Model
based on archeological and historical research of the Basilica of the Tomb of
St. John the Theologian near Ephesus
According
to Byzantine chronicles, the Tomb Basilica of St. John the Theologian, located
in the fortified village which was accordingly named Agios Theologos (The Holy
Theologian) was one of the most-visited shrines in Byzantium, frequented by
pilgrims from both East and West. As the renowned Byzantine historian
Procopius of Cesarea (6th c ) writes, “The sanctuary of St. John the
Theologian was one of the most revered churches, and enjoyed great honor
throughout the Roman Empire.”
In addition to the universal reverence, especially in Byzantium, felt towards the place itself where St. John the Theologian was buried, the miracle of the holy dust from his tomb, which lasted for more than ten centuries, attracted many to this place. This “mana,” as the dust was called, would spout out of St. John the Theologian’s tomb during the all-night vigil on the eve of the feastday for this miracle, that is on the night of the 7th to the 8th of May according to the Julian calendar.
Since the tomb of St. John the Theologian became a place of pilgrimage from the time of his mysterious burial and disappearance in the early 2nd century, a small church, a martyrium, was built over it in the 3rd century. Then in the fourth century, thanks to the support of the Christian Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Theodosius the Great, a basilica was built over the tomb, which was constantly enlarged and beautified. In the fifth century, a powerful earthquake damaged this basilica. As a result, in the 6th century, Emperor Justinian the Great (builder of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople) and his wife Empress Theodora built a significantly larger basilica (130 x 65) on the site of the former, damaged one.
The chronicler mentioned above Procopius (6th c.) describes Justinian’s basilica as “very large and beautiful,” saying that his endowment built over the older, smaller church of St. John’s tomb “resembles the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople in every way.” Such a comparison to the Church of the Holy Apostles, which was second only in magnificence to Hagia Sophia, speaks volumes of the grandeur of the Theologian’s basilica.
The
interior of the five-domed Basilica of St. Mark in Venice can give us an idea
of the interior appearance of the Tomb Basilica of St. John the Theologian near
Ephesus. This basilica in Venice is known for its rich golden mosaics, gilding,
stained glass, and all-around artistic excellence which suggests what the
Basilica of St. John was once like.
We
have very early descriptions of this sanctuary from Christian pilgrims, such as
the Gallic (or Spanish) Nun Egeria (4th century), Saint Augustine of
Hippo (5th c.), St. Willibald of Bavaria, enlightener of Germany (8th
c.), who all made the journey to the tomb of St. John the Theologian. St.
Willibald mentions special glass vials with icons of the saint which were
filled with holy dust from his tomb. The clergy of St. John’s Tomb Basilica
would distribute these vials to pilgrims, who would carry these vials around
their necks, taking them home, healing the ill, and even calming storms at sea.
[1]
Another interesting testimony is that of St. Photios of Constantinople (9th c), who writes, “St. John the Theologian, by the command of God, was transferred, it is said, from this place to another place, and being sought, he was not found; and he transferred the sanctity to the place where he had briefly lain, and we partake of this sanctity [or manna, author’s interpretation] as from a spring of holiness.”
St Symeon Metaphrastes (10th c), described the feastday on the 8th of May thus: “In and around the basilica there were more people than there are stars in the sky who had come to pray, witness the miracle, and receive the miraculous dust.”
Frequent Turkish attacks in the Aegean territory of Byzantium began in the 11th century, and from that time, the fortress of Agios Theologos changed hands many times between the Eastern Romans, Turks, and Papist Crusaders.
Russian pilgrim Hegumen Danilo, who visited the tomb basilica of St. John the Theologian in 1104, describes various relics of the basilica (indicating that the basilica had not yet been plundered) as well as the miracle of the emergence of miraculous dust from the tomb.
The German pilgrim Otto von Dael, who arrived in Agios Theologos in 1147 with the Crusaders, described the ancient city of Ephesus as a deserted ruin, while he depicted the basilica of St. John and the fortress as a well-fortified city.
