Day 5–House of Mary, Ephesus, and the Church of St. John

Awoke to a brilliant blue skies this Easter morning. How appropriate our itinerary included Virgin Mary’s House, Ephesus, and the Church of St. John. After a great breakfast in our favorite top floor lounge, we bussed to the House of the Virgin Mary. Jesus had asked John (the evangelist) to take care of his mother Mary, and he brought her to Ephesus to spend her last days. The setting was peaceful and it was easy to see why John chose this particular place for Mary to live. She passed away there and August 15, her ascension day, is well remembered.

House where Virgin Mary lived after Jesus’ death until she died

Mary’s view of the Aegean and the hills beyond

Our new guide Rabia helped us find fresh wild asparagus. Delicious!

We drove a few kilometers to the ruins of Ephesus and spent several hours wandering around the 4 BC area where John preached to the Ephesians. Under the Romans, Ephesus became the major port of the Aegean. But as the port dried up, the city continued to be important to Christianity.

Most iconic of all the ruins is probably the Library of Celsus. The Temple of Hadrian, Gate of Hercules and the theater were also impressive. The private terraced homes, recently excavated, revealed a life rich in “modern” conveniences (indoor plumbing), wonderful mosaic floors and wall decorations.

We navigated the marble streets and were delighted we’d gotten to Ephesus before noon, for tons of visitors descended upon us just as we were leaving. But during the entire tour, I was humbled by those who’d come before, by those who had forged ahead and created such an exquisite city.

Notice the “recycled” cornice used in the wall. Often columns and other materials are moved and reused

This floor mosaic is from a private home and was not damaged at all by the disastrous earthquake in 200 AD

The commercial agora where Paul preached

The Goddess Nike. Notice the swoosh below her right hand on the left

These terrace houses had Great Wall art. The roof of one house was the ceiling of the next. Top floor? The penthouse.

After a fun lunch, we drove back to the hotel, which just happens to be across the street from the Church of St. John, where John the evangelist was buried. Followers felt they were blessed (healed) by the “dust” emitted from John’s tomb, but his bones were eventually moved to Rome.

Where John was buried before his bones were taken to the Vatican

Where the dust of the bones of John was said to rise and heal people

After a wonderful presentation by our hotel host Nazmi trying to sell us his oriental rugs, he hosted a great meze/wine bash on the top floor lounge. There we toasted our host, enjoyed our fellow travelers’ tales, laughed and bonded. So fun.

After serving us tea, Nazmi touted his many rugs. And yes, he made a few sales!

Ending our day with Nazmi’s wine and a grand buffet of appetizers