The drive from Bergama to Selcuk was quite easy. Passing through the city of Izmir though was interesting, a small city of 3.5 million people. The road did improve to accommodate the larger amount of traffic.
The funniest reaction we are getting now, more and more, are people who recognize the Canadian flags on the bike and are honking, giving us the thumbs up, and 1 guy yesterday came up on an older BMW GS and said we were his heroes.
Hey we’re just out for a ride, long one mind you, but no big deal!
St Johns Basilica
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| Street entrance to Basilica |
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| Actual Burial plot. church was constructed around it |
After a swim we decided to go to the Basilica of St John the Evangelist. He was one of the 12 apostles and was the youngest and considered the most beloved by Christ. He died when he was 100 in Efes. It was also thought that he wrote his Gospel here as well, and cared for Mary, the mother of Christ. When Jesus was crucified he asked John to look after his mother Mary. He was known to have cared for Mary after Jesus’ death. He is buried in Efes
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| Explanation of church |
and if you read the photo explanations it will explain in clear detail how he and Mary came to be here. Apparently after Christ’s crucifixion several other of the Apostles met stoning and beheading deaths and of course St Paul was lucky to get out of Efes with his life.
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| Baptistry, full immersion at that time |
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| Fresco still preserved original |
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| An original Storage door in Baptistry |
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| A spare Sarchophargus |
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| Earthquake Evidence Huge chunks of church |
This site was unexpected to be as good as it is. Huge earthquakes have damaged the site in the past and evidence of that lays about all over, but some restoration work, and the quality and size of the site are impressive. If it had been completed as planned it would have become the 7th largest church in the world. The Baptistry was the best for intact pieces, and remember this was not John the Baptist.
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