Marian Advocations of Turkey
The land where the Virgin Mary lived her last years and where Christianity took her first steps
Turkey is a country with a deep Marian footprint. In Ephesus the Virgin Mary spent her last years with John; in Antioch the disciples were called Christians for the first time; in Constantinople (Istanbul) the richest tradition of Marian icons of Christianity - the Hodegetria, the Blaquernotisa - flourished and the dogma of the Theotokos was defined in the Council of Ephesus (431). Esmirna is one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse and the southeast anatol (Mardin, Diyarbakır) conserves millennial Christian communities that venerate the Virgin in her siriac and Armenian rites.
- Marvel and Marian anecdotes of Turkey
- La House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus (Meryem Ana Evi) was discovered in the 19th century, guided by the visions of Blessed Anna Katarina Emmerick. Pope Paul VI pilgrimed in 1967, John Paul II in 1979 and Benedict XVI in 2006. It is a pilgrimage place for Christians and Muslims.
- El Hodegetria icon ("the one that shows the way"), attributed to Luke, was the most venerated icon of Constantinople. Every Tuesday it was taken out in procession through the city walls, and it was attributed numerous miraculous interventions against the barbarian sites.
- La Virgin of the Blaties He protected Constantinople from his sanctuary by the Golden Horn. In 860, the Virgin's mantle was submerged in the waters and a storm miraculously dispersed the invading fleet of the Russians.
- En la Santa Sofia Cathedral, the mosaic of the Virgin Theotokos of the apse (9th century) is one of the oldest and most venerated of Eastern Christianity, recalling that it was in Constantinople that the dogma of the Divine Maternity of Mary was consolidated.
- El Monastery of Chora (Kariye) retains some of the most beautiful Marian mosaics in the Byzantine world, including the scene of the Virgin weaving purple in the temple and the cycle of her life.
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Constantinople (historical)
Constantinople, the "city of the Theotokos," was the heart of Marian devotion for a thousand years. There were the great icons, the most famous processions and the dogma of Mary's Divine Maternity.
Holy Marian Places in Istanbul
Virgin Hodegetria
The icon of the Hodegetria ("the one that shows the way") was, according to tradition, painted by St Luke Evangelist and brought from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the V century. It was the most sacred icon in the city, considered its palladium. For centuries, every Tuesday was taken in procession from the monastery of Hodegon to the forum and back, and countless miracles were attributed to it. The original was lost in the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
"Virgin Hodegetria, who shows the way to your Son, pray for us.
Virgin of the Blaquerns (Blaquernotisa)
The shrine of the Blaquerns, next to the Golden Horn, housed the cloak and the belt of the Virgin, brought from the Holy Land. The Blaquernotisa was the protector of the city and the imperial family. In 860, immersing the mantle in the sea, a storm erupted that dispersed the Russian fleet besieging Constantinople. The icon was restored and continues to be venerated.
"Our Lady of the White Ones, the protector of the peoples, pray for us.
Saint Mary in the mosaics of Chora (Kariye)
The church of the Chora Monastery (now Kariye Museum) conserves one of the most extraordinary muse cycles of Byzantine art. The 14th century mosaics narrate the life of the Virgin - her conception by Saint Anne, her birth, her childhood in the temple, the Annunciation - with an unparalleled beauty and detail. The Theotokos is the center of the whole narrative of salvation.
"Holy Mother of God, whom the mosaics of Chora proclaim, pray for us.
Santa María Draperis (The Virgin of the Bosphorus)
Founded in 1584, the church of Santa María Draperis is one of the most historic Catholic parishes in Istanbul. Located in the Beyoğlu district, next to the Bosforo, its icon of the Virgin with the Child is known as the "Virgin of the Bosforo" and is a pilgrimage goal for the Catholics of the city.
Por Santa María Draperis, Virgen del Bosforo, pray for us.
Co-Armenian Cathedral Our Lady of the Rosary (Istanbul)
The Catholic Armenian co-cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Pangaltı district is the seat of the Catholic Armenian patriarchy of Constantinople. Built in the 19th century, his Marian vocation under the title of the Rosary reflects the deep devotion of the Armenian community to the Virgin Mary. "
"Our Lady of the Rosary of Armenians, pray for us.
