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"St. Peter in Gallicantu"

Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Monday, ‎December ‎23, ‎2013

Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"St. Peter in Gallicantu"
Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Mark 14:72

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

A sign Board Before the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

The fabulous Saint Peter in-Gallicantu Church is built in the slopes of mount Zion. According to tradition, this was the place of the palace of high priest Caiaphas. Its name is given after the story of Peter's triple denial of Christ and the cock crowing twice.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

Name of the church:

In Latin: Sanctus Petrus in Gallicantu;

In English: Saint Peter in Gallicantu, i.e., at the Cock’s Crow.

The name comes from the episode during Christ’s Passion when Peter, in the courtyard of High Priest Caiaphas, denied his Master three times, saying: “I do not know the man you are talking about.” Just as he spoke the third time, “a cock crowed. The Lord turned around and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the statement which the Lord had made to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:60-62).

History of the Site:

The place believed as the High Priest Caiaphas’ palace. It is here that Jesus was arraigned before the high priest and the Sanhedrin on Thursday night, before being sent to Pilate. Over the ruins of the palace, several churches have been built since the 5^th century. It is only since the Middle Ages (11^th century) that the site is no longer considered as the palace of Caiaphas, but only as the one to which Peter withdrew to weep after the denial, hence the name of the church, at the Cock’s Crow.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu: 

Location:

Located on the eastern side of Mount Zion, St. Peter in Gallicantu Church was built in 1931 over the spot where Peter denied knowing Christ. It's also the site of Caiaphas' palace where Jesus was brought to trial. The name, "Gallicantu" means "the cock's crow" and is taken from the event when Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, as the cock crowed each time.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

The church takes its name from the Latin word "Gallicantu", meaning cock's-crow. This is in commemoration of Peter's triple rejection of Jesus "... before the cock crows twice." (Mark 14:30)

A Byzantine shrine dedicated to Peter's repentance was erected on this spot in 457 AD, but was destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1010. The chapel was rebuilt byCrusaders in 1102 and given its present name. After the fall of Jerusalem the church again fell into ruin and was not rebuilt until 1931. Today a golden rooster protrudes prominently from the sanctuary roof in honor of its biblical connection. This spot is also believed to be the location of the High Priest Caiaphas' palace. According to the Pilgrim of Bordeaux in his Itinerarium Burdigalense, "...going up from the Pool of Siloam to Mount Zion one would come across the House of the Priest Caiaphas."

A statue in the court yard of the church: Peter, the Maid (the woman), the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar):

In the court yard of the church is a statue that describes the events (see Mark 14) of the renunciation of Jesus by Peter, the maid, the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar). The situation from Luke 22: 56-58: 56And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too."57But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." 58A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

A statue in the court yard of the church: Peter, the Maid (the woman), the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar):

Engraved sculpture on the outside wall (see the picture below), “After the Last Supper, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron valley to the Garden of Gethsemane":

Engraved sculpture on the outside wall (see the picture below), “those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled”, Matthew 26:57.

Entrance and Sanctuary

The entrance to the church is from a parking lot which is located above the main level of the church. In the courtyard is a statue that depicts the events of the denial and includes its main figures; the cock, the woman, and the Roman soldier. The entrance itself is bordered by shaped iron doors covered with biblical situations. To the right are two Byzantine-era mosaics found during excavation, these were most likely part of the floor of the fifth-century shrine. The main sanctuary contains large, multi-colored mosaics portraying figures from the New Testament. Facing the entrance is a bound Jesus being questioned at Caiaphas' palace; on the right Jesus and the disciples are shown dining at the Last Supper; and on the left Peter, considered the first Pope, are pictured in ancient papal dress. Perhaps the most striking feature of the interior is the ceiling, which is dominated by a huge cross-shaped window designed in a variety of colors. The fourteen Stations of the Cross also line the walls and are marked with simple crosses.

Main Entrance of the Church:

Main Entrance of the Church:

Above the main Entrance of the Church:

Written in latin, "Dominus custodiat Introitum tuum et exitum tuum" Ps.121

Meaning: "May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out"

Psalm 120 (121)

In Latin:

1 Levavi oculos meos in montes,

  unde veniet auxilium mihi.

2 Auxilium meum a Domino,

  qui fecit cælum et terram.

3 Non det in commotionem pedem tuum,

  neque dormitet qui custodit te.

4 Ecce non dormitabit neque dormiet

  qui custodit Israël.

5 Dominus custodit te;

  Dominus protectio tua super manum dexteram tuam.

6 Per diem sol non uret te,

  neque luna per noctem.

7 Dominus custodit te ab omni malo;

  custodiat animam tuam Dominus.

8 Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum,

  ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.

Psalm 120 (121)

Translation in English:

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills;

   whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the Lord,

   who made ​​heaven and earth.

3 May he not suffer thy foot to be moved,

   that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 slumber nor sleep

   He that keepeth Israel.

5 The Lord is thy keeper;

   Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.

6 By the day the sun will not burn you,

   nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil;

   shall preserve thy soul.

8 May the Lord keep thy going in and thy going out,

   from henceforth now and forever.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Lower Church and Crypts

Beneath the upper church is a chapel which incorporates stone from ancient grottos inside its walls. Down a hole in the center of the sanctuary one can see caves that may have been part of the Byzantine shrine. These walls are engraved with crosses left by fifth-century Christians. On an even lower level there is a succession of caves from the Second Temple period. Since tradition places the palace of Caiaphas on this site, many believe that Jesus may have been imprisoned in one of these underground crypts after his arrest, however, these underground caves were normal in many Roman-era homes, and often served as cellars, water cisterns, and baths. On the north side of the church is an ancient staircase that leads down towards the Kidron Valley. This may have been a passage from the upper city to the lower city during the first temple period. Many Christians believe that Jesus followed this path down to Gethsemane the night of his arrest.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Significance of the church

The modern church, first consecrated in 1931 and deconsecrated in 1997 after extensive renovations, is part of a long tradition going back to the 5^th century according to which Christians have never ceased to commemorate on this spot Saint Peter’s triple denial of Jesus in the courtyard of High Priest Caiaphas, as well as the repentance of the Apostle after he had heard the cock’s crow and remembered the words Jesus had told him.

Convinced of the importance of this episode in the Passion, Christians first tried to pinpoint the spot where it had taken place, then, around 450 A.D., sought to perpetuate its memory by building a church on the site. This church, as well as the others that followed, were all destroyed, as a cycle of violence took hold throughout the ages. The present structure is at least the fourth on this location.

The site comprises a church and the mysterious Deep Pit over which it is built, as well as the archaeological discoveries made here: foundations, cisterns, liturgical artifacts, including an ancient stepped street undoubtedly taken by Jesus. It is the entire site which allows pilgrims to relive the various events linked to Jesus’ religious trial before the high priest, viz., his detention after his arrest at Gethsemane, his arraignment the following morning, his trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the denial of Peter outside the palace as the trial was taking place within, the repentance of the Apostle, and finally Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus after the Resurrection on the shores of Lake Tiberius.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Inside the Church, A painting in the altar:

Inside the Church, A painting of Jesus and Peter:

Inside the Church, Main Altar:

Inside the Church, A Sculpture of Jesus:

The prisons and pits in underground:

There are many caves and shelters in the basement of the church. According to the tradition, these caves included a jail where Jesus was held after his arrest. These underground caves were normal in many of the Roman period houses, and served as cellars, water cisterns, and baths.

An Underground cave in the lower floor:

An Underground cave in the lower floor:

Probably where Jesus was kept after arrested:

Another side view of  the Sacred prison, where Jesus was kept: