Sarcophagus of Maria Magdalene

Gregory of Tours, Glory of the Martyrs 29, wrote in c. 550...

'Mary Magdalene rests in that city [Ephesus], although there is no building over her. In that city are also the Seven Sleepers, concerning whom I intend, at the Lord's command, to write something in the future. In the same city was the image of Artemis that the apostle Paul destroyed.'

Did Maria Magdelena travel to Ephesus with
Mother Maria and the Apostle John?

John is said to have written the Gospel of John in Epehsus

Did Maria Magdelena help him? She is presented as very close to Jesus and a predominant figure in the fourth Gospel and early Christianity.

Nearby is the cave of the Seven Sleepers

The Seven Sleepers, commonly called the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus", refers to 7 early christians who lived in Ephesus in the 3rd century A.D, in the time of the Roman Emperor Decius.
This was the time of prosecution to the Christains. These 7 young men hid
inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 AD, to escape
from the prosecution of Christians. Having fallen asleep inside
the cave, they slept approximately 150-200 years and woke
up during the reign of Theodosius II.

Very nearby at around the corner...

There are a number of holes on the northern slope of the Panayir Dağ (500 feet) over looking the Temple of Artemis near Ephesus ancient city. Investigations have shown that there holes contained some stellae or sepulchral monuments representing Cybele, The Mother Goddess of Asia Mİnor, with a lion sitting at her feet. Many are now in display at the museum in Selçuk.

The archetypal und archaic Anatolian goddess, Cybele, was revered not only throughout Anatolia but also on the neighboring (modern day) Greek islands.

Evidence of her cult can still be seen today in the cave formations and niches carved into hillsides. Her great gift to humanity is the mystery of rebirth.

Many of these caves symbolize the birth canal and end in womb-like forms. On the island of Samos, for example, one enters the caves as if stepping back into the darkness of the womb—not of a biological mother and father, but of the Great Goddess of eternity.

During our journey through Anatolia, we will visit many such places—caves and rock niches where Cybele was likely venerated long before the appearance and unveiling of the many goddesses who later emerged in human consciousness, in our hearts and in our souls.