Basilica
of St. John 
At his crucifixion Jesus asked his beloved disciple, John, to look after
his mother. John and the Virgin went to Ephesus between 42 and 48 AD and
lived there. John was martyred under the rule of the Emperor Trajan. There
has been much discussion as to whether John the Apostle is confused with
St. John the Theologian whose name, Hagia Theologos, gave the Turkish
name first for the town and later only for the hill, Ayasuluk. A small
church on the Ayasuluk Hill was dedicated to him in the 2C AD. This church
was replaced in the 6C by a huge basilica built by the Emperor Justinian,
the impressive ruins of which are still visible.
The basilica had a cruciform plan with four domes along its longitudinal
axis and a pair flanking the central dome to form the arm of the cross.
Under the central dome was the sacred grave of St. John. Pilgrims have
believed that a fine dust from his grave has magical and curative powers.
In the apse of the central nave, beyond the transept is the synthronon,
semicircular rows of seats for the clergy. To the north transept was attached
the treasury which was later converted into a chapel. The baptistery is
from an earlier period and now located to the north of the nave.
