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The Basilica of Saint John (St. Jean Bazilikası) was a massive Byzantine church that’s now in ruins. It’s located in the town of Selçuk, Turkey, just a few kilometers from Ephesus. The archaeological site also contains Ayasuluk Castle and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Ephesus.
History of the Basilica of Saint John
The Basilica of Saint John was built by Justinian I between 548 and 565 to house the tomb of Saint John the Apostle. It was modeled after the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople (now Istanbul), which was on the site of the Fatih Mosque. It replaced an earlier, smaller basilica built by Theodosius I.
Justinian’s basilica measured 428 by 213 feet while Theodosius’ basilica was 246 by 146 feet. Building material came from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. Six domes topped the Basilica of Saint John, which if reconstructed would be the seventh largest church in the world today.
The Basilica of Saint John became an important pilgrimage site for Christians but was no longer mentioned by the 9th century. Part of the church was converted to a mosque in 1304, and it was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1360s. The ruins were used to construct the Isa Bey Mosque down the hill.
Saint John and Ephesus
Saint John the Apostle traveled to Ephesus from Jerusalem and was later exiled to Patmos by Emperor Domitian. After writing the Book of Revelation, he was pardoned and returned to Ephesus. It’s also believed that he brought the Virgin Mary with him, and she may have lived in a house he built for her on Mount Koressos.
Visiting the Basilica of Saint John and Ayasuluk Castle
The Basilica of Saint John and Ayasuluk Castle are open daily. Admission is 130₺ (as of August 2023). The archaeological site is in the center of Selçuk.
Features of the Basilica of Saint John
The following features of the Basilica of Saint John are in the order of my visits through the archaeological site.
Gate of Persecution
The basilica was surrounded by walls containing 20 towers and three gates. The largest of the gates is the Gate of Persecution, which is to the south. It’s the best-preserved gate and serves as the main entrance to the complex today.
The Gate of Persecution consists of two towers flanking a central arch. A sarcophagus with reliefs of Eros was used in construction. It sits above the arch to the left. Other reliefs depicting Hector and Achilles were removed and taken to England in 1812.
Just inside the gate and past the ticket booth are the remains of Byzantine period homes and shops.
Atrium of the Basilica of Saint John
The atrium sat to the west of the church. It measures 34.7 meters by 47 meters. It was excavated in 1960 and 1975 by the Ephesus Museum.
The atrium contained colonnaded porticoes on three sides and an open-air central courtyard. Today, there are column fragments and capitals strewn about the yard. You can also see a couple amphorae.
Monastery Ruins
On the slope of the hill to the west of the atrium are the ruins of a church and monastery. They were discovered in 1981 and predate Justinian’s basilica. Archaeologists were originally excavating an Ottoman road that had been built on top of the ruins when they found the monastery.
Narthex of the Basilica of Saint John
The narthex contained eight doorways. The three doors on the west led to the exonarthex on the atrium. The three on the east led into the nave. One door each on the north and south led into the narthex from outside the structure. A few of the doors have been reconstructed.
Nave of the Basilica of Saint John
The Basilica of Saint John was built in the shape of a cross. It contained a central nave and two aisles. The galleries on each aisle were two stories high. The walls were covered in marble and mosaics while the floor was also covered in mosaics. The remains of the ambo are in the center.
During excavations, all of the columns on the ground floor were raised and the entire north gallery was reconstructed. This took several years to accomplish and was undertaken between 1960 and 2006.
Monograms and Inscriptions
If you look closely at the column capitals, you’ll notice the monograms of Justinian and Theodora. They were added at the beginning of the construction process in 548, the year Theodora died. You can also find various inscriptions on other columns as well as the initials of construction workers on marble floor panels.
Bema of the Basilica of Saint John
The bema sits at the end of the nave and is surrounded by several columns. It was the location of the tomb of Saint John. The tomb was underneath the bema, while the altar stood atop the tomb under a dome supported by four columns.
Pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem would visit the church and collect dust from the tomb. It was said that the dust was touched by the breath of Saint John, who was believed to be not dead, but rather sleeping underneath. This dust was called “manna” and it was thought to be holy and have healing powers.
The tomb was first excavated from 1920 to 1922 by Greek archaeologist G.A. Sotiriou. It contained four burial chambers but all were empty. It’s unknown who was buried in the chambers. Pope Paul VI visited and prayed there on July 26, 1967. A plaque on the site commemorates the event.
