Grave of St. Luke (Ephesus)

The Luke's tomb is a circular building in the upper city of Ephesus.

Name and Location

The name was coined by the excavator John Turtle Wood, after he found a pilaster with a depiction of a bull ox and an incised cross above it; he interpreted this depiction as an evangelist symbol. Wood thought that the tomb of the evangelist Luke had originally been venerated outside the city, but around the year 300 it was re‑enclosed in the newly erected tomb building. Wood reconstructed this as a circular building with 16 columns, containing a cella equipped with windows and a domed roof.

The so‑called Luke's tomb has the object number 14 on the overall plan of Ephesus. It is located directly at the parking lot at the south entrance, outside the paid area.

Imperial‑Era Fountain

Re‑examinations by Andreas Pülz (Institute for Cultural History of Antiquity of the Austrian Academy of Sciences) in cooperation with the Austrian Archaeological Institute in the years 1997 to 2004 yielded the following picture: the ancient monument consisted of a base zone and an upper story. The base zone, about 2 m high, had a cast foundation; above it rose a ring with 16 marble columns. Within this ring was a masonry structure in the shape of a three‑quarter circle, containing a chamber system divided into several segments. The upper story has been completely lost to stone robbing and therefore cannot be reconstructed. Pülz interprets this installation as a monopteros fountain and dates it to the second half of the 2nd century AD. This fountain stood at the centre of an ancient meat market (macellum). Both bone finds and cattle depictions on reliefs support this interpretation.

Early Byzantine Church Architecture

In early Byzantine times (probably the 5th century) a crypt was added. With an open height of about 2.5 meters and two opposite entrances, this underground space was well suited for pilgrim activity. At the south entrance stood two reused pilasters. The room was painted in colour. The first register was flat, the second register, however, figurative; remnants of depictions of New Testament miracle stories are preserved. Around the early Byzantine church complex there were numerous burials.