Church of St. Peter

The Church of Saint Peter near Antakya (Antioch), is composed of a cave carved into the mountainside on Mount Starius with a depth of 13 m, a width of 9.5 m and a height of 7 m [1]. The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from at least the 4th or 5th century; these include some pieces of floor mosaics, and traces of frescoes on the right side of the altar [1]. Water which seeps from the nearby rocks was gathered inside to drink and to use for baptism; the flow of this water has lessened as a result of recent earthquakes [1]. St. Paul is believed to have been baptised here and the water was sought not only by Christians but also Alawites who attributed to the water a beneficent healing virtue [1]. The church has been also called St. John's grotto, possibly because of John Chrysostom who is believed to have given sermons and performed baptisms here [1].