Legend has it that Mary and St. John were Buried Here

Ephesus was an important city in early Christianity. It had originally been an important Greek city, and eventually got absorbed into the Roman Empire. The Romans made it the capital of their province of Asia, which turned it into a world class metropolitan center, a large population center bustling with trade and commerce. Being such a large city meant that Christianity naturally spread quickly in the city. John the Apostle and Saint Paul came here to establish the first Christian community. It’s likely that they saw this large urban center as good potential for building a new church and seeking new converts. As a result, Ephesus became one of the most important Christian cities in the early centuries of Christianity. There is also a tradition that Mary came here with John, and spent her last years in Ephesus. The city also hosted The Council of Ephesus, one of the first and most important councils in early Christianity that discussed the nature of Christ, and decided on a consensus of what Christi