The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-25

drea, Informed them that there was a
tradition of immemorial antiquity among
the Inhabitants of a great lady" who
had died there.
on the 18th Of August of every year
the peasants made a pilgrimage to a part
OF the Bulbul Dag, which they called the
Panaghia Capouli, or gate of the virgin
me brigands abounded there.
The party passed the second day in as
cending the Bulbul Dag and ascertained
their position. On the third day they
reached the summit of the hill, a plateau
covered with dense growth Of oak. fig
olive and laurel trees They were then
feeling exhausted.
All day they wandered here until they
came TO field OF tobacco in which some
women were working. Asking for water.
tney were directed to clump Of trees.
Ihere, to their surprise. they found the
ruins of an old stone house.
Looking around they realized that the
situation was that indicated by Catherine
Emmerich. There was the sea on one
side, nearer to them than Ephesus, and
the ruins Of that city on the other side.
The house itself answered exactly to the
description.
The ruins were afterward explored by
Mgr. Timoni, archbishop of Smyrna, who
drew up report which showed that ex-
cept for its ruinous condition the house
was exactly like that described by Cath
crime Emmerich. This she said consisted
OF three parts. The central one was divi-
ded into three rooms, of which the last
was semi-circular, and served as an ora
tory for the Virgin. On the left was the
vestiary which Is now fallen to the earth.
and on the right was the bedroom, In
which the bed was a plank fixed a foot
and half from the ground. The house
Is now preceded by a square vestibule,
which Is admitted to be several centuries
later than the time of Christ
The next visitors to the ruins were stu
dents from the school Of Athens. They
made a careful comparison of the ruins
with those of the gymnasium at Athens.
Roman building which is known to date
from the hme Of Christ and Augustus.
They decided that the two buildings were
Of exactly the same period. 1t Is there-
fore proved by reliable scientific evidence
that the house is old enough to have been
that of the Virgin. Much remains yet to
be done to prove its identity completely
The dwelling place Of the Virgin In her
latter years has for centuries been a SUBJ
ject of controversy. There has, however,
been a persistent tradition from the earli-
est centuries that she went from Jerusa-
lem TO Ephesus. where she lived to an ex-
IRENE old age.
The last mention OF her in the New Tes-
lament Is that she remained in the upper
chamber with the apostles and holy wo-
men after the Ascension. Christ had COM
mitted her to the care Of st. John. 1t is
certain that he went to Ephesus and 1t Is
believed that he died there.
Ephesus. then one of the greatest cities
in Asia Minor, was the capital of the Ro-
man proconsular province of Western
Asia. It's temple was one OF the seven
wonders Of the world, and st. Pauls say
ing. Great is Diana of the Ephesians," is
familiar to everybody Afterward it be-
came the seat Of one of the strongest
Christian churches. The Goths sacked 1t in
A. ID. 200, and in the thirteenth century
It fell under the rule of the Turks and was
utterly destroyed