Cave Church: St. Pierre Church

St. Peter’s Church is located in Antakya, west of the Orontes River, on the slope of the Hac Mountain. Although it is not known exactly when it was built, it is believed to be the place where St. Peter preached for the first time. After Christianity was declared as the official religion by the Roman State, the current church form was given to the cave.

St. Pierre is one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.. He came to Antakya between 29-40 AD and started to spread Christianity in this church. While religious meetings were held secretly in this cave, the name “Christian” was given to the congregation here for the first time. For this reason, St. Pierre Church is known as one of the first churches of Christianity, which was founded before the formation of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations.

The church is inside a 13 meters deep, 9.5 meters wide and 7 meters high cave carved into the rocks. With the arrival of the crusaders in Antakya in 1098, the church was enlarged in 1863 by the Capuchin priests. It is known that its garden was used as a cemetery for several centuries. Masses are still held in the church on June 29 and at various times each year.