House of the Virgin Mary

The house sits in pine woods above Ephesus, at the end of a winding road. It is modest — a single vaulted room, a few candles, a queue that moves quietly.

The site was identified in the nineteenth century from the visions of a German nun who had never travelled here, and the ruins that were found matched her description closely enough that the place has been a pilgrimage site ever since. It has been visited by several popes.

Below the chapel is a wall where visitors tie written wishes, and a spring that many people stop to drink from. Whatever you make of the history, the walk through the trees is worth the drive on its own.