A 4th-century basilica was built over an earlier mausoleum church in the reign of Theodosius I. Emperor Justinian built the present church, begun by 548 and completed by 565, with Hypatius of Ephesus presiding over construction. The article names no architect. It follows a Greek cross plan modeled on the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, a domed basilica with five domes on solid piers. The walls are mostly brick and stone ashlar, with marble columns and mosaic-covered vaults.
The basilica measured 428 by 213 feet (130 by 65 m), against 246 by 146 feet for the earlier one. Justin II and Tiberius II added decoration later.
Seljuk invasions in the 12th century led to decline. Around 1308 Ephesus fell to the Beylik of Menteshe, and the basilica was pillaged and turned into a mosque. It is now in ruins on Ayasuluk Hill.
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