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Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city on the
Mediterranean,and perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what
life was like in Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the
Eastern World, this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city
in the Roman
Empire, the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world. Legend has it that the Virgin
Mary,accompanied by St. Paul, came to Ephesus at the end of her life,circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church historians mentioned the
trip, and it is said that local Christians venerated a small house near Ephesus as
Mary's. In 1967 Pope Paul VI. visited the site, where a chapel now stands, and confirmed the authenticity of the
legend. Also the Basilica of St. John is located near Ephesus. St. John is said to have lived the last years of his life here and after his
death, a shrine was located over his grave. |
