This house then becomes very sacred, even having the power to help people fulfill their wishes.
The story begins with the legends of the Virgin Mary and her family who moved to the periphery of a large city in the last years of her life.
Based on the description of the legendary city, it is speculated that it was the ancient city of Ephesus, although there is no record of this.
Rumors arose in the early 19th century with the event that a nun named Anna Katherina Emmerich (1774-1820) came back to life after her death and told about mysterious things.
In 1811, the nun Emmerich, who had dedicated her life to God, was bedridden in a small convent in Germany. In the midst of her delirium, she began to hear voices and images that were both distant and vivid. The stories tell in great detail about the life of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and his migration thousands of years ago.
It is said that at that time the nun was extremely ill. She lay on the bed praying with her arms outstretched. Then suddenly she had a fever and convulsions, her face flushed red.
Immediately after, a beam of light from above shone down on her body. When it reached the priest's hands, her hands were suddenly covered with blood, as if she had been nailed with a fishing hook.
The onlookers were extremely surprised and scared. It was as if Emmerich had just tasted the agony of Jesus' torture. Doctors can't explain it by medicine either.
The nun later regained consciousness, although still bedridden, but her mind was strangely clear. She began to tell stories about the Virgin Mary that she had just experienced. The stories were recorded by a writer named Clemens Brentano, before Emmerich lost consciousness completely just a few months later. She died at the convent in 1820.
Emmerich clearly saw the Virgin Mary leaving Jerusalem with St. John before the persecutions of Christians went bad. They came to Ephesus.
The ailing nun also saw the house where the Virgin Mary's family lived: a stone house built by St John himself. The house is quite small, perched on top of a hill, rectangular in shape and surrounded by a fence.
In the house there is also a small room located next to the stream. There is also a fireplace in the middle of the room. This is the place where Our Lady rested and lived every day.
According to Emmerich's account, after living in the new land for about three years, Mary became more and more eager to return to her homeland in Jerusalem, so Saint John and Saint Peter brought her back.
The hard pilgrimage made Our Lady sick. She emaciated quickly and everyone assumed that she would not survive. They began to prepare a grave for her.
But when the tomb was completed, it was also the time when Our Lady gradually recovered. She decided to move to Ephesus again. The journey, once again, took a serious toll on his health. The Virgin Mary eventually died in her new home, at the age of 64.
The Holy Apostles performed her burial and funeral. They put the body of Our Lady in a specially prepared coffin, then placed the coffin in a cave a few kilometers from the house.
Emmerich even saw St. Thomas cry bitterly because he couldn't make it to the funeral in time. The other apostles who witnessed Thomas so distressed had to let him directly into the tomb to worship.
The nun recounted: “When they reached the entrance of the cave, everyone prostrated themselves. Thomas and the members moved impatiently toward the door. Saint John followed them. The two apostles traced the bushes blocking the entrance to the cave and knelt down. Saint John went to the coffin and opened the lid. To everyone's amazement, the shroud was still intact, but the body of Our Lady was gone!"
After that mysterious event, the mouth of the tomb of the body of Our Lady was sealed forever, and the small house became the chapel of the apostles.
Emmerich's stories were later rewritten by the writer Brentano into the famous book "The Life of the Virgin Mary" published in the mid-19th century. However, at that time no one could identify it. whether the house of Our Lady still exists or not.
In 1881, a French pastor named Julien Gouyet, after reading Brentano's book, decided to go to the area of the Old city of Ephesus to learn about what was told in the story. He met the contemporary local Archbishop Monseigneur Timoni to present the idea and was helped by him.
After a long and tireless search, Gouyet finally found an old house that he believes was once inhabited by the Virgin Mary. The house sits on a mountain overlooking the Aegean Sea and the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus.
Gouyet excitedly submitted relevant reports to the Archdiocese of Paris and even to Rome. However, contrary to expectations and expectations, his work has not received any significant attention and interest.
It was not until ten years later, in 1891, that two other priests, Father Poulin and Father Jung, read documents relating to the death of the Virgin Mary at Ephesus. They decided to form a research group under the auspices of the nun Marie de Mandat-Grancey to review the site that Gouyet had mentioned.
Based on the notes left by Gouyet, the team found traces of the house on July 29, 1891. The condition of the house at that time was only mossy stone walls, the roof was completely destroyed. However, among the ruins, they found a statue of Our Lady still standing with a broken hand.
No other place in the region has a landscape that matches such legends. Furthermore, the team learned that the newly found ruins have been revered by the locals from generation to generation. They call this house Panaya Kapulu, which means "doorway to the Virgin Mary".
The research team's report began to attract the attention of church officials. They continue to conduct scientific research. Izmir's archbishop Monseignor even organized a team of seven priests and five experts to document and publish the book "The History of Panaya Kaplu" in December 1892.
After that, the nun Marie de Mandat-Grancey, who sponsored the research team and also believed in the story, worked hard to get the right to manage the site. She also tries her best to be able to restore and restore houses and other structures.
The relic complex was restored and completed in 1894. Mother Marie is credited as the founder, she managed this relic until her death in 1915.
Today, the House of the Virgin Mary has become a sacred pilgrimage site for Christians. The house was restored based on ancient stone walls, becoming a sacred chapel.
In the center, right at the entrance to the chapel is the largest room with the altar and statue of the Virgin Mary. To the right is a small room that is said to be the place where Our Lady used to rest. The water that he used to wash is now used for an outside fountain.
Most notable is the "Wishing Wall" located just outside the chapel. Pilgrims can write down their wishes on paper or a clean cloth and hang them on the wall. It is believed that the power of Our Lady can help them fulfill their wishes.
In addition, they also strongly believe that drinking water from the creeks in the area, which is used by the Virgin Mary thousands of years ago, has miraculous healing effects, or at least brings health. healthy for yourself.
The Roman Catholic Church has never claimed the authenticity of the site due to the lack of substantial scientific evidence. However, it can be seen that they value the House of the Virgin as much as the believers, as evidenced by the numerous pilgrimages visited by the Popes.
The first visit was by Pope Leo XIII in 1896, just two years after the site was restored. This was followed by the blessed pilgrimages of Pope Pius XII (1951), Pope Paul VI (1967), Pope John Paul II (1979) or most recently Pope Benedict XVI on November 29. 2006.
The story of the House of the Virgin is still very controversial, and perhaps no one is sure whether it is true or false.
However, in the midst of an increasingly complex modern world, its presence can still help people remember the most holy and purest things. That is thought to be much more valuable than right and wrong!
Huyền bí và rùng rợn quanh ngôi nhà Đức Mẹ Đồng Trinh
Tags:
catholic