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The Basilica was modelled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople and was built in the shape of a cross with six domes. The tomb of St John sat under the central dome and was a site of pilgrimage due to it lying on the route to the Holy Land. An old story says that when the Saint’s tomb was opened by Emperor Constantine no relics were found and it was said that this was due to the saints assumption into heaven. A second account claimed that John was sleeping beneath the tombs and his breathing caused a fine ash, called manna, to form on the tomb. On Saint Johns feast day, May 8th, pilgrims gathered to collect the holy manna from the tomb. A 14th century mercenary Ramon Muntaner wrote that he witnessed the ash bubbling up over the tomb, and that the ash could cure fevers and gallstones, could calm a storm if tossed into the sea, and induce birth in a woman when consumed with wine!
The Basilica is said to have been home to a relic of the True Cross which was worn by John, also he Basilica was believed to have housed the original manuscript of the Book of Revelation. In the 7th and 8th centuries massive walls were constructed around the basilica to protect from Arabian attacks. In the 9th century it appears the basilica fell in popularity but its lost to time the reason for this. In the 14th century the chapel was used as a mosque by the Turks but during the same century the Basilica became unsafe due to earthquakes.
A visit to the Basilica of St. John is highly recommended, and as it stands at the base of Selcuk Fortress it can make for a very nice excursion from the city of Kusadasi.
GPS: 37.95229, 27.36809