Smyrna
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Rev. 2:8)—a famous Ionian city on the western coast of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the river Meles. Ancient writers praised it as the crown of Ionia and the jewel of Asia for its wealth and cultivated arts. The city repeatedly suffered destructive earthquakes. The encyclopedia also records a severe plague in 1814 and cholera in 1831. The Gospel was preached there in the apostolic age, and the Church of Smyrna received one of the seven messages of Revelation. Saint Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, served as its bishop and suffered martyrdom there.