June 3 - Church of St. John and House of Virgin Mary

Today our goal was the ruins of Ephesus and the surrounding area.  We first went to the site of the Basilica of St. John.  This church was built in the 6th Century on the location they believed that St. John was berried.  The site is on a hill over looking a mosque built in the 14th century shown below.

 The ruins of the basilica. 

Michael demonstrating the use of the baptistery in St Johns.

Down the hill, close to the mosque are some very old homes that are still in use today.

Mike looking for the perfect angle for his photograph.

From here we drove up this very windy, narrow mountain road.  So glad we were not driving this road on our own!  We did not see any buses on the road, so I am not sure how all these people got here.  You could not take photos inside - there was really nothing to see anyway.  It is just a modern building to shepherd people through.  Some people believe that Mary went to live in Ephesus with John the Evangelist in Ephesus in AD 37 in the high remote spot.  There were some ruins on this hill - but it is far from any village or source of food or water.  

 Of, course there is a souvenir shop.