Apse and transepts, Basilica of St John, Ephesus
Apse and transepts of the Basilica of St John, built 536-565 AD under Emperor Justinian on the site of the apostle's tomb, Ephesus, Izmir, Turkey. St John the Evangelist spent his last years in Ephesus and died here. In the 4th century a church was erected over his tomb but in the 6th century Justinian ordered the construction of a large, 6-domed basilica built of stone and brick with marble columns in a Greek cross plan, the ruins of which we see today. The church measures 130x56m and was an important Christian pilgrimage site, attaining the status of Church of the Cross. The apse is to the East of the church and would have had a central altar. The domes were over the central crossing, choir, transepts and nave. Five domes rested on solid piers in the corners of the cross and surmounted the arms and centre crossing, held in place by massive marble pillars. Storks now nest on the capitals of the columns on the upper storey. The church interior would have been covered with frescoes, and the vaults with mosaics. An earthquake in the 14th century destroyed most of the building. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city founded in the 10th century BC, and later a major Roman city, on the Ionian coast near present day Selcuk. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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Aisle Apostle Apse Arcade Ashlar Ayasoluk Ayasuluk Byzantium Disciple Efes Ephesian Ephesos Ephesus Evangelist Ionia Ionian Izmir Narthex Nesting Pilgrim Pilgrimage Plinth Selcuk Stork Transept
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