St. Peter's Church, Jaffa
Encyclopedia
St. Peter's Church is a Franciscan
Church in Jaffa
, part of Tel Aviv
, in Israel
.
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.
, Italian
, Spanish
, Polish
and German
. A schedule is available at the church and it is open to the public every day. Among contemporary worshippers are Polish
foreign workers who come here to pray on Saturdays, their day off.
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 cathedral
s in Europe
, with a high vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and marble walls. The stained glass windows were manufactured in Munich
by renowned artist Franz Xaver Zettler. 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. Also of note is the pulpit which is carved in the shape of a life-like tree.
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.
. It was in Jaffa that Saint Peter
raised Tabitha
, one of Jesus
' disciples
, from the dead according to the Acts of the Apostles
, , . 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.
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Church in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, part of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Ottoman period
The church was built in 1654 in dedication to Saint PeterSaint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
over a medieval citadel that was erected by Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
and restored by Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
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.
Today
Masses are conducted in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. A schedule is available at the church and it is open to the public every day. Among contemporary worshippers are Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
foreign workers who come here to pray on Saturdays, their day off.
Architecture
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, St. Peter's Church is the single largest and most distinctive building in Old Jaffa. The interior of the church is reminiscent of cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with a high vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and marble walls. The stained glass windows were manufactured in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
by renowned artist Franz Xaver Zettler. 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
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
and the Washing of the feet at the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
. With the exception of depictions of Tabitha
Tabitha
-People:Tabitha is a biblical name from the Hebrew text of Dorcas and Acts 9:36 in the NIV Bible. The meaning is gazelle.-Literature:* Tabitha Twitchit, Tom Kitten's mother in the books for children by Beatrix Potter...
, Saint Francis of Assisi, and the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
, all of the other windows in the church depict Spanish Saints; not surprising as the present building was erected by Spain. Also of note is the pulpit which is carved in the shape of a life-like tree.
St. Peter's Church also contains thirteenth century remnants of St. Louis' citadel located outside and to the right of the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
. 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.
Significance
The church was constructed on its present location because of the significance Jaffa has to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. It was in Jaffa that Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
raised Tabitha
Dorcas
Dorcas was a disciple who lived in Joppa, referenced in the Book of Acts of the Bible. Acts recounts that when she died, she was mourned by "all the widows ... crying and showing the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them."...
, one of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
, from the dead according to the Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
, , . 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
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
was near.
See also
- St. Peter's BasilicaSt. Peter's BasilicaThe Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
- Church of the Primacy of St. PeterChurch of the Primacy of St. PeterThe Church of the Primacy of St. Peter is a Franciscan church located in Tabgha, Israel, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It commemorates Jesus' reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles.-History:...
- Church of St. Peter in GallicantuChurch of St. Peter in GallicantuThe Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu is a Roman Catholic church located on the eastern slope of Mount Zion, just outside the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel.-History:...
- Church of the TransfigurationChurch of the Transfiguration-Albania:*Holy Transfiguration Monastery Church, Çatistë*Holy Transfiguration Church, Gjirokastër*Holy Transfiguration Monastery Church, Mingul-Russia:* Church of the Transfiguration located in Kizhi -United States:Alaska...