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Although St. Paul frequently references the persecutions he endured in his letters to the churches in Greece, Macedonia, and Anatolia, the exact nature and locations of these hardships remain somewhat unclear. For instance, his mention of the "affliction that came to us in the province of Asia" (2 Cor 1:8) leaves room for speculation about whether this refers to imprisonment.
According to the apocryphal Acts of St. Paul, one particular episode of persecution took place in Ephesus, where an enraged crowd seized St. Paul, shackled his feet with irons, and imprisoned him, intending to expose him to the lions. However, two women, Eubola and Artemilla, who were devoted followers of Paul and wives of prominent Ephesians, secretly visited him at night. Desiring the grace of baptism, they sought to be baptized by the apostle.
By the power of God, accompanied by angels who illuminated the darkness of the night with their radiant presence, St. Paul was miraculously freed from his chains. He made his way to the seashore, where he baptized the women. Upon completing the sacred act, Paul returned to his prison cell, unnoticed by the guards, and awaited his fate as a martyr.
Later Christian tradition, in recognition of the site's proximity to the Aegean Sea, associated the westernmost tower of the fortifications on Mount Coressus (Bulbul Dağı) with this miraculous baptism, marking it as a significant location in the story of St. Paul’s trials and divine intervention.