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St. Peter's Church (), also called the Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter in Capernaum, is a modern Catholic pilgrimage church found in the archaeological site of
St. Peter's Church (), also called the Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter in Capernaum, is a modern Catholic pilgrimage church found in the archaeological site of Capernaum
Capernaum ( ; ; ) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500 in the 1st century AD. Archaeological excavations have revealed tw ...
, northern Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The church is part of the Franciscan monastery in Capernaum. It is dedicated to St. Peter, whom Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
consider the first leader of the church.
Archaeological excavations carried out in this place discovered another layer of residential structures, on which the first half of a first century church was built. It is considered "the first church in the world" and believed it could be the place where the house of the Apostle Peter was. In the 5th century an octagonal church was built in its place. In 1990 a church of modern pilgrimage was built over the remains of the ancient temples.
The Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter is located in the central part of the archaeological site of Capernaum, at an altitude of on the west coast north of the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...
, in the depression of the Jordan Valley, in northern Israel.
The modern structure above the church's ruins was built in 1989 by T R Freeman Ltd, with a team including Martin Grant, Mick Galloni, Mick Parkes, Doug Claxton and Graham Grant.
See also
* Roman Catholicism in Israel * St. Peter's Church (disambiguation)References
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Peter's, Church Roman Catholic churches in Israel Buildings and structures in Capernaum