In 1155, the Metropolitan of Ephesus, Georgios Tornikos, recorded that Agios Theologos was no longer a safe place to live and that the basilica of St. John had deteriorated significantly due to constant attacks by the Turks. His only solace was the holy dust that emerged from the tomb of St. John the Theologian.
In 1304, when the Catalan Catholic mercenary army was stationed around the basilica of St. John the Theologian, the Catalan mercenary Ramon Muntaner provided a very detailed description of the basilica, the tomb of St. John the Theologian, and the miracle of the emergence of healing dust in his "Chronicles."
The
wealth and relics of Agios Theologos and its surrounding churches, such as the
basilica above the cave of the Seven Youths of Ephesus, shared Constantinople’s
fate: they were plundered by the Crusaders. Thus, many of the holy relics which
had been treasured for centuries in Agios Theologos are now scattered
throughout Europe, where they can be found to this day.
Agios Theologos fell into Turkish hands once and for all in 1304, and under the Ottoman Empire, it acquired the name Ayasoluk.
Only six years later, in 1310, on his way to Jerusalem, St. Sava of Vatopedi visited Ayasoluk to venerate at the tomb of St. John the Theologian and describes the fortress village as a poor and desolate place.
In 1332, the Catholic monk pilgrim Wilhelm von Boldensele visited Ayasoluk on his way to Jerusalem after Patmos. Although the basilica was already in very poor condition, he was amazed by its unique size and beauty. He described it as a huge building covered with lead roofs and decorated inside with marble and mosaics.
In 1333, the Moroccan Islamic scholar and explorer Ibn Battuta, during his visit to Ayasoluk, left a detailed description of the tomb basilica of St. John the Theologian, which had already been converted into a mosque at that time. Despite having traveled throughout the Islamic world, Europe, Africa, India, and China, he referred to the basilica of St. John the Theologian as the "Great Mosque," stating that in terms of size, beauty, and artistry, there was nothing comparable to it in the whole world. He did not hide the fact that the "Great Mosque" had once been a famous Christian pilgrimage site. In his description of the interior, he mentioned walls covered with porphyry slabs and a floor paved with white marble. From the outside, he described the building as having 15 entrances and a roof covered with lead with 11 domes of various sizes. Based on this valuable testimony, we learn that in addition to the six large domes, the basilica also had five smaller ones that, following the Byzantine model, could only be located above the side aisles of the basilica.
Next is the description by the German priest Ludolf von Sudheim, who, like many of his predecessors, visited Ayasoluk on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1336. He mentions that the Turks had partially converted the basilica of St. John the Theologian into a bazaar. Inside the church, vendors had set up stalls selling silk, wool, grain, and other products. He also notes that the Turks charged Christian pilgrims for access to the tomb of St. John the Theologian.
All the memories of visitors to the tomb basilica of St. John the Theologian, who found it in relatively good condition, albeit as a bazaar or mosque, cease around the year 1350. The basilica was destroyed at the end of the 14th century, according to some accounts, due to Timur's invasion of the Ottoman Empire, and according to others, due to the destructive force of a powerful earthquake.
The Basilica of St. John the Theologian was certainly destroyed before 1375, as in that year the construction of the Isa Bey Mosque in Ayasoluk was completed. As long as the large basilica converted into a mosque existed, there was no need to build another large mosque in Ayasoluk.
Over five centuries, the ruins of the basilica were covered by oblivion, and the ravages of time erased all memory of its exact location.
During
a visit in 1840 of Russian traveler Abram Sergeyevich Norov, minister of
education of the Russian Empire, the location of basilica of St. John the
Theologian had been completely forgotten. As a result, he was convinced that
the Isa Bey Mosque was actually the basilica of St. John, and was very
saddened.
