Ephesus and the Virgin Mary’s Home

Ephesus is not a far distance from Izmir - only about 2 hours by train.  You transfer only once and exit the train in a small, quaint city called Selcuk and then take a short mini bus ride to the Ephesus archeological site.  The only way to the Virgin Mary’s dormition site is by taxi but if you do take a taxi you can enter Ephesus from the upper entrance and can walk downhill rather than uphill.  That’s what I decided to do/.I tried to talk two Brazilian woman to join me for the taxi ride so we could split the fare but I must have looked suspicious so they declined!

The Virgin Mother’s final resting place is somewhat historical but not completely so.  It is based on the fact that St. John the beloved disciple had been exiled to the island of Patmos by the emperor Domitian.  Once the emperor died, John was released from his captivity and returned to Ephesus to care for Mary in her final days.  It was only in the 1800’s that a German Augustinian mystic by the name of Sr. Catherine Emmerich who had many visions and depictions of Mary’s final resting place and frequently described the place in exact and specific detail as the place on Bulbal Hill.  It was also declared to be Mary’s place of dormition at the Council of Ephesus.  I had the opportunity to spend about 30-40 minutes there in peace and quiet prayer and reflection grateful for the visit and the chance to bring many people to prayer and thought in the very spot that the Virgin Mary spent her last moments in this world in.

This looked to be like a baptismal font of sorts.

These are the toilets for the bathroom.  You probably didn't get to choose who you sat next do and I doubt there were any partitions!

This is the amazing city street leading to the Library in Ephesus.  The fascade of the library is in amazing condition though the inside was destroyed by an earthquake.

Do you notice halfway down the sculpture, the Nike symbol? This is actually where the inspiration for the Nike symbol came from.  It is the original sculpture of the goddess Nike.

This is the theatre at Ephesus.  It seats 10,000 people.  They had opened it for public concerts, including many rock concerts.  Unfortunately they found that the very loud concerts were wreaking havoc 

on the building's structure so they are working to reinforce some of the structure

 so that it doesn't do any further damage. 

This statue is on the roadway from the Virgin Mary's home to the Upper Entrance of Ephesus.  It was donated by a wealthy American businessman.

I was dropped off at the upper entrance of Ephesus.  It is this site that has fascinated and intrigued most Christians coming to Turkey.  For one thing, it is an immense site and beautifully preserved. Many years of care and attention have been paid to restoration and respecting the historicity and culture of this special city and its importance in both the political and ecclesial world.  It was the center of life for thousands of citizens and faithful and was an important place of culture and commerce.  

You could just picture its citizens strolling down the cobblestone streets heading to the great library, or to the ampitheatre, to the bathhouses or to the marketplaces, or to the church or synagogue to pray.  Life was bustling and you could almost picture the vibe of the place in its heyday with children running through the streets, carts pulled by horses and farm animals and goats naying in complaint of their owners reigns.  Just off the center street there were several homes still preserved with immaculate attention giving a small glimpse into daily life for most wealthy Ephesians.  

You’d think I’d have had enough of the train system to have figured it out yet but I missed my first train headed back home.  So then I got on the really slow one.  I had hoped to join Jennifer at one of the oldest standing Smyrnan churches (St. Polycarp) for an ecumenical prayer service but I was already an hour late!  By the time I got there the door was locked.  I tried ringing the doorbell (to no avail) and ended up taking an uber back to my apartment to get some well needed rest.  My public transportation plan let me down but, that’s the way the tires roll sometimes.  Enjoy these fabulous pics from Ephesus and Mary’s house.