Wildfires in Turkey spare Virgin Mary sanctuary

Wildfires in Turkey are also stretching efforts to the limit. Hundreds of hectares of forest have already been consumed along the Aegean coast near Bodrum. In Izmir, the blaze came to within arm’s reach of the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, spared by a miracle, witnesses said. The faithful traditionally believe that a stone house at Ephesus was the last home of Jesus’ mother, and a site of pilgrimage for tens of thousands each year. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated, and tourists removed to safety.

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