St Peter Church

The Church of St Peter (St Peter's Cave Church, Cave-Church of St Peter) near Antioch (Antakya), Turkey, is composed of a cave carved into the mountainside on Mount Starius with a depth of 13 m, a width of 9,5 m and a height of 7m. This cave, which has been used by the first Christians in Antakya region, is considered to be one of Chistianity's oldest churches.

The founding of the church in Antioch can be traced from the Bible's Acts of the Apostles (11:25-27) where it is related that Barnabas travels to Tarsus to bring Paul the Apostle there. They worked for one year with the nascent Christian community, and there the converts were called "Christians" for the first time. The Christian heritage considers Peter as the first Apostle founder of the church of Antioch, and the first priest of the Christian population that was established there; the Church of St. Peter is the spot where he first preached the Gospel in Antioch.

Only some pieces of ground mossaics, and traces of frescos on the right side of the alter have been preserved to date from the early period of the church. It is thought that the tunnel inside that opens to the mountain side, served the Christians to evacuate the church in case of sudden raids and attacks. Water that seeps from rocks to be gathered inside the drinking trough has been used for baptisms. The collection of water, which visitors drank and collected to bring to those who were ill, in the belief that it was healing and curative, has lessened as a result of recent earthquakes.

On top of the stone altar located in the middle of the church, is a stonework platform that was placed in memory of the Saint Peter's Platform Holiday which was celebrated every 21st of February in Antakya. The marble Saint Peter statue on top of the altar was placed there in 1932. Crusaders who captured Antakya in 1098 lengthened the church by a few meters and connected it with two arches to the facade. This facade has been rebuilt in 1863, by the Capuchin Friars who were doing restorative works on the orders of Pope Pius IX. Napoleon III has also contributed to the restoration. The remains on the left hand side of the church entrance belong to colonnades that used to stand in front of the church facade.