Restoring the Ancient Cave of St. Peter

Teresa Neumann : Apr 18, 2013
Noah Wiener - Biblical Archaeology

The cave is considered the first place where Paul the Apostle preached the Gospel in Antioch.

(Antakya, Turkey)—An ancient cave, which has long been a destination for pilgrims, is considered to be the first place where Paul preached the Gospel in Antioch.

According to a report from the Anatolia News Agency, work is now going on at the site to restore it and make it safe for modern day visitors. (Photo: Biblicalarchaeology.org)

"The church was restored by Byzantines in the 11th century," said Antakya Archaeology Museum director Özcan Şimşek, "and by Italians in the 1860s."

An earlier Guardian U.K. Report from March of 2012 states that the cave church is "a simple grotto, said to originally have been dug by Peter himself out of the soft volcanic rock of Mount Starius." And Travel in Turkey notes that it is the only surviving Christian remnant in Antioch and served as the meeting place of the first Christians.