One of the most memorable places we visited during our pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul was the ancient city of Ephesus, located near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey. For me, visiting Ephesus was more than seeing impressive archaeological ruins. It was an opportunity to walk through a place where the ancient world, the beginnings of Christianity, Saint Paul’s missionary work, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary all come together.

From an Ancient Greek City to Modern Turkey

Although Ephesus is located in modern-day Turkey, its history stretches back thousands of years. Greek influence became especially prominent with the development of the Ionian cities of Asia Minor. In the fourth century BC, Lysimachus, one of the successors of Alexander the Great, established a new city of Ephesus near the older settlement surrounding the sanctuary of Artemis. When Asia Minor was incorporated into Roman territory in 133 BC, Ephesus became the capital of the Roman province of Asia and entered one of the most prosperous periods of its history.¹

Therefore, it is not quite accurate to say that Ephesus was simply part of Greece and was later taken by Turkey after a war. The political history of the region is much more complicated. Over many centuries, Ephesus and the surrounding region passed through Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. UNESCO notes that the medieval settlements around Ephesus reflect the arrival of the Seljuk and later Ottoman Turks.² Following the end of the Ottoman Empire and the conflicts of the early twentieth century, the region became part of the modern Republic of Turkey.

At the height of its importance, Ephesus was a thriving center of trade, government, culture, philosophy, and religion. Its location near the Aegean coast and its harbor helped make it one of the great cities of the ancient Mediterranean world. The impressive ruins that remain today—including the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, temples, streets, and terrace houses—give us some idea of the city’s former wealth and importance.³

The Temple of Artemis: A Wonder of the Ancient World

One of the most famous landmarks of ancient Ephesus was the Temple of Artemis, also known as the Artemision. It was dedicated to the Ephesian Artemis and became one of the most important religious sanctuaries of the ancient world. The temple was so magnificent that it was eventually counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Pilgrims came to the sanctuary from throughout the Mediterranean world. Today, very little of the great temple remains.⁴

Understanding the importance of Artemis also helps us appreciate what Saint Paul encountered when he preached the Gospel in Ephesus.

The Acts of the Apostles tells us that Paul’s preaching created considerable opposition because the Christian message threatened the religious and economic interests connected with the worship of Artemis. Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, gathered other craftsmen and warned them that Paul’s preaching endangered their trade. A disturbance followed, with the crowd shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:23–34).

The episode reminds us that Paul’s missionary work was not taking place in an insignificant town. He was proclaiming Jesus Christ in a powerful city where religion, commerce, civic pride, and culture were deeply interconnected.

Saint Paul and the Christians of Ephesus

Ephesus became one of the most important places associated with Saint Paul’s missionary ministry. The Acts of the Apostles describes his extensive preaching there, and Ephesus later became an important center of early Christianity. UNESCO describes the city as having played a significant role in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.⁵

Centuries later, Ephesus would become the site of one of the great councils of the early Church. The Council of Ephesus was held there in AD 431. The Council was particularly important for its teaching on Christ’s identity and its affirmation of Mary as Theotokos, meaning “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.” Saint John Paul II explained that the Council solemnly confirmed Mary’s divine motherhood because Jesus Christ, whom Mary conceived and bore, is truly the Son of God made man.⁶

The title “Mother of God,” therefore, is ultimately a statement about Jesus. Mary can be called the Mother of God because the child she bore is one divine Person, Jesus Christ, who is truly God and truly human.

The House of the Virgin Mary

Perhaps the most spiritually moving part of our visit was the House of the Virgin Mary, located several kilometers from the ancient city of Ephesus.

Christian tradition associates Saint John with Ephesus, and a later tradition also associates Mary with this region. This tradition naturally brings us back to the scene at Calvary. As Jesus was dying on the Cross, he saw his mother and the beloved disciple standing nearby. Jesus said to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son,” and to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” The Gospel then tells us that “from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26–27).

Tradition identifies this beloved disciple with Saint John. Because John himself became associated with Ephesus, a tradition eventually developed that Mary may also have accompanied him and spent part of her final years in this region.

We should make an important distinction, however, between tradition and established historical fact. The New Testament does not tell us that Mary traveled to Ephesus, nor does it identify the place where she spent the final years of her earthly life. Therefore, we cannot say with historical certainty that Mary lived in the particular house that pilgrims visit today.

The present House of the Virgin Mary became especially well known in the nineteenth century following the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. In 1881 and again in 1891, investigators searching the mountains near Ephesus found a structure that appeared to correspond to descriptions associated with those visions.⁷ The site subsequently developed into an important Christian pilgrimage destination.

UNESCO today includes the House of the Virgin Mary as part of the Ephesus World Heritage property and describes it as a Christian pilgrimage site approximately seven kilometers from ancient Ephesus.⁸ Popes have also visited the shrine, including Pope Paul VI in 1967, Saint John Paul II in 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.⁹

A Humble House and a Magnificent Temple

Walking through Ephesus reminded me that pilgrimage is not simply about visiting ancient ruins. It lets us encounter the places connected to the people whose faith helped shape Christianity. We remember Saint Paul courageously proclaiming Christ in a city devoted to Artemis. We remember Saint John and the first Christian communities. And at the House of Mary, even while recognizing the limits of historical certainty, we remember the woman who faithfully followed her Son from Nazareth to Calvary and remained with the Church in prayer.

The magnificent Temple of Artemis eventually became ruins. The Roman Empire that made Ephesus prosperous also disappeared. But Paul’s gospel is still preached, and Mary’s humble faith continues to inspire Christians worldwide.

Perhaps that is one of the lessons Ephesus offers us as pilgrims: the things the world considers permanent eventually pass away, but a life given faithfully to God can leave a legacy that endures for generations.

Notes

1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” describing the Ionian, Hellenistic, and Roman development of Ephesus and its designation as capital of the Roman province of Asia in 133 BC.
2. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” noting the medieval settlement at Ayasuluk Hill and the arrival of the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks.
3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” describing Ephesus as an outstanding Roman port city and identifying monuments including the Library of Celsus and Great Theatre.
4. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” identifying the Temple of Artemis as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and an important destination for pilgrims throughout the Mediterranean.
5. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” Criterion (vi), concerning the city’s significant role in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
6. John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater (March 25, 1987), no. 4; see also John Paul II, A Concilio Constantinopolitano I (March 25, 1981), discussing the Council of Ephesus and Mary’s title Theotokos.
7. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Ephesus World Heritage Nomination File, discussion of the House of the Virgin Mary and its nineteenth-century identification in connection with the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
8. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Ephesus,” which identifies the House of the Virgin Mary as a Christian pilgrimage site approximately seven kilometers from Ephesus.
9. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Ephesus World Heritage Nomination File, section concerning the House of the Virgin Mary and papal visits to the site.