Religious Site
St. Peter in Gallicantu
saint PEE-ter in gal-ih-KAHN-too · Modern Mount Zion, Jerusalem · 31.7714° N, 35.2319° E
The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu ("at cock-crow") sits on the eastern slope of Mount Zion. Tradition identifies the site as the location of the House of Caiaphas, the High Priest before whom Jesus was tried, and the setting for Peter's threefold denial (Matthew 26:69-75).
Archaeology
The current church (1924-1931) was built after excavation uncovered Second Temple-period caves and cisterns beneath it, including a chamber known as the "Sacred Pit," sometimes shown as the traditional holding cell of Jesus, plus a stepped street descending toward the Kidron Valley. Scholars caution that the identification of this spot as Caiaphas's palace is a Byzantine-period tradition rather than an archaeologically certain finding — the caves are typical of ordinary Roman-era domestic cellars, and a rival tradition locates the House of Caiaphas elsewhere on the same hill.
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
The church of the cock-crow remembers Peter's denial rather than hiding it — how do you treat the memory of your failures?
More sites
Capstone Bible is a free interactive study app — a map of every place in this library, a zoomable timeline of biblical and church history, the Bible text with every name in it linked to its article, reading plans and personal notes.
Open Capstone Bible