The Cave Church of St. Peter (also the Grotto of St. Peter; Turkish Sen Piyer Kilisesi) is an ancient cave church with a stone facade, located just outside Antioch (modern Antakya), Turkey.
History
This cave is widely believed to have been dug by the Apostle Peter himself as a place for the early Christian community of Antioch to meet, and thus to be the very first Christian church.
Whether or not this is so, St. Peter (and St. Paul) did preach in Antioch around 50 AD and a church had been established in Antioch by as early as 40 AD.
Antioch became a major center for planning and organizing the apostles’ missionary efforts, and it was the base for Paul’s earliest missionary journeys. Famously, it was the inhabitants of Antioch that first called Jesus’ followers “Christians” (Acts 11:26).
The attractive stone façade of the church was built by Crusaders, who identified the grotto during their rule of Antioch from 1098 to 1268.
Facade of St. Peter’s Grotto in Antakya, Turkey.
What to See
The interior of the grotto church is austere and simple. The only permanent furnishings are a small altar, a single statue, and a stone throne. On the walls are the barely discernible remains of frescoes, and on the floor can be seen some traces of mosaics. In the back of the church is a tunnel that leads into the mountain interior, popularly believed to be a means of escape in times of persecution.
Worship services are still held in St. Peter’s Grotto, especially on the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul (June 29) and on Christmas.
Cave Church of St. Peter, Antioch,
Said to be the first Christian church made by St. Peter. It’s built into a hillside cave. The cave opening is large and the church was created by enclosing the entrance of the cave with a stone wall. They adorned the wall with star shaped windows and arches. Inside there are stability arches.
The cave church, St. Pierre has to be visited , The place is located just the outskirts of town, easy to reach if you do not have a car you can use a cab . For drivers there are plenty of directions, adequate number of signs posted . There is parking lot . I do not know how to do…
The church is a cave church and the facade of the cave dates 1000 years after it was used by early Christians. Barnabas and Paul the Apostle from Tarsus are believed to work here for Christian community, and there the converts were called Christians for the first time in history.
Said to be the first Christian church made by St. Peter. It’s built into a hillside cave. The cave opening is large and the church was created by enclosing the entrance of the cave with a stone wall. They adorned the wall with star shaped windows and arches. Inside there are stability arches, and a chair and table carved from stone. The floor shows the remains of a once beautiful mosaic. In the back right is a small hollow where water drops down and pools. This is said to be used as a type of baptismal. The back left has a walkway leading to an escape tunnel which climbs up and out of the church. When walking around the hillside it looks littered with small tunnels and caves, and a few cut-outs which look like necropolises. The church has a visitor center which is where you pay your entrance fee of 5 Lira each, there is a gift shop, bathrooms, and snack bar. There is a trail leading up the mountain to the left of the church. Following it will take you to a carving in the mountain rock. It’s a large carving of a man’s portrait, with a smaller person standing on his right shoulder. A lot of guides will say it’s a carving of Jesus. But I’ve researched it and found it to be “Charon” (the ferryman of hades in Greek Mythology). The smaller person, gazing over the city is thought to be Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164). Who contracted the carving to ward off the plague, thus they were trying to appease the ferryman…
A lot of history at the church. Very small and simple. Easy to visit. Note visitors must be able to climb steps to visit the church. Nice views of Antakya.
I went to Antioch of Acts 11 and Acts 13:1 just to get a good feeling of the First Century Church. I happened to be there on a Monday and this place was closed. So I just went till the gate and peeped inside. There is a fee for entry on the open days.
When you climb up the stairways to reach the entrance you see window-like holes in the mountain. When you get inside the church, you find a small hole (only one person can fit at once) at the back side which goes up; to the window-like area, which i think is a shelter or something. I've tried to climb up that…
St Peters church (called St Pierres locally because of the former French colonial masters) is a short, well signposted walk from the centre. It is in a beautiful; spot below a cliff. It was the site of the first Christian Cathedral (supposed to have been owned by St Luke who gave it). St Peter and St Paul preached here.
You…
Whether or not you accept/believe that this was one of the first Christian churches, it is an interesting bit of archaeology and architecture. Read a little of the reported history before going to help you understand what you're seeing. Most interesting to me was standing at the entrance door and looking back at the city seeing the minarets sticking up….
This is the place where the Christianity was born as a religion literally. So, the spiritual meaning of the place is extreme and it has been for years one of the pilgrimage destinations for Christians. However, the remnants are almost non existent, it's a cave with very few aspects remaining from the early ages of the religion. Furthermore, the church…