Synthronon
Behind the bema was the synthronon, where priests would sit during church services. It was most likely covered in pink marble. The synthronon contained a tunnel which led behind it from one end to the other. The apse is behind the synthronon.
Transept
The bema took up the central section of the transept. The north and south transepts were surrounded by columns on three sides.
Chapel
Just past the north transept are a few important rooms attached to the basilica. First is the chapel which is easy to notice. It’s protected by a wooden building covered by a tile roof. The chapel contains 10th century frescoes of Christ and Saint John as well as an opus sectile floor. It was used as a mosque after the Muslim conquest in the 14th century.
You can peer into the chapel through the gate in front. Unfortunately, the Turkish government hasn’t invested in anti-reflective glass making it tough to actually see the frescoes clearly. Instead, they’ve put copies next to the originals.
Treasury of the Basilica of Saint John
Next is the treasury, which was excavated in 1978. The eastern door leads to the chapel while the western door leads to a vestibule.
Vestibule
The western door of the treasury leads to a vestibule containing a beautiful mosaic floor and a set of four marble pillars that once served as supports.
Baptistry of the Basilica of Saint John
The western door of the vestibule, which contains an inscription in Greek on the lintel, opens to the baptistry. It’s a large octagonal room. The octagon symbolizes rebirth and renewal.
In the center is the baptismal pool, which has marble steps leading down into it. The person would walk down the steps from the west, become cleansed with the water, then walk out to the east. This symbolized dying with Christ, being buried with Christ, and rising with Christ.
An octagonal corridor surrounded the baptistry. It was accessible via doors from the east as well as others from the west and south. Sarcophagi were placed inside the corridor.
North Vestibule of the Nave
The north vestibule of the nave, separating the nave from the baptistry, is a corridor 3 meters wide by 34 meters long. It was covered with a vault and tombs were placed inside.
The vestibule was used by the Aydinids and Ottomans as an olive oil press, and a drainage channel and mill stone remain from these periods. There’s also a Byzantine fountain discovered in 1930. It was made of marble with architectural fragments taken from Ephesus.
Ayasuluk Castle
Ayasuluk Castle (Ayasuluk Kalesi) is a large fortress at the highest point of Ayasuluk Hill. It’s also included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Ephesus. The castle was under restoration for many years and I was finally able to visit for the first time in June 2022.
History of Ayasuluk Castle
Ayasuluk Castle was originally used as a citadel during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In 1990, pottery dating back to the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC to 2000 BC) and Middle Bronze Age (2000 BC to 1500 BC) were discovered during excavations.
The castle itself was originally built by the Byzantines in the 6th century and was called Hagios Theologos. In 1304, the Aydinids captured the region and began referring to the castle and area as Ayasuluk.
Architecture
Ayasuluk Castle has two main gates. One is on the east side, and the other, which is used as the tourist entrance, is on the west side.
The walls seen today were built during the Aydinid and Ottoman periods using rubble stone and recycled material from earlier buildings in the area. There are 17 towers along the walls of the castle.
Turkish Period Cisterns
Immediately inside the west gate, uphill and to the left, are a pair of Turkish period cisterns. They have vaulted covers.
Two more Turkish period cisterns sit next to the east gate, while a Byzantine cistern is further north of the east gate.
Mosque
Directly in the center of Ayasuluk Castle is a mosque. It has a dome and one minaret. Just down the slope of the hill from the mosque are the remains of soldier’s residences excavated between 2007 and 2008.
Palace and Bath
Following the path further up the hill, to the left are the remains of a villa and bath. They were excavated between 2009 and 2010. It’s believed the villa belonged to Isa Bey, the 14th century Aydinid ruler and the builder of the Isa Bey Mosque. The villa contains marble fragments recycled from ancient buildings.
Byzantine Basilica and Cistern
At the highest point inside Ayasuluk Castle is a cistern. It was once the apse of a Byzantine basilica dating back to the 5th century. Tradition says that Saint John the Apostle wrote his Gospel at the highest point of Ayasuluk Hill and prayed there, and the church may have been dedicated to him.
At some point during the Turkish period, the nave, narthex, and transepts were removed. The apse was then converted to a cistern by adding a column and two arches, and building a barrel vault as the roof.
Views from the Castle
Finally, I can’t write an entry about Ayasuluk Castle without mentioning the spectacular views from the top.
