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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Y. Celine S. Rosario and María Teresa Hernández

Replica of the Virgin Mary’s House draws Catholic devotees in the Philippines

Philippines House of Mary - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The House of the Virgin Mary is a shrine located in Ephesus, Turkey, where the mother of Jesus is believed to have spent her final years. Thousands of miles away, nestled in a field outside Manila, a replica in the Philippines welcomes devotees in Asia’s biggest Catholic nation.

“The idea began as a place of refuge,” said Dennis Paez, the priest who led the project. “This is a place where no questions (are) asked.”

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