EPHESUS CHURCH OF MARY (DOUBLE CHURCH)
Church of Mary in Ephesus
The Church of Mary in Ephesus is one of the most important structures remaining from the Christian period of the ancient city. It is also known as the Council Church, the Theotokos Church, and the Double Churches due to the transformations it has undergone. The importance of the building stems not only from its architecture but also from the fact that the Third Ecumenical Council was held here in 431 AD.
1. Where is the Church in Ephesus?
The Church of Mary is located in the ancient harbor area of Ephesus; near the Harbor Street, the Harbor Baths, and the large sanctuary dedicated to Hadrian Olympios. During the Roman period, it was one of the most vibrant and prestigious areas encountered by a visitor arriving in the city by sea.
Therefore, it is no coincidence that the cathedral of Ephesus was built here: the structure was easily accessible, spacious, and in a highly representative location for clergy and visitors arriving by sea.
Today, it is not visited as much as the Celsus Library or the Great Theatre, as it is located slightly off the main tourist route. However, in Late Antiquity, it was one of the religious and administrative centers of Ephesus.
2. What was here before the church?
The Church of Our Lady is not a standalone building constructed from scratch. A very long Roman basilical stoa, built in the 2nd century AD, stood on the same site. Early excavators interpreted it as the “Temple of the Muses” or Mouseion; however, the exact function of the structure is still debated. It is thought that the Roman structure may have been used for one or more of the following purposes:
• Trade and market activities,
• Stock exchange or goods exchange area,
• Lecture and conference hall,
• Exhibition and meeting place,
• Monumental stoa of the Olympieion sanctuary.
The long Roman structure was damaged by earthquakes and urban changes. With the rise of Christianity, the existing walls, columns, and marble fragments were used to convert the structure into a church. Therefore, the Church of Our Lady is a true architectural palimpsest (a multi-layered memory system): Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine walls are seen superimposed on top of each other.
3. Construction Date of the Church
Although older publications suggest the church was built in the 4th century, more recent architectural assessments indicate that the essential form of the first large church used at the Council of 431 may have been completed between 426 and 431 AD.
Coins found in the floor levels near the apse indicate that some basic structures were built after 426. The council documents state that the meeting was held in the “Great Church of the Virgin Mary Theotokos” and that the episcopal residence was located nearby. The large residential complex seen next to the church is consistent with this description, suggesting it may have been an episcopal palace.
Therefore, the most plausible chronology is as follows:
First phase: Roman structure
The long basilical stoa or public building of the 2nd century AD.
Second phase: Council Church
Around 426–431 AD, a large apse, new colonnades, narthex, atrium, and baptistery were added to the Roman structure. A three-nave Christian basilica was created, preserving parts of the old Roman walls.
Third phase: 5th-century renovations
After the Council of 431, the church was transformed into a more orderly and monumental cathedral. A new marble door was added to the narthex. The inscription on the door is associated with Archbishop John, who became Bishop of Ephesus in 451. The door features classical motifs taken from earlier Roman structures, such as Proconnesos marble, egg-and-arrow ornamentation, strings of pearls, palmettes, and dentils.
Fourth Phase: Domed Church
A section of the great basilica was probably converted into a cruciform church with a dome, supported by large piers and arches, after the 7th century. A significant portion of the thick brick piers seen today belong to this late phase. Researchers believe the dome was higher than the structures around the harbor and dominated the silhouette of Late Antique Ephesus.
Fifth Phase: Decline and Cemetery Period
With the decline of the population and the importance of the harbor, the large structure could no longer be fully utilized. Different sections of the church were converted into smaller places of worship; the surrounding area was used as a cemetery during the Middle and Late Byzantine periods. Bioarchaeological research continues today on the human remains exhumed from these cemeteries.
4. Architectural Features
Dimensions
It is generally accepted that the usable section of the Christian basilica was approximately 145 meters long and 30 meters wide. The reason for its unusually long and narrow appearance is that it was situated within a pre-existing Roman stoa. The approximate measurement of 260 meters mentioned in some accounts is often confused with the total length of the larger Roman complex rather than a single phase of the church.
