Mary lived in Nazareth during the first century. She was a woman from Judea and the wife of
Joseph. Most importantly, she was the mother of Jesus. In the world of Christianity, she holds a special place.
People venerate her with different titles like "virgin" or "queen," and these titles are often mentioned in prayers. Various branches of Christianity, such as the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, believe that Mary, as Jesus' mother, is also considered the Mother of God.
However, among Protestants, opinions about Mary can differ, with some seeing her role as less significant.
According to the New Testament, Mary was a young virgin[d] chosen by God to give birth to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary raised him in Nazareth, a city in Galilee.
She was also in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified and remained with his apostles after his ascension. Although the Bible doesn't provide details about her later life, Catholic and Eastern Christian traditions suggest that Mary's body was taken up to heaven after her earthly life ended.
In Western Christianity, this is known as the Assumption of Mary, while in Eastern Christianity, it's called the Dormition of the Mother of God.
Since the early days of Christianity, Mary has been held in high esteem and is seen as the holiest and greatest saint by millions. Different Christian traditions have varying beliefs and practices concerning Mary.
The Catholic Church has special teachings about her, like her Immaculate Conception and her being taken up into heaven (Assumption). On the other hand, many Protestants downplay Mary's significance, arguing that there isn't strong biblical support for beliefs beyond her being Jesus' mother and a virgin.
Mary is also mentioned in the Quran multiple times, even having a chapter named after her.
She holds a high position in Islam, particularly among women.
People express their devotion to Mary in various ways. This includes saying prayers and singing hymns dedicated to her, commemorating specific days related to her in their religious practices, and showing reverence to images and relics associated with her.
Some even build churches and make pilgrimages to places connected to her. Over the centuries, many believers have reported seeing Mary in apparitions and have attributed miracles to her intercession. She has been a popular subject in the world of art, especially in Byzantine, medieval, and Renaissance art styles.
Mary in Christianity
In Christianity, Mary is often called the Virgin Mary. It's believed that she became pregnant with her son Jesus because of a miracle by the Holy Spirit, and she didn't need to have a husband. They say she remained a virgin until Jesus was born. People have given her different names like Blessed Virgin Mary or Saint Mary. Some also call her the Mother of God. She's important to Christians in different ways, and they use various titles to talk about her.
Different groups of Christians have different names for Mary. For example, Orthodox Christians call her "God-bearer," "ever-virgin," and "all-holy." Catholics use many titles, and these have inspired different pictures and paintings of Mary.
The word "Theotokos," which means "God-bearer," was used a long time ago to talk about Mary. It means she carried God in her. This idea was agreed upon at a meeting called the Council of Ephesus. People also call her "Mother of God" or "Mater Dei" in different languages. In pictures, you might see "ΜΡ ΘΥ," which are Greek letters that stand for "Mother of God."
There are some names for Mary that come from the Bible. Like "Queen Mother" because she was Jesus' mom, and he's sometimes called the "King of Kings." This is connected to a tradition about important mothers. Other names have come from stories about miracles or special times when people asked for Mary's help.
Mary in Islam
In Islam, Mary is called Maryam. She is the mother of Isa, also known as Jesus. People show respect to her by calling her "Sayyidatuna," which means "Our Lady." This is similar to how they call the prophets "Sayyiduna," which means "Our Lord." They also use the sweet name "Siddiqah," which means she always tells the truth and believes deeply.
Another name for Mary is "Qānitah." This word means she always listens to God and prays with all her heart. She's also known as "Tahira," which means she is very pure. This is because she's one of only two people (and the only woman) who Satan never came close to. In the Quran, it says she's the daughter of Imran and the sister of Aaron. The Birth of Jesus
I'll tell you about when Jesus was born. According to a story in a special book called the
Gospel of Luke, there was a rule from a big leader named Augustus. This rule said that a man named Joseph had to go to a place called Bethlehem because of a count of people. Joseph took his wife Mary with him. While they were there, Mary had her baby, and they named him Jesus. But there was no room for them in a proper place to stay, so they used a manger like a bed for the baby.
