The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-05-28
THE VIRGIN MAIsY'S HOME.

IhE F1ltNlN MANY . hOME
The House Where She Once Lived
in Ephcsus-Onicial Endorsement
OF the Discovery.
New York Herald.
The interesting ncws has just come
from Europe that some time since .
party OF antiquarians, in digging ovel
the ruins OF the ancient city OF Ephesus
In Asia Minor, camo across the house
in which the Virgin Mary lived after
She had left Jerusalem, and before
sne went to Mount Zion, where she
died.
1t was we'll known that the Virgin
had spent some years of her life in
Ephcsus and the ambition Of antigua
rlans has been to find the habitatior
she occupied. The announcement has
been made several times that the place
had been found, but careful investiga
tlon proved, to the satisfaction of the
vatican, that there was no foundation
Tor these annOunccments-th the
antiquarians in their Overzeal had
made mistakes.
But the habitation just unearth ed
at EphesGs must hereafter be regard cd
as the one the Virgin occupied, for tho
Vatican has officially declared it was
has put the seal Of its approval, Sc
adviccs to hand State, on the announce
ment that the crumbling walls OF the
dwelling found in the ruins OF ancient
Ephesus once sheltered the mother OF
the ltedecmer. This approval was not
given hurriedly, but only after mos,
conclusive evidence had been submit
ted to the Pope that there could be no
mistake about the matter.
1t will be disappointment to all in
tercsted in such matters that no details
respecting the habitation accompany
the announcement OF its discovery.
But tho house was probably OF the
kind SO common in those days-a plain,
one-storied structure. 1t. will be in
teresting 10 know in what condition it
was found and If it will be possible to
rcstol c it to its original shape.
Thus Ephcsus will possess from this
time on more than usual interest for
the Christian, and the probability is
that stately cathedral will yet be
erected to mark the spot where the
Virgin passed some OF the latter DAYS
OF her life. 1t was from this place
that she journeycd to Mount Zion,
where she died. The body was placed
in Il sepulchre in the Garden Of Getb-
semanc, but whom, few days later,
the Apostles rolled the sLone away
from the door Of the scpulnhre, the
body was not there. Thence arose tho
tradition OF the assumption of the
Virgin into Heaven, Il tradition that
Titan transferred to canvas and made
one OF the greatest creations Of his
genius.
Ephcsus was a very ancient city on
the wcst coast Of Asia Minor. 1t was
partly on ~ fertile PLATA near the
mouth of the river Cayster and partly
on some hills that rose gradually from
it. 1t was famed among the ancients
as the site Of the Temple of Diana.
The place was an important city and
commanded an extensive and varied
commerce. Tradition has it that it
was originally inhabited by the myth.
cal Amazons. 1t WAS early conquered
by the lonians, the time, according to
tradition, boing the eleventh century
B. c., and from that event dates the
history OF Ephcsus as IL Greek pCsses-
sion. 1t figures in Church history also
because it was at general council of
the Church held there in I3l that tho
hcrcSy OF NcstOrius was condemned
The place will now figure further in
church history owing to the discovery
in it Of the Virgins habitation.
Just why the Virgin sought refuge
In EphCsus there are several stories in
the traditions that have come down to
us from the dim past, but the one that
seems to be most generally credited by
writers is that is was due to persccu-
tions that broke out in Jerusalem.
After tho final scenes in the tragedy
OF the Cruci1iXion had been enacted,
Mary, accompanied by Mary Maeda-
lenc and st. John tho Evangelist, to
whose care tho Rcdocmer had COM
mittcd his mother, repaired to Jerusa-
lem. There they remained until the
prosecutions forced thom to seok safety
elsewhere, and they chose Ephesus.
Inc virgins Hight into Ephesus, under
the protection Of John, has becn made
inc thcmc OF many a famous painting,
in which the Virgin is generally
pictured with halo about her head
walking beside John, whose dcmcanor is
most ovcrcntial to her.
SO far as known, nothing has bcen
handed down to us with regard to The
sojourn OF the Virgin at Ephesus, no
details OF her life there, or anv in
cldcnts OF it. beyond the fact that t.
was thc'e Mary Magdalcne brcathcd
her last. This statement Is made bv
various Greek writers, and one of
them, in describing d journey he made
10 Jcrusnicm, says he saw the tomb of
MARY Magdalonc at Ephcsus. There
is also good authority for tho state
~ antthat tho Emperor Leon removed
Inc romans OF Mary Magdalcno from
Ephcsus to Constantinoplo in the yeaI,
$50 and deposited them in the chHrch
Of ST. Lazarus.
There are some writer's who saw
that while the Virgin and Marv Mar-
dalene were living at EphcsHs thry
USED to sit on the shores OF the Jcarian
pea and watch tho Grecian gal,evs ns
Chey directed thcir course toward
Soyrla, their birthplace. After Marv
Magaaiene's NJ &c death tho Virgin Journey.
ed PACK TO Syria to revisit the scenSs
narrowed by the Redemption and to