Atrium
To the west, in front of the church, was a colonnaded and open courtyard. The atrium was not merely an entrance area; it was a transitional space where people gathered before religious ceremonies, where those receiving religious education waited, and where purification rituals with water were performed.
Narthex
It is the transverse entrance hall extending between the atrium and the main church. The narthex floors featured mosaics. Those who had not yet been baptized, penitents, or those not permitted to participate in the full ceremony could stand here.
The monumental entrance to the narthex is not precisely on the central axis. This may be due to preserved fragments of an ancient Roman structure, a possible tomb, or the building having been altered in different periods. This slight axial shift is a significant indication that the church was not built all at once.
Three-nave basilica
The main worship area consisted of a large central nave and two side naves. The north and south naves were not entirely equal; the plan was initially asymmetrical because the first Christian structure was adapted to the old Roman walls.
It is thought that there were second-floor galleries above the columns. The location of the three staircases identified in the church suggests that the galleries were approximately 9.35 meters above the floor. These galleries may have provided additional viewing areas during crowded ceremonies.
Apse and Sanctuary
At the eastern end was the large, semicircular apse where the priests were located. The apse was built near the center of the ancient Roman stoa and defined the eastern boundary of the structure. On its sides were rooms where religious objects were stored or where preparations for rituals were made.
Reused Materials
A significant portion of the church’s columns, bases, capitals, and facing stones were taken from older structures in Ephesus. This practice is called spolia, or “reused material usage” in Turkish.
The height and capitals of some columns do not perfectly match. This is less a result of carelessness and more a consequence of both economic reasons and the use of materials from the old pagan-public Ephesus in the new Christian cathedral.
5. The Baptistery
One of the most striking parts of the church is the freestanding baptistery, or baptisterium, located on the north side of the atrium.
The structure had a polygonal or nearly octagonal plan and was covered with a brick dome. At its center was a baptismal font embedded in the floor. Because steps led down to the font, it was not only possible to pour water over the head, but also, especially for adults, to perform immersion baptisms.
The baptism ceremony symbolically represented the death of the old life and the beginning of the new Christian life. The candidate would enter the font from one side, be baptized, and exit from the other; then, wearing white garments, they would be admitted to the church.
6. The Story of the Council of Ephesus, 431 AD
The event that brought the Church of Mary into world history was the Third Ecumenical Council.
What was the subject of the debate?
Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, objected to the title Theotokos used for Mary.
• Theotokos – Θεοτόκος: “God-bearer,” traditionally translated as “Mother of God.”
• Christotokos – Χριστοτόκος: “Christ-bearer.”
The debate here was primarily about the identity of Jesus Christ, not Mary’s personality. According to Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, the being born of Mary was the divine Logos itself, having taken on a human body. Therefore, Mary could be called Theotokos. The Council’s decision does not mean “Mary is a goddess.” The title Theotokos was defended not to deify Mary, but to preserve the belief that Jesus, born of Mary, was simultaneously a real human and a divine person.
Why did the council begin tensely?
Emperor Theodosius II ordered the bishops to be in Ephesus on June 7, 431. However, the Eastern bishops, headed by Patriarch John of Antioch, were delayed due to travel. Cyril of Alexandria, unwilling to wait any longer, opened the meeting on June 22, 431. The Roman representatives and the bishops of Antioch had not yet arrived. Nestorius was summoned to the meeting three times but did not attend. His doctrine was examined and initially condemned by 197 bishops.
When John of Antioch arrived in the city, he did not accept Cyril’s meeting and established his own counter-council, condemning Cyril and Memnon, Bishop of Ephesus. Thus, two rival groups of bishops emerged in the same city, each removing the other from office.
Later, Roman representatives arrived in Ephesus and confirmed the decision of the council headed by Cyril regarding Nestorius. The Emperor initially could not decide which side to accept; he even issued contradictory decisions regarding the arrest or removal of Cyril, Memnon, and Nestorius. Finally, Nestorius resigned. Complete reconciliation between the Antiochian and Alexandrian factions was achieved with the Union Formula of 433.
