The Church of Mary at Ephesus
"And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus...he (Paul) reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for 2 years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." Acts 19: 1, 9-10
The Church of Mary at Ephesus was constructed within a stoa of the Temple of Hadrian Olympios, at the south side, near the harbor, in the 5th c AD. Historians are not certain that this was the building in which the 3rd ecumenical council (The Council of Ephesus 431 AD) was held, but it seems likely. This council affirmed Mary’s title “mother of God”. Close to 100 years after the original construction, the church was expanded into a cathedral. The apse and some of the pillars from this construction are still standing today. There are archeological finds showing that the original church was built on top of an apsidal roman basilica building. The Bible is clear that there was a Jewish community at Ephesus. A Jewish lamp was found during excavation near the gymnasium at the theater indicating at least a possibility that the a synagogue may have been nearby. In the church of Mary, a glass container with a menorah was discovered giving further evidence of the Jewish community. And of course there is the famous graffiti of a menorah on the Celsus Library steps.
The Church of Mary has an early baptistery. The room is octagonal with an immersion pool in the center. Steps into the pool are reminiscent of a mikveh. This is one of the earliest baptisteries and does not have the cruciform shape that will become more common in the byzantine era.
When we saw this site in May 2025, it appeared there is some work being done in the fields around the Church of Mary - at the harbor gymnasium and maybe even the harbor baths.
Not many of the crowds of people visiting Ephesus make it over to the site of the church. It is a peaceful place to wander through and to think with gratitude about the years God gave Paul in this place, building up the early Christian church.
The Church of Mary at Ephesus. Standing in the nave looking toward the apse. Likely site of the 3rd Ecumenical Council. in 431 AD.
