Selçuk - Basilica of St John

A short distance from the main square of Selçuk, the lower ward of the citadel is entered through the Byzantine Gate, also called the Gate of Persecution, erected in the seventh century using fragments of earlier masonry. A few paces beyond this are the remains of the Basilica of St John, which occupied almost the whole breadth of the hill and ranked with Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Apostles (destroyed) in Constantinople as one of the largest Byzantine churches. According to tradition the grave of St John the Divine is under the church. Originally a mausoleum with a domed roof borne on four columns was built over the grave. The Emperor Justinian (527-65) replaced this church by a monumental three-aisled basilica on a Latin-cross plan, with six domes. Including the narthex at the west end and the arcaded courtyard the new church was 130m/427ft long and 40m/130ft wide. The position of the Saint's tomb was marked by a tiered marbled platform, from which steps led down to the tomb.

After the Seljuks captured Ephesus they converted the church into a mosque (1130). Later it served as a bazaar until it was finally destroyed in an earthquake. In recent times it has been partly restored. A tablet commemorates a visit by Pope Paul VI on June 26th 1967.