Primacy of Peter
"The third time he said to him: 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'." (John
21:17)
A chapel on the lake shore - a short distance from the Church of the
Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes - marks the site where, according to
Christian tradition, Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time and
confirmed the spiritual primacy of the Apostle Peter.
The present chapel, built of black basalt stones, was erected by the Franciscan
Custody of the Holy Land in 1933 on the ruins of earlier shrines. Elements of
the 4th-century church can be seen along the outside base of three of the walls.
The section of flat rock in front of the altar inside the present chapel is
popularly identified as Mensa Christi (Lat., the table of Christ), the assumed
place where On the lakeside of the chapel are twelve rock-cut steps, quite
possibly those described by the 4th-century Spanish pilgrim, the Lady Egeria.
Pope Paul VI visited the chapel on 5 January 1964, during his historic
pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter occupies the site where Jesus appeared
for the third time after His Resurrection (John 21). The current modest, black
basalt structure was built in 1933 by the Franciscans on the site of a 4th
century church. At the base of the newer walls, at the end furthest from the
altar, you can plainly see the ancient wall on three sides. The flat rock in
front of the altar is believed to be the actual table at which Jesus and His
disciples ate; it was known to Byzantine pilgrims as Mensa Christi (Christ's
Table).
Outside the church, near the water, are steps cut out of the rock. Some believe
this was where Jesus stood when the disciples saw Him, but they were possibly
cut during the 2nd to 3rd century when this area was quarried for limestone. Six
double, or heart-shaped, column bases lie below the steps, however, they are
underwater when the lake level is high. These could have been taken from nearby
buildings and intended to commemorate the 12 disciples. The church is open daily
from 8 am to 6 pm and admission is free.
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