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While we do not know exactly all of the places that Mary lived, history and tradition identify a few of her earthly dwellings.
The first house of Mary is the one in Nazareth, where she received the Annunciation from the Angel Gabriel.
What remains on the site of that ancient house is the “Grotto of the Annunciation” and some other traces incorporated into later constructions.
Bethlehem temporarily housed the Holy Family: Jesus was born in the Grotto of the Nativity.
A few hundred yards from the Church of the Nativity is a church called “the House of St. Joseph”: according to a tradition dating back at least 600 years, it was the residence of the Holy Family until the flight into Egypt.
Upon returning from Egypt, the Holy Family lived in Nazareth. Today, the house is a shrine dedicated to St. Joseph.
According to tradition, after Pentecost Our Lady moved to Ephesus with St. John the Apostle.
The house, venerated there as Mary’s dwelling, was discovered at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the visions of Anne Emmerich.
Lastly, there’s the “holy house of Loreto” which brings us back to the start: it’s the house of Nazareth, where the Annunciation took place.
Beyond the legend of how it arrived in Loreto, research showed a match between the house of Loreto and the missing part of the house of Nazareth.
The Virgin Mary herself, who was the first dwelling place of God among mankind, continues to show her maternal presence among us.
