The Church of Mary is a church of great historical significance located in Ephesus. It is also known as the Double Church, because it is thought one aisle was dedicated to the Virgin and the other to St. John, and the Council Church because the Council of Ephesus is believed to have been held here.
History
A great ecumenical council was held in Ephesus in 431, concerning whether the Virgin Mary might properly be called Theotokos, or bearer of God. The term had become popular in devotion and worship but was controversial. Many church leaders held that it was an appropriate title, reasoning that since Christ was both truly man and truly God, one could say Mary gave birth to God.
Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, and his party believed the term “Theotokos” threatened the humanity of Christ and denigrated the greatness of God, and suggested Mary be called “Christotokos,” bearer of Christ, instead. The council decided in favor of the Theotokos title, which has been used for Mary ever since. Nestorius was harrassed by mobs in Ephesus throughout the council, and exiled to Antioch afterwards.
The Acts of the Council of Ephesus, which record the events and discussions of the months-long council, state that the sessions took place in “the church named after Mary.” Until recently, it was thought that this Church of Mary was built under the reign of Constantine the Great (324-30), based mainly on its architectural style.
However, extensive excavations by the Austrian Archaeological Institute led by Stefan Karweise in 1984-86 and 1990-93 have revolutionized this long-accepted view.
The most recent excavations indicate that the Church of Mary was built into the south stoa (portico) of the great Olympieion (Temple to Hadrian Olympios), whose foundations can be still be seen to the north of the church. The Olympieion was a large temple precinct built from about 100 to 130 AD on a filled-in swampy area next to the harbor. The great imperial temple dedicated to Emperor Hadrian (who identified himself with the Olympian Zeus) earned Ephesus its second neokorate, the honorary title of neokoros or “temple-warden” that brought various privileges.
The south stoa that would later contain the Church of Mary was built after the Olympieion, around 200 AD. It was a monumental entrance to the sanctuary, but also an important building in itself. It has been variously identified as a corn exchange, public meeting house, or museion (science teaching center), but Karweise believes it was probably another imperial temple, dedicated to the joint emperors Caracalla and Geta. Ephesus earned its third neokorate from this temple in 211.
Whatever its original use, this basilica-like building south of the Olympieion was abondoned in the 3rd century, when the city was in decline because of a great plague and the attacks of the Goths in 258-62. The Church of Mary was later built in the ruins of this Roman building.
In the 1990s, Stefan Karweise and his archaeological team excavated the Church of Mary with surprising results.
He reports:
Whenever it was built, the Church of Mary served as the cathedral of Ephesus, with the bishop living in an adjacent palace, throughout Late Antiquity. One alteration during this time is attested by an inscription: one Bishop John had a portal cut through from the atrium to the narthex. This may be the bishop who was installed at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
In the 530s, Hypatius was bishop of Ephesus. An important figure beyond Ephesus, Hypatius was a leading theologian and writer who fought against the heresy of monophysitism at synods in Constantinople and was sent by Emperor Justinian on a diplomatic mission to the Ostrogothic government in Rome.
At home in Ephesus, Hypatius presided over the early stages of construction of the Basilica of St. John, a massive project which was financed by Justianian perhaps in part because of the influence of Hypatius. In his own cathedral, the Church of Mary, Hypatius commissioned a long inscription carved on revetment plaques in the narthex. The decree deals with the burial of the poor, an important charity provided by the church. It recalled the example of the Lord, who was buried in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea, and ordains that no church official should take money for burial services. The inscription shows the continued importance of the Church of Mary, which is called “the most holy church.”
After the Arab raids of 654 the bishop moved to the Basilica of St. John and remained there for two centuries until it came under attack in 867. The Paulicians, a militant Armenian sect, turned the Basilica of St. John into a stable and the bishop moved back to the Church of Mary, which was repaired and partially rebuilt for that purpose.
The later history of the Church of Mary is less clear, as the city of Ephesus was in sharp decline. But sealed graves have been discovered in and outside of the church that date all the way to the late medieval period, indicating the church was still in use by local Christians until at least the 14th century. Today, the church is mostly in ruins.
What to See
The Church of the Virgin was a classic rectangular basilica enclosed by rows of columns 260 meters long from the Roman stoa, with lateral walls added between them around 500 AD.
Entrance was through a large atrium, paved with marble slabs from other buildings in the city, and a narthex, paved with geometric mosaics. The walls were decorated with crosses and metal rosettes.
