20 Facts About Ephesus You Probably Didn’t Know

1. Since 2015, the ancient city of Ephesus has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. The Ephesus is home to the Church of Ephesus, one of the Seven Churches of Revelation mentioned in the New Testament.
3. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was destroyed in 356 BC by the arsonist Herostratus, whose act inspired the term “herostratic fame.”
4. The Riot of the Silversmiths, led by Demetrius against the Apostle Paul, took place in Ephesus, and this riot is included in the “Acts of the Apostles“.
5. According to tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, died on August 15 in the House of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus and was assumed into heaven.
6. The Grand Theater of Ephesus seated around 25,000 people, making it one of the largest theatrical structures in antiquity.
7. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens.
8. The Basilica of St. John in Ephesus was built by Emperor Justinian I, the same ruler who commissioned Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Modern name: Istanbul).
9. The House of the Virgin Mary, near Ephesus, is a revered pilgrimage site for both Christians and Muslims.
10. With a population of approximately 250,000, ancient Ephesus was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire.
11. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus holds a unique distinction as the first fully marble building ever constructed.
12. The Library of Celsus in Ephesus once stored around 12,000 scrolls, ranking as the third-largest library in the ancient world after the Alexandria and Pergamon.
13. Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians during his imprisonment in Rome in 62 AD.
14. The Council of Ephesus convened in 431 AD in the Church of Mary, shaping critical Christian doctrines.
15. Ephesus served as the center of St. Paul’s ministry for nearly three years.
16. The ancient city featured communal public latrines with side-by-side seating and no separators, reflecting Roman social customs.
17. The first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary is located within the ancient city of Ephesus.
18. Ephesus has been an official pilgrimage site since 1892, visited by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
19. Both Apostle Paul and St. John the Evangelist lived and preached in Ephesus, solidifying its importance in early Christianity.
20. The tomb of the Apostle John is located within the Basilica of St. John at Ephesus.

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