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,
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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. It seems like Christianity and Islam have co-existed here for centuries and the locals don’t seem to mind.
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The main thing is dont go there expecting a revolutionary experience. It is small and quite; however if you are in the area you should visit it. It cost 8 Turkish Lira per person, you can go inside and take pictures. The employees speak English and are there should you need them.
It depends on how important religion is to…
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The actual location is closed for rennovation but even just looking up to where the first Christian Church in the World is was breathtaking! To think that we walked up as far as they would let us and to know that we were stepping in the same places as described in religous text was very provoking.