Mary was probably around thirteen or fourteen years old when she had Jesus, like how many girls got married at that age back then. But we don't know for sure, because there aren't any old papers that tell us exactly how old she was. After Jesus was born, they did a special ceremony for him when he was eight days old, and they named him "Jesus," which means "Yahweh is salvation."
After about 40 days, Mary went to a special place to give a gift and ask for forgiveness. This was a place called the Temple. It was a place where people talked to God. Later, they went back home to their city, Nazareth.
In another story from a book called the Gospel of Matthew, some wise people from far away came to visit baby Jesus. They followed a special star and found Jesus and his family in Bethlehem. They were so happy to see him that they gave him gifts. But a bad king named Herod wanted to hurt the baby, so an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Jesus and Mary and go to a safe place called Egypt. They stayed there until the bad king was gone. Then they went back to their own city, Nazareth.
When Jesus was about twelve years old, there's a special story about him. He got lost from his parents while they were visiting a special place to pray. They found him in a big building called the Temple, talking to important religious teachers. The House of Mother Mary
Let's talk about a special place called the House of Mother Mary. It's also called "Meryemana Evi" in Turkish. This house is on a mountain called Mount Koressos, which some people also call "Mount Nightingale." It's not far from a town called Selçuk in Turkey, about 7 kilometers away.
People found this house a long time ago in the 19th century. They looked for it because of something a special lady named Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich said she saw in her dreams. She was a nun and could see things that others couldn't. Her stories were written in a book by a man named Clemens Brentano after she passed away. Even though the big church doesn't officially say if the house is real or not, lots of people still come to visit it because they think it's special.
The lady, Anne Catherine Emmerich, was really kind and helpful to others, so a very important leader in the church named Pope John Paul II said she was a special person and called her "Blessed." He did this on October 3, 2004.
People who believe in Jesus and his mother Mary come to visit this house. They think that Mary, who was Jesus' mom, lived in this house for the rest of her life after Jesus went away. It's like a special place for them to remember Mary.
Many important leaders of the church, called popes, have given their blessings to this place, and some of them even visited it. They include leaders like Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. Visiting the Special Shrine
Imagine going to a very special place called a shrine. On the way there, you pass by a pool that looks like a keyhole. It's bigger than the one in a big church in another place called Ephesus. A long time ago, people who believed in a special person named Jesus might have lived here secretly or got baptized here to be part of his group. They wanted to stay safe from the people who ruled the area back then.
The shrine itself is not very big. It's more like a small chapel. The walls and buildings here are very old, dating back to when Jesus' special friends were around. But they've added a few things over time, like pretty gardens and special places for people to pray outside the chapel.
When you walk into the chapel, you see a big room. In the center of this room, there's a special table called an altar, and a big statue of a special lady named Blessed Virgin Mary. She was really important to people who believe in Jesus.
If you look to the right, there's a smaller room. People say that the Virgin Mary herself used to sleep in this room. They think that a long time ago, there was water flowing in this room like a small river. People even made a special spot to get drinking water from this flowing water outside the building. Special Things Outside the Shrine
Right outside the special shrine, there's something called a "wishing wall." People who
come to visit tie their wishes on pieces of paper or cloth and put them there. It's like they're sending their wishes to a special place.
Nearby, they grow all sorts of pretty flowers and yummy fruits. They've even added more lights around the shrine to make sure it stays bright and safe. And guess what? There's a water fountain or well close by. Some people who visit believe that this water can do amazing things, like help people feel better if they're sick or even help people have babies. Mary's House on Mount Bülbül
Mary's House, known as "Meryem Ana Evi" in Turkish, is located on a mountain called Mount Bülbül, about 9 kilometers away from a place called Selçuk. It's believed that around 4 to 6 years after Jesus passed away, a person named St. John brought Mary to Ephesus.
In the year 1891, some priests called Lazarists researched and found out that the house where Mary spent her last days was the same one that a German nun named A. Katherina Emmerick dreamed about.
Kusadasi Port to Virgin Mary House
This discovery was a big deal in the Christian world and brought light to the religions all around the world. The building has a special shape with a cross and a dome, and it was fixed up later. Even Muslims think this house is important. After Pope VI.Paul visited in 1967, every year on August 15th, there are ceremonies held at the house, and a lot of people come to see them.
Events in The House of Virgin Mary
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