In the Gospel of Matthew, a story is written about how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, promised the disciple Simon (Peter) that he would create a church "on a stone." (The name Peter in Greek and Aramaic means "stone").
"And I tell you: you are Peter, and on this stone I will create My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail over it." (Matthew 16:18)
Simon was stunned by the words of the teacher. After he denied the Savior on the day of his crucifixion, he considered himself an unworthy predecessor of Christ. In response to the betrayal, Jesus did not reproach the sinful fisherman, but promised that he would build the church of Peter.
Church in Jaffa
On the southern lands, in the city of Jaffa, in Israel, there is an Orthodox Church of the Apostle Peter and the righteous Tabitha of the Moscow Patriarchate. According to ancient legends, a weaver, a respectable woman, lived on this earth, who was loved by everyone she knew. The news of the death of a seamstress very upset acquaintances. The apostle Peter performed a miracle by resurrecting a virtuous and righteous woman who lived many years after a momentous event.
Several centuries passed, at the place of burial, the Tabithas built an Orthodox church.
It happened like this. A certain missionary Kapustin took control of the area, planted fruit trees, built buildings for religious people visiting historical lands.
In 1888, Prince Romanov Sergey and Pavel Alexandrovichi and Princess Elizaveta Fedorovna arrived in the city to consecrate the earth in their presence and lay the foundation for the construction of a future church. At the end of the 19th century, the Church of the Holy Apostle Peter was finally completed and consecrated by the Jerusalem Patriarch Gerasim. In the twentieth century, the Church of the Apostle Peter and the righteous Tabitha was visited by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.
In the decor and structure of the cathedral, the Constantinople style is traced. The bell tower is the most bulky building in the city. There are two altars in the temple: the central one - the Apostle Peter - and the left one - the God-fearing Tabitha. The Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society for the Temple of the Apostle Peter was provided with a two-tier iconostasis. On the left side of the icon of the Mother of God is the icon "Resurrection of Tabitha". At the beginning of the 20th century, Archimandrite Leonid Sentsov painted the walls of the temple with craftsmen from the Pochaev Lavra. The reverent pictures from the life of the Apostle Peter and the twelve disciples are presented in the choir and in the upper tiers.
The temple operates daily except Monday. Bible lessons are taught for adults and children.
Visit Hours:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - from 9:00 to 13:00; from 15:00 to 17:00.
- Friday, Saturday - from 8:00 to 13:00; from 15:00 to 19:00.
- Sunday - from 6:30 to 12:00.
The church is located at Tel Aviv Jaffa, Abu Kabir, Herzl Street 157.
Cathedral in the Fun Village
The Church of the Holy Supreme Apostle Peter appeared on March 10 in 2005 in a small village. April 23, the Cathedral is blessed by Vladimir Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Nevsky District.
Not far from the church is the Builders Park. The building is the largest and most significant in a small area. The church territory includes a temple, a bell tower, a clergy house, Western, Northern and Southern gates.
The room contains the remains of the apostles Peter, Paul, James, brother of John, Matthew and other students. They were received as a gift from the Moscow Roman Catholic Church of St. Louis.
The cathedral is large and spacious. The dome is painted with frescoes with gospel stories.
Schedule of the Church of the Apostle Peter:
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: funeral services, baptisms, prayers.
- Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Confession, Vigil, Liturgy
- Opening hours: daily from 9:30 to 19:00.
Temple at the monastery in Karelia
In one of the small resort towns of Karelia there is the Church of the Holy Apostle Peter and Paul in the Valaam Monastery. The square is built by monastery cells in the shape of a square. The cathedral has been visible above the Holy Gates since 1809. The name associated with "Balaam" is derived from the words "holy, bright land." According to ancient legends, the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called preached the Word of God on this earth.
After the millennium of the stay of the Apostle Andrew in the "holy land", the monks Sergius and Herman erected the first monastery. The building expanded, flourished, which subsequently led to the functioning of the largest Russian monastery.
During the Northern War, the territory of the Temple of the Apostle Peter was attacked and robbed, and finally, under Tsar Peter the Great, the cathedral was finally rebuilt.
In the XIX century, the temple was led by a wise spiritual mentor - Father Superior Damaskin. Under his leadership, the church developed and flourished.
Currently, there is a wonderful forest near the church, the Museum of the First Russian resort, the sanatorium "Marcial Waters".
Inside the church, including the iconostasis, is made of white stone. Majestic icons resemble paintings with exciting biblical subjects, the lower row of the iconostasis conveys the history of Russia of past years. Images on canvases resemble Russian Almighty: The Almighty Savior looks like Peter the Great in appearance, features resembling Catherine the Great are traced in the image of the Virgin.
The temple is open daily. In addition to services, excursions are provided.
Lakhta Temple
In the small village of St. Petersburg, in Lakhta, the Church of the Apostle Peter was founded at the end of the 19th century. The decision to build an Orthodox cathedral was timed to coincide with the historic date when the Russian emperor Peter the Great took active measures to save the soldiers who were drowning in the sea.
Count Stenbock-Fermor, who at that time owned Lahti, contributed finance for the construction of the temple in the amount of 20 thousand. But the villagers did not remain indifferent, donating something from their hiding places to a holy cause. They erected the cathedral in a short time. On June 12, 1894, the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Palladium, Bishop of Gdov and John of Kronstadt.
The overthrow and restoration of the temple
In communist times, the cathedral was closed and for some time the Zvezdochka movie theater functioned in its rooms.
In the early 90s, the building was transferred to the St. Petersburg Diocese, and in 1994, the consecration was again conducted in the Church of the Apostle Peter.
Ancient shrines are kept in the church altar:
- the remains of St. George, the Apostle Mark;
- images of the martyrs of Princess Elizabeth and Barbara;
- image of St. Peter.
Next to the temple is a cast-iron sanctuary, and, according to tradition, pilgrims annually make a crusade to it. A hospice is located nearby, where severe patients receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance.
There is a Sunday school and Christian camps for children.
Opening hours: daily from 9:00.
Church on the "stone"
The Savior Christ predicted to the Apostle Peter that a church would be formed on his behalf.
In Russia, several Temples of the First Apostle Peter are developing and replenished by parishioners. The name of the Lord is daily glorified outside the walls of the church and in the hearts of parishioners.