The Church of Mary

The Church of Mary (Turkish: Meryem Kilisesi) is an ancient Christian cathedral dedicated to the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary), located in Ephesus, Turkey. It is also known as the Church of the Councils because two councils of importance to the history of Early Christianity are assumed to have been held within. The church is located in the south stoa of the Olympieion (Temple of Hadrian Olympios) next to the harbor of Ephesus. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... A cathedral is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishops seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... According to the New Testament, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic מרים, Maryām, from Hebrew Miriam) was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth; at the time of his conception she was betrothed (or engaged) to Joseph and was a virgin. ... Historical Map of Ephesus, from Meyers Konversationslexikon 1888 Ephesus (Greek: , Turkish: ), was one of the cities of Ionia in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes) flows into the Aegean Sea. ... The term Early Christianity here refers to Christianity of the period after the Death of Jesus and the foundation of the churches of Jerusalem and Antioch in the 30s and before the First Council of Nicaea in 325. ...

History

The church is dated to the early 5th century, coinciding with the Council of Ephesus or the Third Ecumenical Council held in 431, suggesting that it may have been built specifically for the council, during which the title of Theotokos for the Mother of Christ was decides. The latest archaeological evidence suggests that the church was built on the ruins of an earlier Roman basilica-like building abandoned around the 3rd century. Around 500, the church was expanded into a monumental cathedral, whose apse and pillars partially still stand today on the site. The Council of Ephesus was held in Ephesus, Asia Minor in 431 under Emperor Theodosius II, grandson of Theodosius the Great. ... In Christianity, an Ecumenical Council or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... Motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... St. ...

The church served as a cathedral,the seat of the Bishop of Ephesus throughout Late Antiquity. A cathedral is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishops seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese. ... Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. ...

See also

• Seven churches of Asia
• House of the Virgin Mary, also in Ephesus, believed to be the place where Virgin Mary lived until the Assumption

The seven churches of Asia are seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. ... Pope John Paul II visited the House of the Virgin Mary in 1979. ... The Assumption has been a subject of Christian art for centuries. ...

Resources

• Stefan Karweise, The Church of Mary and the Temple of Hadrian Olympios. Helmut Koester, ed., Ephesos: Metropolis of Asia (Harvard University Press, 1995), 311-20.

External links

• The "Marienkirche" (Church of Holy Mary) in Ephesos, information on the official site of the archaeological excavations conducted by the Austrian Institute of Archaeology

Coordinates: 37°56′41.78″N, 27°20′21.13″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...