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CHURCH OF SAINT PETER IN GALLICANTU

(click on the candle)

Picture: Chebishev

(c) Daniel Amarilio

GOD,
Please give Humanity wisdom
To eliminate the Poverty in the World.
So that the rich become richer.
So that no Poverty exists.
So that no Parent bury his Child.
So that our wonderful Planet is safe.
So that we to live with Joy, in Peace and surrounded by Love.
So that we will glorify You through our short lives, finished even before
being conceived.
So that to hear New prayers coming from every human’s heart,
Which is the same for every Human in this World, independently rich or
poor, white or colored, Abraham or Buddha’s children.
Because I believe only in Goodness..
(Amarilio's Prayer)

Catholic - Assumptionist Order
Located on the eastern slopes of Mount Zion

Few structures combine the ancient with the new as successfully as the dazzling Church of St. Peter on the eastern slopes of Mount Zion. Erected in 1931 to commemorate Peter's triple rejection of Jesus and his subsequent remorse, the church is an amazing blend of contemporary lines, primitive art, and antiquity.

Beneath the church are a series of carved-out chambers from the Second Temple period. Since Catholic tradition positions the palace of Caiaphas on this very site, it logically follows that Jesus may have been imprisoned in one of these very same underground crypts.

A Byzantine shrine dedicated to Peter's repentance was erected on this spot in the middle of the fifth century and was later destroyed by Moslem invaders. The chapel was rebuilt by the Crusaders and given a new name: St. Peter's in Gallicantu. Galli-cantu means cock-crow in Latin and today a golden rooster protrudes prominently from the sanctuary roof.

At least one tour guide believes that the grotto in which Jesus was held is missing a pillar. It is to this column that Jesus was tied, he reports, and notes that when the Crusaders rebuilt the Byzantine shrine they removed the sacred pillar.

The extraordinary church interior is a giant, multi-colored mosaic portraying New Testament figures. Most of the colors are joyous and lively; they also fade into one another and offer subtle gradients of each shade. Perhaps the most striking feature of this unusual church is the ceiling. It is dominated by a huge cross-shaped window designed in a radiant variety of colors.

Natalia Staikova