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St. Peter’s Church (Antakya)
Küçük Dalyan Mahallesi, 31000 Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
WEB SITE N/A
RELIGIONS Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGIOUS SITE
DESCRIPTION The Church of Saint Peter (also known as Grotto of St. Peter) is located in the vicinity of Antakya is actually cave transformed into a church. The façade of the church dates back to 11th and 12th century.
The interior of the church is rather simple. There is an altar, a statue, a throne made of stone and a small statue of St. Peter. There are traces of the mosaics on the floor and the frescoes on the wall that used to decorate the church once. Dripping water from the rocks once collected and used for baptism ceremonies. People also believed that this water healed sicknesses. Due to earthquakes the volume of the water is considerably decreased. The statue is relatively new and placed here in 1932.
Capuchin priests restored the façade under the commission of Pope Pius IX in 1863 and Napoleon III also contributed this restoration.
The building is a museum now but with permission from the Governorate, private masses can be held.
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE Seleucus I Nicator, an infantry general of Alexander the Great, founded the city of Antioch c. 300 BC and named it after his father. Being on the main trade routes, the city enjoyed prosperity during Roman era. There was an considerable Jewish community living in the city. St. Peter lived in the city between 47 and 54 AD. St. Paul and St. Barnabas also stayed here for missionary work. It is believed that the term Christian to describe the community of this new faith was first used here. During Diocletian persecution, the Christian community suffered a lot.
Although Antioch became an important center for orthodox Christianity, this is where Arius and Eusebius defended their idea on Christ that he was not co-substantial with the Father. Council of Nicea held in 325 condemned this view declaring them heretics. Starting from the 6th century city suffered from raids of the Persians, the Crusaders, the Arabs, the Mamluks then the Ottomans.
INTER-RELIGIOUS RELEVANCE The church itself as well the city of Antioch have important role in history of Christianity. In the region there are Christian villages such as Vakıflı, Armenian, Tokaçlı, Arab-Orthodox as well as in the cities like Antakya and Mersin. A considerable number of Christians moved to Istanbul or abroad due to political and economic reasons.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE Antakya regions has been a junction of different religions and ethnicities. Situated on the main trade routes the city has been prosperous.
HOW TO USE WITH THE STUDENTS The didactical relevance and the proposed way to use with the students:
- Direct visit
A direct visit, if possible, would be the best way for students to experience the atmosphere of the place.
- Virtual visit (specify how)
A PPT presentation prepared by the tutor enriched with visuals.
- Classroom activity (pre- and post- visit)
Pre-visit activity: A research by students on history of Antakya (Antioch).
Post-visit:
- Since this is a popular place, locals do know who St. Peter was. A discussion among students if they know any person considered to be holy from other faiths.
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