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©TIE
2004-2008
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The
impressive ruins of the Byzantine Church of
St John mark the spot where St
John the Evangelist was buried.
The
church is on the slopes of Ayasoluk
Hill near the center of Selçuk (the
town next to Ephesus),
just below the fortress.
St
John is believed to have spent
the last years of his life in Ephesus writing
his version of the Gospel. Emperor
Justinian (527-565 AD) believed
that a tomb dating from the 300s
was John's, so he built a great
church above it in the 500s.
In
later centuries the ruined church
was pillaged for building materials,
but restoration allows you to see
its extent and to imagine its beauties.
Plan
to spend about 30 minutes here. You
can easily walk here from the center
of Selçuk.
Just
down the hill from the basilica is
the 13th-century Isa Bey
Mosque, recently restored,
open for free (it's a working mosque)
and worth a look.
To
the southwest, look for the ruined Temple
of Artemis between the St John
Basilica and the Ephesus
archeological site.
St
John Basilica is about 3.5 km (2
miles) from the Ephesus
archeological site.
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Above, the
monumental Roman portal into
the basilica enclosure.
Below, partially
restored Byzantine ruins
of St. John Basilica, Selçuk.
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