The Torchlight Night Procession
One of the most striking accounts surrounding the Council is the reaction of the people of Ephesus. According to tradition, as recounted in a letter Cyrillus sent to his friends, when news of Nestorius’s condemnation spread, the people illuminated the city and escorted the bishops to their residences with torches and incense burners.
This account shows that the people of Ephesus strongly supported the title of Theotokos. However, since the details of the event come from a source loyal to Cyrillus, the bias of the source should also be considered when recounting it as a historical narrative.
7. The Second Meeting in 449 AD
A second major church council was held in Ephesus in 449. This meeting was later called the Latrocinium, or “Council of Robbers,” by its opponents, and its decisions were largely rejected at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. UNESCO, in explaining the importance of Ephesus, particularly draws attention to the two major councils of 431 and 449.
However, the connection of the 431 meeting to the Church of Mary is stronger with written and archaeological evidence; the exact location of all sessions of the 449 meeting within the structure is not known with the same certainty.
8. Where does the name “Double Churches” come from?
The explanation that “half of the church was dedicated to Mary and the other half to St. John” is not reliable.
The structure was divided in different periods as a result of demolitions and repairs; new places of worship were successively created in the western and eastern sections of the great basilica. At one time, the domed church in the west and the old basilica section in the east may have been used together or consecutively.
Therefore, the remains give the impression that two churches stood side-by-side or one behind the other, and the structure is known as the Double Churches.
9. Is it proof that Mary lived in Ephesus?
No. The existence of the Church of Mary does not archaeologically prove that Mary lived in Ephesus.
It is a strong religious tradition that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John and spent her last years there. However, the House of the Virgin Mary is a different place from the Church of Mary and is located on Bülbüldağı, about seven kilometers from the ancient city.
The identification of the present-day house with Mary occurred in the 19th century following the accounts of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Therefore, although the House of the Virgin Mary is very important in terms of faith and pilgrimage, historical certainty and religious tradition should be separated.
10. The Story of the Transition from Artemis to Mary
Ephesus was a city where the tradition of the mother goddess was very strong for centuries. The Anatolian tradition of the Mother Goddess or Meter later merged with the cult of Artemis in Ephesus. During the Christian era, the same city became one of the most important centers of the belief in Mary-Theotokos.
This situation is sometimes oversimplified as “Ephesians abandoned Artemis and began worshipping Mary.” There is no document proving a direct and uninterrupted transfer of the cult. Moreover, the Church of Mary was built not on top of the Temple of Artemis, but inside the Roman stoa of the Olympieion complex near the harbor.
Nevertheless, UNESCO also states that a cultural reflection can be established between the ancient tradition of female divinity in Ephesus and the later veneration of Mary.
Points to look for when visiting the church:
The large apse: Shows the eastern and sacred side of the church from the Council period.
Thick brick columns: Belong to the later domed church phase; not to be confused with the columns of the first basilica.
Off-axis marble door: Indicates that the structure was altered many times and that older parts were preserved.
Baptistery north of the atrium: Unlike the large round marble trough, the actual baptismal structure is located here.
Incongruous columns and capitals: These are repurposed materials brought from older Ephesian structures.
Overlapping walls: Traces of the Roman stoa, the 431 basilica, the 5th-century cathedral, and the later domed church in the same area.
Episcopal residence: Shows that the church was not only a place of worship but also the administrative center of the Christian community of Ephesus.
The most important feature of the Church of Mary is that it does not have a single, regularly planned structure from any single period. The remains; The exhibition showcases the city’s transformation, from a Roman Empire port metropolis to Christian Ephesus, from a grand cathedral to a smaller medieval settlement, all in one place.
You can visit the Church of Mary, also known as the Double Church, one of the largest structures of the ancient world, with our guides during our Ephesus tours and receive detailed information.
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