St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas'
Mount Zion's Byzantine church, rock-cut cells and the 'sacred pit'
Found 1888 — Assumptionist Fathers, who bought the land in 1887 and excavated 1888–1911 (notably under Étienne Boubet and later Louis-Hugues Vincent's review); church built 1924–1931 over the remains
Where St Peter in Gallicantu, eastern slope of Mount Zion, Jerusalem (Israel)
Dates from 1st century BCE – 7th century CE · Early Roman to Byzantine · Trial of Yeshua before the high priest; Peter's denial
Now at In situ; Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (Assumptionist), Jerusalem
How St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' was found
Digging on the eastern slope of Mount Zion revealed a Byzantine church and monastery of the 5th–6th century, rock-cut chambers, cisterns and cellars beneath it, Herodian-period stone weights and door lintels, and a stepped street running down the hill toward the Kidron.
What it is
Under and around the modern church are remains of a large Byzantine basilica with a mosaic floor; a complex of rock-cut rooms including a deep bottle-shaped cistern called the 'sacred pit' with Byzantine crosses carved on its walls; a guardroom-like chamber with rings cut into the rock; a set of Herodian stone weights and measures found on the site; and a long flight of ancient stone steps outside the church that once linked Mount Zion to the Pool of Siloam and the Kidron.
Why it matters for the Bible
Tradition since the Byzantine period placed the house of Kayafa (Caiaphas) here, where Yeshua was held overnight and Peter denied him at cockcrow ('gallicantu' is Latin for the cock's crow). The 'sacred pit' is shown as Yeshua's prison, but its crosses show only that Byzantine Christians venerated it; it was originally a cistern. The steps outside are a real ancient street, plausibly used by Yeshua walking from the Last Supper to Gethsemane and back under arrest. Most scholars place the actual palace of Caiaphas higher up Mount Zion, near the Armenian property where a rival tradition sits, so the site preserves early memory rather than proof.
The Hebrew word: ko-HEN gah-DOHL
כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל
כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל is pronounced ko-HEN gah-DOHL and means high priest — Caiaphas' office; his house was the setting of the night hearing (Strong's H3548 + H1419).
People this discovery connects to
- Caiaphas — קַיָּפָא (Kah-YAH-fah) — uncertain; Greek Kaiaphas
- Peter — שִׁמְעוֹן כֵּיפָא (Shim-OHN Kei-FAH) — rock (Aramaic kefa, Greek Petros)
Places
- Mount Zion — הַר צִיּוֹן (Hahr Tsee-YOHN) — Zion; meaning uncertain, perhaps 'fortress'
Events
Yeshua before the high priest · Peter's denial · Walk from the Upper Room to Gethsemane
St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' in Scripture
Matthew 26:3 First mention of Caiaphas in Scripture.
Matthew 26:57-58 Yeshua is led to the house of Caiaphas the high priest and Peter follows into the courtyard.
Luke 22:60-62 The cock crows and Peter weeps; the church's name commemorates this moment.
Questions people ask
What is St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas'?
Under and around the modern church are remains of a large Byzantine basilica with a mosaic floor; a complex of rock-cut rooms including a deep bottle-shaped cistern called the 'sacred pit' with Byzantine crosses carved on its walls; a guardroom-like chamber with rings cut into the rock; a set of Herodian stone weights and measures found on the site; and a long flight of ancient stone steps outside the church that once linked Mount Zion to the Pool of Siloam and the Kidron.
When was St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' discovered?
It was found in 1888 by Assumptionist Fathers, who bought the land in 1887 and excavated 1888–1911 (notably under Étienne Boubet and later Louis-Hugues Vincent's review); church built 1924–1931 over the remains, at St Peter in Gallicantu, eastern slope of Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
Where is St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' today?
In situ; Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (Assumptionist), Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' relate to?
Matthew 26:3, Matthew 26:57-58, Luke 22:60-62.
Is St Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas' authentic?
The Byzantine church, cisterns, weights and stepped street are genuine finds. The identification of the site as Caiaphas' house is a Byzantine tradition; a competing Armenian site higher on Mount Zion has an equal claim, and the 'prison' was originally a cistern.
Related discoveries
- כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹלCaiaphas OssuaryOrnate bone box inscribed 'Yehosef bar Kayafa' from a priestly family tomb
- מַעַזְיָהMiriam Daughter of Yeshua OssuaryLooted ossuary naming 'Miriam daughter of Yeshua son of Caiaphas, priest of Maaziah from Beth Imri'
- צַיִדBethsaida: et-Tell and el-ArajTwo rival sites for the fishing village of Peter, Andrew and Philip
- מָשִׁיחַCave Church of St Peter, AntiochThe grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met
- לֹדLod (Lydda) MosaicA stunning Roman floor found under a street in the town where Peter healed Aeneas
- בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִיםMamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), RomeThe Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu'
- See the Holy Land, 'St Peter in Gallicantu'
- L.-H. Vincent and F.-M. Abel, Jérusalem nouvelle (Paris 1914–1926), on the Gallicantu remains
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