Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu

This church commemorates Jesus' trail by the High Priest, Caiaphas, and also Peter's triple denial of the Savior. On its roof rises a golden rooster atop a black cross — recalling Christ’s prophesy that Peter would deny him three times “before the cock crows”.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is located on the eastern slope of Mount Zion across from the City of David.

Photo: Looking out on the valley from the church.

The name, Gallicantu, comes from two Latin words: gallus means "rooster" and cantu comes from the verb "to crow." Therefore, it is referred to as the "rooster's crows," referring to Peter's triple denial of the Savior.

Photo: Door of the church.

Photo: Byzantine mosaic inside church. The Jerusalem Center has a number of Byzantine mosaics very much like this one (same color, same type of design) which are on loan from the Antiquities authorities.

Photo: Inside church.

Sometime during the Byzantine time period, some Christians started to venerate this site as the location of the palace of the Jewish high priest, Joseph Caiaphas, to which Jesus was taken after His arrest at Gethsemane. (Matthew 26: 57-58).

Photo: Some of the JC students can be seen. After people left and there were only a few people inside, one of the students sang a hymn acappella. She had the most beautiful voice and as she sang "Jesus Once of Humble Birth" people came in and sat reverently until she finished. She was a girl in the student choir and it was a special experience to hear her voice echo through the church. Visiting places where Jesus spent his last days was an overwhelming experience.

Photo: The dome of the church was beautiful!

According to the Gospels, the palace was where Jesus was put on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin and where Peter denied three times. The scene of Peter’s disgrace was the courtyard of the high priest, Caiaphas.

Outside the church are stairs that date to the Herodian Period. If this is the correct site of the palace of Caiaphas, then Jesus may have walked on these steps on His way to the Sandhedrin trial. Archaeologists found coins on these steps dating back to the time of Christ. On the evening of his arrest, he probably descended them with his disciples on their way from the Last Supper to the Garden of  Gethsemane.

This is one of those places that really had an impact upon me. We looked down and envisioned our Savior walking these steps to face trial and I felt a lump grow in my throat. To be here, to have the opportunity to learn and study the Old and New Testament in depth and then to visit these historical sights is truly something I shall never forget.

Ciaaphas demanded to know if Jesus deemed Himself "the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus answered: "thou hast said." (Matthew 26:63-64)

Ciaaphas tore his clothes and accused Jesus of committing blasphemy. (Matthew 26:65) Under the church is a dungeon thought to be the cell where Jesus was detained for the night following his arrest. The lower levels of the Church contain what are believed to have been a guardroom and a prisoner’s cell, both hewn out of bedrock.

Caiaphas asked the chief priests for a verdict and they said, "He is guilty of death." (Matthew 26: 66). Those attending the trial spat upon Jesus and mocked him.

As Peter "sat without," a maid asked him if he knew Jesus. Peter denied it three times. A cock crowed, then Peter remembered Jesus's prophet and wept. (Matthew 26:34)

One of these cisterns is venerated as the place where Jesus was imprisoned. Excavations have also revealed a water cistern, corn mill, storage chambers and servants’ quarters. A Byzantine church was built on this sight in the 5th century AD and then this modern Catholic Church of St. Peter was built around 1930.

The guardroom contains wall fixtures to attach prisoners’ chains. Holes in the stone pillars would have been used to fasten a prisoner’s hands and feet when he was flogged. Bowls carved in the floor are believed to have contained salt and vinegar, either to aggravate the pain or to disinfect the wounds.

Looking through glass at the dungeon where prisoners were kept.

Christ was very possibly lowered down into the prison cave bound in ropes. This would be the type of cave where he spent the night waiting his trial. We are certain these were underground prisons because iron rings were once attached. My heart sunk to see a cave like this and it was sobering to be there. The only access to the bottle-necked cell was through a shaft from above, so the prisoner would have been lowered and raised by means of a rope harness. A mosaic depicting Jesus in such a harness is outside on the south wall of the church.

Having condemned Jesus to death, the chief priests delivered Him to Pilate. (Matthew 27:1)