Святой апостол и Евангелист Иоанн

St. John who was one of the 12 apostles and 4 Bible Authors lived and died in Ephesus. In the Bible of St. John we read that, Jesus Christ entrusted his mother (the Virgin Mary) to John before he died.

We certainly know that St. John came to Ephesus most probably with the Virgin Mary and kept her safe until she died at the Nightingale Mountain nearby Ephesus. Then he spent rest of his life in Ephesus and sometimes went to the nearby Greek Island Patmos. He wrote his gospel in Ephesus. It is not for sure, if St. Paul and St. John ever met in Ephesus. St. John reached the age of 100 before he died. It is known that he spent the most of his time at the Ayasuluk Hill, where the Castle of Selcuk is located today.

In the 6th Century A.D. the Byzantine Emperor Justinian gave permission to build a huge Basilica over the tomb of St. John which is close to the Selcuk Castle. Today the Basilica of St. John is under reconstruction and is open for visits.

St. John also established seven churches in Asia Minor, which are in the Aegean Region of Turkey. Ephesus, Sardis, Laodicea, Thyatira, Pergamum, Smyrna and Philadelphia were the ancient cities where these seven churches were established. Letters sent to these Churches by St. John still exist in the Bible.

In our Private Ephesus Tours, a visit to the Basilica of St. John is included. Click for our Seven Churches Tours, which include visits to the seven ancient cities, where once these churches were established.