Ephesus is the
best-preserved classical city on the Mediterranean,
and perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what life was
like in Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World,
this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire,
the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. Paul, came to
Ephesus at the end of her life, circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church
historians mentioned the trip, and it is said that local Christians
venerated a small house near Ephesus as Mary's. In 1967 Pope Paul VI.
visited the site, where a chapel now stands, and confirmed the authenticity
of the legend. Also the Basilica of St. John is located near Ephesus.
and perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what life was
like in Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World,
this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire,
the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. Paul, came to
Ephesus at the end of her life, circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church
historians mentioned the trip, and it is said that local Christians
venerated a small house near Ephesus as Mary's. In 1967 Pope Paul VI.
visited the site, where a chapel now stands, and confirmed the authenticity
of the legend. Also the Basilica of St. John is located near Ephesus.