Syrian Orthodox Cathedral Meryem Ana (Estambul)
The Syrian Orthodox Cathedral of Meryem Ana ("Mother Mary") in the Tarlabaşı district is the seat of the Orthodox Syrian community of Istanbul. The Syriac community, one of the oldest in Christianity, will venerate the Virgin Mary with the title of Yoldath Aloho (Mother of God) in her liturgical tradition.
Praise Meryem Ana, Mother of God of the Syriac tradition, pray for us.
Iglesia Surp Asdvadzadz Kumkapı (Estambul)
Surp Asdvadzadzin ("Holy Mother of God") is an Armenian apostolic church in the historic Kukapı district, next to the Marmara Sea. It is part of the rich Armenian heritage of Istanbul, where devotion to the Virgin Mary is expressed in the liturgical tradition and in community life.
"Surp Asdvadzadzin, Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Province of Esmirna
Éfeso y Esmirna
House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus (Meryem Ana Evi)
The shrine of Meryem Ana Evi is, according to tradition, the house where the Virgin Mary spent her last years accompanied by Saint John the Evangelist. In 1891, following the visions of Blessed Anna Katarina Emmerick, she was visited by the Papes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. It is a sacred place for both Christians and Muslims, who also venerate Mary as Meryem Ana.
"Virgin Mary, who in Ephesus was given to us by Mother, pray for us.
Cathedral of the Assumption of Smirna
The Cathedral of the Assumption (or St. John's) is the Catholic Cathedral of Esmirna, one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse. Built in the 19th century on a previous church, it is the seat of the archdiocese of Esmirna and a testimony of the Christian presence on the Egeal coast of Turkey.
"Virgin of the Assumption of Smirna, pray for us.
Ntra. Sra. de la Asunción de Esmirna
Marian title holder of the Cathedral of Esmirna. The Catholic community of Esmirna, though reduced, keeps alive the devotion to the Virgin in this millennial city where Saint Policarpo, disciple of Saint John, was bishop and martyr.
"Our Lady of the Assumption of Smirna, pray for us.
Ntra. Sra. de la Paz de Büyükada
The church of Our Lady of Peace is located in Büyükada, the largest of the Prince Islands in the Marmara Sea. The local community vents the Virgin under the apvocation of Peace, in a place of recovery and natural beauty that has been a refuge for Christians for centuries.
"Our Lady of Peace of Büyükada, pray for us.
Antioch
Roadground
Ntra. Mrs. de la Anunciación de Antioch
Antioch was the cradle of Gentile Christianity, where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11.26). The Catholic community of Antakya vents the Virgin under the title of the Annunciation, recalling that it was in this region that the Christian faith began its universal expansion. The church of the Annunciation is the seat of the community.
"Our Lady of the Annunciation of Antioch, pray for us.
Mardin (Abdin Tour)
Abdin tour
Monastery of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Manastırı)
The Meryem Ana monastery in the Tur Abdin region is one of the spiritual centers of the Orthodox Syriac Church. Tur Abdin ("Mount of the Servants of God") is a region of ancient monasteries where devotion to the Virgin Mary (Yoldath Aloho) has remained alive since the first centuries of Christianity.
"Virgin Mary of Meryem Ana Manastırı, pray for us.
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır (Amida)
Iglesia Surp Astvadzadzin (Diyarbakır)
The Armenian Apostolic Church of Surp Astvadzadzin ("Holy Mother of God") in Diyarbakır is testimony to the Armenian presence in the Tigris region. The Armenian community of Diyarbakır, although very small, maintains its faith and devotion to the Virgin Mary in this city of millennial history.
"Surp Astvadzadzin from Diyarbakır, pray for us.
Iglesia Meryem Ana (Diyarbakır)
The Orthodox Syriac church of Meryem Ana in Diyarbakır is one of the centers of the region's millennial Syriac community. The Syriac tradition, which uses the liturgy of Santiago, will venerate the Virgin Mary with a deep sense of her divine motherhood.
In the first place, I would like to thank you.
Trebisonda
Trabzon
Ntra. Sra. del Rosario de Trebisonda
The church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Trebisonda, on the Black Sea coast, is the seat of the Catholic community of Trabzon. The city was an important center of the Byzantine Empire (the Empire of Trebisonda) and maintained a Christian tradition to this day.
"Our Lady of the Rosary of Trebisonda, pray for us.
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