The English architect and archaeologist John Wood, who conducted archaeological research related to the site and remains of the Temple of Artemis near Ephesus and Ayasoluk in 1860, left notes about the Christian veneration of St. John the Theologian in Ayasoluk. He mentioned that various Christian communities from Izmir would come to Ayasoluk on certain days of the year to pray to St. Apostle John the Theologian. The Catholics held their service in the grand Isa Bey Mosque, believing that the building was actually the tomb basilica of St. John the Theologian, which the Turks had converted into a mosque. Despite the Catholics firmly holding this belief, Wood observed that the building had never actually been a Christian church but was constructed as a mosque.
This photograph from 1870 shows, in the background, on the far left, the Isa
Bey Mosque; in the mid-ground on the hill of Ayasoluk between the citadel at
the top of the hill and the gate on the right slope, a protruding remnant of a
massive vault of the basilica and a small Greek church can be seen.
Unlike
the Catholics, the Orthodox Greeks, residents of Ayasoluk and Kirkinjea
(nowadays Shirindja), according to J. Wood, built a small church dedicated to
St. John the Theologian for their own needs inside the dilapidated fortress on
the hill of Ayasoluk. They regularly held services there every Sunday and on
holidays, accompanied by the ringing of bells. This church, with a wooden roof
and dimensions of 10x5 meters, was built between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Unfortunately, the church was "removed" in 1960 during archaeological
excavations led by the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk. This church was located about
ten meters south of the main nave of the basilica.
The Armenian community from Izmir, as mentioned by J. Wood, believed that the basilica and the tomb of St. John the Theologian were located on Mount Coressos (Bulbul Mountain) at a place where there was a large stone that they believed to be the remains of the basilica of St. John the Theologian. Mount Coressos is located about 7 kilometers from Selcuk.
It is interesting to note the testimony from the travelogue of Vladimir Tepliashin, a Russian diplomat, historian, and publicist when he visited Asia Minor in 1880. In his detailed description of the gate and walls of the fortress of Ayasoluk, he does not mention the existence of the Basilica of St. John the Theologian inside the fortress even once. From this, it can be seen that he had no idea about the location of the basilica and believed that the main Selcuk mosque of Isa Bey was built on its site. Tepliashin's visit to Ayasoluk shows that at that time, there were no visible remains of the basilica inside the fortress.
First
archaeological excavations of the basilica by the Greek
Archaeologist/Byzantinist Georgios Sotiriou, 1921
Thus,
from the end of the 14th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the
location of the basilica and the tomb of St. John the Theologian was unknown,
covered by earth, and forgotten. The ruins of the basilica first saw the light
of day in 1921-1922 during the Greco-Turkish War, when the Greek archaeologist
and Byzantinologist Georgios Sotiriou began the first archaeological
excavations on the hill of Agios Theologos/Ayasoluk within the ruins of the
Byzantine fortification. In the first phase of the excavation, the most
important part of the basilica was found and excavated - the altar area with
the crypt and the tomb of St. John the Theologian, as well as the central part
of the main nave of the basilica. The excavation of the entire surface of the
basilica was completed by archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological
Institute from 1927 to 1931, with partial reconstructions of the excavated
remains. The largest and final part of the excavation and reconstruction of the
basilica remains was initiated and funded by a great benefactor from America,
George Quatman, with the Catholic "American Association of Ephesus"
from Ohio, USA, in 1957-1958. With his intervention with the Turkish
authorities, the unsightly settlement of Turkish immigrants from Macedonia
located around the basilica was removed.
Bishop
Akakije
[1] In
addition to glass vials, there were also ceramic/terracotta and lead vials.
Pilgrims usually wore the vials around their necks. They are circular in shape,
with an average diameter of 2 cm, and have two rings around the opening at the
top through which a chain was threaded. A glass vial with dust from the tomb of
St. John the Theologian is kept in the treasury of the Lateran Archbasilica in
Rome. Several terracotta vials found during archaeological excavations of the
tomb basilica of St. John the Theologian are displayed in the Ephesus
Archaeological Museum in Selçuk. One example of a lead vial with dust from the
tomb of St. John the Theologian, found in 2014 during archaeological
excavations of an early medieval basilica near Burgas (Bulgaria), is kept in
the Archaeological Museum of Burgas.
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