Translated by Vesna Stevkovska

          Our hosts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, and the Mayor of Bornova, organised a visit for us to the city of Selchuk and the ancient city of Ephesus. In Selchuk we visited the City Museum where many exhibits from Ephesus and other localities in Anadolia and the coast region are displayed. The museum is an unavoidable stop for visitors to this part of Turkey.

          We continued towards the well known, ancient treasury of Ephesus, situated less than 200 kilometres south of Izmir, 20 kilometres north of the summer resort, Kushadasi. Ephesus, the famous city of the past and the present, is situated at the foot of Mt. Bilbil, Koressos, where the Kaister river enters the Aegean Sea, and on the lowland region near the sea.

           This significant ancient city is first mentioned in the middle of the 7th century BC. Ever since its foundation it has played an important role in the Anadolian region. Because of this, it was often attacked and conquered. It was under Persian, Spartan rule. In 334 Alexander of Macedon conquered the city and the strategic military area surrounding the city of Ephesus. Ephesus was under authority of the Roman Empire and was a major city of the Asian province at the time. In the meantime, at the beginning of the first millennium, Christianity began spreading in the city very quickly. However, the Romans opposed Apostle Paul’s doctrines. This was confirmed by the residents of Ephesus, who demonstrated under threat against the spread of Christianity, gathering in the largest theatre in the city in order to express their anger against the “new” religion. However, according to many, Ephesus was God’s chosen place, where the Holy God Mother and St. John spent the last days of their life. Namely, the house of the Holy Mother of God is found very close to Ephesus, on the western side of Mt. Bilbil. The Church of St. John, one of the composers of the  Bible, reaches high over the present-day city. At the same time, one of the seven churches in Asia, where St. John found his inspiration for religion, was in Ephesus.

           The history of Ephesus records that, in AD 262, the Gothic destroyed the city together with the Temple of Artemis. The city never again regained its previous state of magnificent growth and development. It is also very significant for Ephesus that in AD 431 the Third ecumenical Council was held in the house of the Holy Mother of God. This council accepted the Holy Mother of God as Mother of God Jesus Christ.

           During our visit to Ephesus we saw numerous structures and objects from the long history of this significant ancient locality. We visited the remains of the Temple of Artemis, Trayan’s Fountain, the Marble Road, the Stadium, and other structures. However, the visitor is especially impressed by the great theatre, it being an exceptional experience. It is situated in a recess of the western side of the hill. Its size, expanse and magnificence gives one the feeling, and takes him in his thoughts many centuries far from the present. We were told here that in recent years Luciano Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias, and many other world famous artists presented their artistic qualities there before several thousand guests at this theatre.

          Our visit to the house of the Holy Mother of God aroused in us a special feeling of excitement, which transformed into peace. It feels as though one is somewhere in Macedonia, in one of the monasteries of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The picturesque area where the house of the Holy Mother of God was built reminds the visitor of the areas taken as models for the construction of Christian monasteries around the world. And here, according to the customs, after bowing in the church, leaving the temple and washing with the holy water, according to customs and beliefs, the visitor becomes an “ad`ija” (pilgrim.)

          The area attracts with its beauty and scenery, while the church represents a place where thousands of Christians and Muslims come to bow and to pray. It appears that this year the church will be most visited on 15 August, when the largest gathering to celebrate the third millennium of Christianity will be held. On this occasion  thousands of believers, Christians, Muslims, and others are expected to visit the house of the Holy Mother of God.

           According to written documents we know that St. John brought the Holy Mother of God to Ephesus during the fourth or fifth year, immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The house on Mt. Bilbil, planned and constructed by St. John, is at 420m above sea level. According to the tales the house was discovered by the German nun, Anna Katerina Emerich, who devoted her entire life to God. She was paralised and made spiritual connection with the Holy Mother of God. The documents claim that, while in a trance, she had a vision that the Holy Mother of God was buried somewhere near the church. This was confirmed by some Lazarian priests, who in 1891 discovered the location of the house where the Holy Mother of God spent the last days of her life. Thus, it was discovered that the cross-shaped building and dome were ruined, but were later restored.

           During our visit to the house of the Holy Mother of God we were familiarised with many details relating to the discovery of the temple, as well as the visits and respect of both Christians and Muslims towards this spiritual centre. The large statue in the garden of the church giving one the feeling that the Holy Mother of God welcomes guests and those of good intent with widespread arms, leaves one with a special impression. On the other hand, the statue of the Holy Mother of God found in the apse was erected about a hundred years ago and represents a magnificent structure before which everyone bows and pays respect to the Mother of Jesus Christ.

            During the evening hours we returned to Izmir where we stayed at the exclusive hotel of “Ephesus” situated in the centre of the city and is of a high category. The city, though, whose Turkish name is Izmir, is also known by the name of Smirna. It is a major seaport in Asia Minor, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, and is the third largest city in Turkey. Smirna is an old Ionic settlement which was renewed in the 4th century BC. During the Roman Empire and Byzantium, Izmir was one of the largest cities in Asia Minor. Its history claims that the city had been under the rule of the Tatars, who devastated it. Later it was under the rule of the Greeks, who built it and turned into Greek, and in 1922 it was freed by the Turks, headed by Kemal Ataturk. This significant seaport and strategic land location has been an important NATO base since 1952.