5/5 Carl S. 11 years ago on Google • 1 review
ROMAN
CATHOLIC
CHURCH
OF
SAINT
PETER
The
church
was
built
in
1654
in
dedication
to
Saint
Peter
over
a
medieval
citadel
that
was
erected
by
Frederick
II
and
restored
by
Louis
IX
of
France
at
the
beginning
of
the
second
half
of
the
thirteenth
century.
However,
in
the
late
eighteenth
century
the
church
was
twice
destroyed
and
consequently
twice
rebuilt.
The
current
structure
was
built
between
1888
and
1894
and
most
recently
renovated
in
1903.
Architecture
With
its
tall
brick
facade
and
towering
belfry,
St.
Peter's
Church
is
the
single
largest
and
most
distinctive
building
in
Old
Jaffa.
The
interior
of
the
church
is
reminiscent
of
cathedrals
in
Europe,
with
a
high
vaulted
ceiling,
stained
glass
windows
and
marble
walls.
The
four
panels
in
the
anterior
of
the
church
depict
episodes
from
the
life
of
St.
Peter,
including
the
miraculous
catch
of
fishes,
the
giving
of
the
keys,
the
Transfiguration
of
Christ
on
Mount
Tabor
and
the
Washing
of
the
feet
at
the
Last
Supper.
With
the
exception
of
depictions
of
Tabitha,
Saint
Francis
of
Assisi,
and
the
Immaculate
Conception,
all
of
the
other
windows
in
the
church
depict
Spanish
Saints;
not
surprising
as
the
present
building
was
erected
by
Spain.
St.
Peter's
Church
also
contains
thirteenth
century
remnants
of
St.
Louis'
citadel
located
outside
and
to
the
right
of
the
sacristy.
The
remnants
include
two
whole
rooms
which
are
circular
in
shape,
have
low
ceilings
and
fire
embrasures.
It
is
in
these
rooms
that
Napoleon
Bonaparte
is
said
to
have
lived
while
he
was
at
St.
Peter's
in
1799
during
his
campaign
in
Egypt
and
Syria.
The
church
was
constructed
on
its
present
location
because
of
the
significance
Jaffa
has
to
Christianity.
It
was
in
Jaffa
that
Saint
Peter
raised
Tabitha,
one
of
Jesus'
disciples,
from
the
dead
according
to
the
Acts
of
the
Apostles,
9:36-43,
10:1-4.
The
church
is
dedicated
to
him.
Since
the
large
church
is
located
on
a
hill
near
the
shore,
the
building
has
historically
dominated
the
view
of
Jaffa
from
the
sea,
thus
serving
as
a
beacon
to
pilgrims,
signaling
that
the
Holy
Land
was
near.