As you arrive in Ephesus, you will first see the Magnesia Gate, a marvelous example of ancient architecture that once stood tall as an entrance to the city. Begin a downhill walk with your guide into the city’s ruins. The route will take you past the Odeon, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater. The theater, one of the city’s best-preserved monuments, it is still used today for the local spring festival. It once had seating space for 24,000 people, and it is believed to be the site where St Paul preached to the Ephesians. You will also get to visit the House of the Virgin Mary, a domed cruciform chapel a couple of miles from Ephesus that became a significant place of Christian pilgrimage. The House of the Virgin Mary is considered by the Vatican to be a Holy Place, and a small shrine, dedicated to her, was found in the ruins when the house was first discovered.