Pre-Pandemic: Church of Mary Ephesus

On a rainy day, I sketched the Church of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus (Acarlar, 35920 Selçuk/İzmir, Turkey) which is an ancient Christian cathedral dedicated to the Theotokos. It was erected in the 3rd century within an earlier building. Architecturally, the structure can be described as a basilica with a nave and two aisles. Today, the best-preserved section of the structure is a cylindrical baptistery, located in the northern part of the atrium. In the central part of the baptistery, there was a pool, where the baptized people could be fully immersed in water.

Mary, the mother of Christ, was not the first woman honored in Ephesus. The city had a long tradition of religious worship of female deities. The first of them had been a local Anatolian goddess Kybele who was later merged with the Greek goddess Artemis. The temple erected to Artemis was once considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

According to the local tradition, the mother of Christ arrived at Ephesus together with Saint John and spent here the last years of her life. Although there is no decisive historical evidence to support this belief, there are some premises supporting it. The most significant one is the documented presence of Saint John in Ephesus, where he started writing his gospel. He was also buried in this city, and the basilica was erected in his name. As Christ entrusted him to take care of his mother, before dying on the cross.