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CHURCH
OF SAINT JOHN
St. John lived here with the
Virgin Mary after being cast out of Jerusalem in
37-42 A.D. according to legend, and it is thought to
be here that St.John wrote his gospel, and was
buried in the church bearing his name in accordance
with his dying wishes. A wooden basilica was first
constructed on
the site, above his grave, in the 4th century A.D.,
which was replaced in the 5th century by the present
church, built during the reign of the Byzantine
emperor, Justinian (577-565 A.D.).
During the 7th and 8th centuries, Ephesus was under
constant siege by the Arabs, when the church was
surrounded by a wall, which varied in structure over
the years, but possessed 20 towers and three gates.
The grand portal is the gate now used by visitors.
The two other gates are to the east and west. The
walls were built with stones taken from the
Gymnasium of Ephesus, as if in revenge for the
Christians thrown to the lions in that stadium
during the first years of Christianity. The Church
is entered via the main portal dating to the 6th
century, which consists of an arched entrance
flanked by two towers, leading to a small atrium
where one may see inscriptions related to the
Church, which were uncovered there during
excavations. This atrium, which measures 34x47
m. is on the western front, and consists of a
central court surrounded by an arched portico with a
balustraded gallery to "the exterior. A number of
amphora dating from various periods are to be seen
in the centre of the court. A three celled cistern
is buried below the western portal, and covered with
a vault. This is buttressed with flanking walls to
compensate for the curve of the site.
Between the atrium and the nave of the church is a
long narrow narthex. Massive lentils of dressed
marble frame the three doors leading to the atrium
and into the nave from the narthex. A wall and a
number of portals were added between the atrium and
the narthex at a later date, to create an
exonarthex. Five cupola surmount the narthex itself.
The main church is cruciform in plan, a classic plan
with three naves, and a superstructure of six, large
domes over the main nave, with vaulted flanking
naves. The domes were originally supported by marble
and brickbond piers, still partially in situ, with a
row of blue-veined
marble columns lining the Church between the naves.
The monograms of Theodora, wife of Justinian, are
engraved on these columns, which enables us to date
the structure. The above mentioned rows of Columns
are joined by a series of arches which in turn
support a second row of arches at gallery level. The
mausoleum chamber is situated before the apse in the
central nave, and is marked out by being raised from
the rest of the nave, with two steps between.
A chapel, originally part of the treasury in the
court, was converted for devotional use in the 10th
century. The frescos of St. John, Christ and other
sacred figures are contained in the apse. The
treasury is reached via a gate immediately before
it. This is a centrally-planned chamber, 6.30 m. in
diameter, fronted by an absidal vaulted hall and
flanked by a chapel. The main chamber is sub-divided
by a cruciform plan, into a series of cells, each
containing vaulted niches. It is
a
two-course building surmounted originally by a dome,
now in ruins. The baptistery is reached via a portal
letting into the forehall of the treasury. It is
connected to the Church via a long narrow corridor
running parallel to the northern nave. The baptismal
pool dates to the 6th century, and was originally a
tomb.
The
plan of the Baptistery is somewhat complex.
The main chamber is octagonal in plan, and is
framed by a narrow corridor and flanked on two
sides by absidal-planned halls. The main
baptistery is paved with marble, with the pool
in the centre. The baptistery predates the
Justinian church, being built in the 5th
century.
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