Kekova tour starts from $140 per person. Tarsus, Pisidian Antioch and Antakya are arranged as a tailor-made route.

Dates and weather for 2027

Western Easter falls on 28 March 2027 (Orthodox Easter is later), Pentecost on 16 May and the Assumption on Sunday 15 August. Our Easter 2027 page covers Holy Week in Istanbul and Ephesus.

İzmir, the nearest city to Ephesus, averages highs of 21°C in April, 26°C in May, 33°C in August, 24°C in October and 19°C in November. Late April to early June and late September to October are the most comfortable months for walking Ephesus and Hierapolis. In summer, start at opening time.

Practical planning for parish groups

Passports and visas. US, Canadian, UK and most EU passport holders need no visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days. Parishioners on Philippine or Indian passports need a visa; Türkiye's foreign ministry allows them a short single-entry e-Visa if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit and meet the other conditions. Passports should be valid at least 60 days beyond the stay. Our visa requirements update lists other nationalities.

Guides. Licensed Turkish guides, English as standard; Spanish, Italian, Polish or other languages on request, subject to availability.

Prices for a group. The prices on this page are our published per-person rates. For a parish group, ask us for a written quote for your dates and numbers.

Dress and pace. Cover shoulders and knees at mosques and the shrine; women need a headscarf in mosques. Ephesus means about two kilometres on uneven marble. Entering at the upper gate and walking downhill helps older pilgrims, and a private vehicle can wait at each end.

Tours that cover this

• Seven Churches of Revelation Tour: 7 Days with Ephesus & Istanbul: from $2,050 per person.
• Biblical Turkey Tour: Seven Churches, Cappadocia & Istanbul, 10 Days: from $2,750 per person.
• Biblical Ephesus & Pamukkale 2-Day Tour from Istanbul, Flights & Hotel: from $720 per person, a short add-on to an Istanbul stay.
• Nicea (Iznik) Day Tour from Istanbul: from $450 per person.

All our religious tours can be adjusted for a Mass day at the shrine. Korean parishes can start from our pilgrimage page for Korean church groups.

Frequently Asked Questions