The Church of
Saint Peter (
Aramaic: ''Knisset Mar Semaan Kefa'',
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
: ''Senpiyer Kilisesi'', St. Peter's
Cave Church
A cave monastery is a monastery built in caves, with possible outside facilities. The 3rd-century monk St. Antony the Great, known as the founder of monasticism, lived in a cave.
*Albania
** Qafthanë Cave Church, cave church near Urakë
** ...
, Cave-Church of St. Peter) near
Antakya (
Antioch),
Turkey, is composed of a cave carved into the mountainside on Mount Starius with a depth of 13 m (42 ft.), a width of 9.5 m (31 ft.) and a height of 7 m (23 ft). This cave is one of
Christianity's oldest
churches.
History
The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from at least the 4th or 5th century; these include some pieces of floor
mosaics, and traces of
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es on the right side of the
altar. The tunnel inside which opens to the mountainside is thought to have served the Christians for evacuation of the church in case of sudden raids and attacks. Water which seeps from the nearby rocks was gathered inside to drink and to use for
baptism; flow of this water, which visitors drank and collected to give to those who were ill (believing that it was healing and curative), has lessened as a result of recent earthquakes.
[Clyde E. Fant, Mitchell Glenn Reddish]
A guide to biblical sites in Greece and Turkey
(Oxford University Press US, 2003), pg. 149
Crusaders of the
First Crusade who captured Antakya in 1098 lengthened the church by a few meters and connected it with two arches to the facade, which they constructed. Acting on orders from
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
,
Capuchin Friars
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...
restored the church and rebuilt the facade in 1863; French Emperor
Napoleon III contributed to the restoration. The remains to the left of the entrance belong to colonnades which formerly stood in front of the present facade.
Atop the stone altar in the middle of the church is a stonework platform placed in memory of
Saint Peter's Platform Holiday, which was celebrated every 21 February in Antakya. A marble statue of Saint Peter was placed above the altar in 1932.
The garden of the church has been used as a cemetery for hundreds of years. Graves and burials have also been located inside the church, especially around the altar. The church is the burial place of
Tancred, Prince of Galilee, as well as one of the three final resting places of the remains of the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
, who died in the
Third Crusade.
The church is a museum today, but it is possible to perform worship services inside the church under the inspection of the Museum Management by obtaining a permit from the Office of the Provincial Governor.
Images
Image:Antioch_Saint_Pierre_Churchyard.JPG, Churchyard
Image:Antioch_Saint_Pierre_Church_Inside.JPG, Church interior
Image:Antioch_Saint_Pierre_Church_Altar.JPG, Altar
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 1.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Facade
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 7720.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Facade
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 7723.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Interior
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 2.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Altar area
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 7725.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Facade
File:Antakya Church of Saint Peter 7733.jpg, St Peter's Cave Church Entrance tunnel
See also
*
Oldest churches in the world
References
External links
Cave Church of St. PierreChurch of AntiochAntiochian Patriarchate
{{Authority control
Churches in Turkey
New Testament places
Antakya
Buildings and structures in Hatay Province
World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey
Crusader churches
Cave churches