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Ephesus is one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world, on the western coast of Turkey, and one of the most important places in the story of the early church.
You walk its marble streets past the soaring facade of the Library of Celsus and the vast theatre that seated twenty five thousand people. Nearby stand the Basilica of Saint John, built over the traditional tomb of the apostle, and the house honored as the last home of the Virgin Mary.
In Paul's day Ephesus was a great port and the center of the worship of Artemis, whose temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was here that Paul spent more than two years, and one of the seven churches of Revelation.
Paul preached here for over two years until all of Asia had heard the gospel, and the silversmiths who made shrines for Artemis started a riot against him in the great theatre.
The gospel took deep root in this city. "All the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." (Acts 19:10)
Why does Ephesus matter to pilgrims?
It is where you can walk the actual streets Paul walked and stand in the theatre where the crowd shouted him down. Few places make the Book of Acts feel as real. For pilgrims following Paul and John, Ephesus is the heart of the journey.
On the western coast of Turkey, near the port of Kusadasi, reached by land or on a Greek islands cruise.
The Library of Celsus, the great theatre, the Basilica of Saint John, and the House of the Virgin Mary.
Holy Sites
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