The well-preserved baptismal pool can still be seen on the north side of the church, and it is the best preserved of any in Anatolia. In addition, many of the walls and pillars of the church remain standing, along with the great apse, several capitals, and blocks inscribed with a cross.
The Church of Mary (Marienkirche) not only counts among the most significant of the historical monuments at Ephesus, it is also visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims annually. This church was the site of the Third Ecumenical Council, convened by Emperor Theodosius II at Ephesus in 431 A.D.
The Council was held to resolve a theological debate between two schools of thought about the nature of Christ and of His mother, Mary. One school, led by Nestorius, the Bishop of Constantinople, advocated that Christ was born human and became God, and that His mother should be called merely “Christ-bearer” or Christotokos (Χριστοτόκος). The more popular view, however, was that Jesus was the Son of God, was born God and, therefore, Mary was deserving of the honor of being called the Mother of God, (Θεοτόκος) or “Theotokos.” This view was led by Cyrill, Bishop of Alexandria, which united two natures human and divine in Christ.
Approximately 250 bishops journeyed to Ephesus from all over and took part in a heated debate over the divine nature of Jesus at birth. In the end, the Council concluded that Jesus was God, born God and Mary was rightly called “Mother of God.” Nestorius was denounced and excommunicated from the Church for his heresy. A torch-light parade exited the church proclaiming Mary as “Theotokos” and it is from this place that today Christians pray, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.”
A lesser Council was held here in 449 A.D. However, because of the controversial proceedings this second council was not accepted as ecumenical, and was labeled a “Robber Synod” and later repudiated at the Council of Chalcedon. From the 5th Century on, the Church of Mary served without doubt as the seat of the Bishop of Ephesus. Baptismal ceremonies were held in the polygonal Baptistery where thousands of Pagans were converted. This building is without doubt one of the most important testimonials of Early Christianity.
The Church of St. Mary, named for the Blessed Virgin herself, was discovered early in the 20th century and is believed to be the very first church in the world named for Mary. A passage in the synodal letter of the first Council of Ephesus reads: “Wherefore also Nestorius, the renewer of the impious heresy, when he had come to the city of the Ephesians, where John the Theologian and the Virgin Mother of God, the Holy Mary . . . from the assembly of the Holy Fathers and Bishops.” Since St. John lived in Ephesus and was buried there (according to Eusebius), it has been inferred that the ellipsis of the synodal letter means either, “where John. . .and the Virgin. . . Mary lived,” or perhaps, “where John. . .and the Virgin. . . Mary lived and are buried.” This passage gives witness to the oral tradition and belief held at that time that both St. John the Apostle and the Blessed Virgin Mary both lived and died at Ephesus.
The building received the canonical name of the “holiest church of the most holy, most honoured and eternal virgin Mary.” In later years, a complete alteration of the complex and a massive reconstruction was made necessary due to an earthquake which severely damaged the church. During this renovation, in the region in front of the apse, free-standing stone pilasters were erected instead of the columns; and the west part of the church was rebuilt as a vaulted dome church, with its own apse, using massive brick construction. The church was divided in two, with one part dedicated to St. John the Evangelist and the remainder to Mary, resulting in the name the “Double Church” by some. The Church of St. Mary served as a cemetery church until at least the 11th century, and many graves can be found at the entry plaza.
Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) visited ancient Ephesus in 1931 on the 50th Centenary of the Council of Ephesus, held in 431 A.D. as the papal legate in Bulgaria. During that visit, he toured the ruins of the Church of Mary, the site of the famous ecumenical council which declared Mary to be Theotokos, or “Mother of God.”
The Church of Virgin Mary in Ephesus
Father Jean Heroger with the newly discovered “Bull Column” in the 1890’s.
Church of Virgin Mary Ephesus
Church of Mary in the 1890’s. Note the large baptismal fountain (center), which is still present in the church today.
Church of Virgin Mary, Ephesus
Pope John XXIII visits the Church of Mary in 1931, prior to his becoming pope.
Church of Mary
The annual Theotokos Mass, held in October each year to commemorate the Council of Ephesus of 431 A.D., attended by several bishops and archbishops.
Church of Mary in Ephesus
Aerial View (Google Maps) of the Church of Mary (Double Church) in relation to the Arcadian Way and the great amphitheater at Ephesus.