View through the "Gate of Persecution" at the entrance to the Basilica of Saint John. Through the archway, one of the domes of the Isa Bey Camii can be seen.
The fortifications around the Basilica of St John was mostly composed of material taken from the ruins of Artemisium and Ephesus. Ephesus is a city of immense religious significance in the Roman Catholic tradition — it is believed by many to be the city in which the Virgin Mary spent her last years. The "House of the Virgin Mary," a shrine located in the vicinity of Ephesus, is considered to be the house where Mary was taken by Saint John. In addition, Ephesus is believed to be the city of the story of the Seven sleepers, which is not only a part of the Christian tradition but has also been mentioned in the Qur'an. -MA
Photograph created July 1960. Photograph processed August 1960. Formerly catalogued as B41.057, N.001. Notes written on the slide or index: Ephesus.
