High on the forested slopes of Mount Koressos, about seven kilometres above Ephesus, stands a small stone chapel that draws pilgrims of two faiths. Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary spent her final years here, brought to Ephesus by Saint John, and the house was rediscovered in the nineteenth century following the visions of a German nun. Whatever one makes of the history, the site has been honoured by a series of visiting popes and is treated as a place of quiet devotion rather than spectacle. Because Mary, or Meryem, is deeply revered in Islam too, Muslim visitors come in large numbers, making it one of the rare shrines shared warmly across religions. The modest chapel takes only minutes to see; the atmosphere is the point. Below it, a spring said to have healing properties feeds taps where people fill bottles, and a nearby wall flutters with thousands of paper prayers and wishes tied by visitors from around the world.
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